Do Unto Others
“I don’t understand how you could know that before me,” Justin complained as the
guys headed toward the Giant Eagle for a brief shopping trip. “I like – always
know stuff before you ….”
“Simple enough, Kiddo,” Brian laughed. “I just happened to be in the right place
at the right time. There I was – dropping off that art stuff you wanted me to
get to Linz – that you really should have taken over there yourself – and then
you’d have been there instead of me when Gus came home from school ….”
“O just cut it out, Brian,” Justin stopped him. “You volunteered to take those
things over – you wanted to go over - and you know it too. You probably knew
that Gus won his class essay contest about the real meaning of Christmas – and
you’d be the first one to find out ….”
“Tied for first, Baby,” Brian was still laughing. “Lindsay found out at the same
time I did. And she called Melanie right away so …..”
“So I’m really like – the fourth one to find out,” Justin groused. “Gee whiz.”
“Actually, Sweetheart,” Brian continued his roll, “I saw Emmett and Ted on my
way over here to meet you – and I think I told them about it. I’m a proud father
after all – and they were heading over to Mikey’s ….”
“You did that deliberately, Kinney – so I’d be the last to know - out of spite I
bet. So anyway - what did Gus say the real meaning of Christmas was, Kinney?”
Justin changed the direction of the conversation –maybe taking the offensive
just a little bit. “Bet he didn’t learn the true meaning of Christmas from you –
or he wouldn’t have been winning any prizes ….”
“Maybe not,” Brian conceded. “He just said that the real meaning of Christmas
was to be more interested in the happiness of others than in your own happiness
….”
“Well he didn’t learn that from you, Brian,” Justin actually grinned despite
himself. “You should have known I’d want to be the first one to know about Gus’
prize so – if you were more interested in my happiness than your own – you
should have told Gus not to tell you first ….”
“Well I’m not sure what the logistics of that would have been, Babe,” Brian
admitted with a smile, “but Gus was pretty anxious to tell somebody. He probably
wanted you to know first but he was just so excited that he couldn’t wait so –
even if me and Linz weren’t his first choices ….”
“And I bet you slipped him a tenspot as a reward too,” Justin surmised. “Like he
should be rewarded for thinking of others before himself?”
“Actually, Taylor,” Brian laughed, “in the true spirit of the holiday, I slipped
him a twenty. I guess I must be more generous than you ….”
“Totally wrong, Kinney,” Justin pronounced. “If you really wanted to please Gus,
you should have donated that twenty to some worthy charity in his name ….”
“You’re right of course, Sweetheart,” Brian agreed, “just like always. But he
actually accepted the gift in the proper spirit of the holiday. He said he was
gonna use that twenty to buy you a better present than he was going to be able
to get on his previous budget ….”
“You know what, Brian,” Justin told him, “maybe I should come up with a twenty
for Gus too – or better yet – maybe even a fifty. He does seem to have the
genuine Christmas spirit ….”
“Yeah,” Brian agreed, “then maybe he’d be able to budget a better gift for me
too ….”
“Exactly what I was thinking, Brian,” Justin elbowed his companion lightly in
his side. “Just trying to make others happy in this happy holiday season …..”
“Geez, Sunshine,” Brian elbowed him back. “I hope you didn’t forget the damn
grocery list – like you always do….”
“You’d like that, I bet,” Justin challenged him. “Bet you’d like to complain.
Well sorry, Kinney – no fun for you - I have the list right here ….”
“So I guess you weren’t thinking of my happiness at all when you brought it,
JT?” Brian pointed out facetiously. “Trying to keep me from having fun ….”
“Brian Kinney,” Justin told him, “you know I am always thinking about your
happiness – just like you are always thinking about mine. It’s always Christmas
with us ….”
And Brian knew that too.