Breaking Rules
Breaking Rules 5
“Uncle Mikey?”
“Hey Gus, what can I do for you?” Michael was lying on the sofa, his head in Ben’s lap. He was reading a comic when the phone rang and Ben was busy with a thick book.
“Auntie Em and I have a kind of problem that we need to fix before Dad gets back and we sort of need your help and maybe Uncle Ben’s help too.”
“I suppose you don’t want your dad to know about this problem?” Michael smirked up to Ben who rolled his eyes. “You didn’t wreck his car did you?”
“I don’t even have his car, he left it at the airport.” Gus sighed. “If I tell you some stuff will you promise not to tell dad that I told you and make Uncle Ben promise too?”
“This sounds serious Gus, maybe I’d better put you on speaker so that Ben can hear.” Michael quickly told Ben what Gus had asked before pressing the hands free button.
“I’m here now Gus” Ben said. “I’m really not sure I can promise not to tell your dad if you’re in some kind of trouble.”
“It’s not me in trouble, it’s Brian, dad’s boyfriend. And he’s not in trouble ‘cause he was bad or anything, it’s because he quit his job when he met Dad and his boss is kind of pissed and she has these real big mean guys who want to hurt Brian and I think they already kind of did, but Dad won’t say, and one of them was going to hurt me, but I kicked him and Auntie Em hit him on the head with the naked man rock and called the police to take him away, but you just know he’s going to come back and we kind of need you guys to help us stop them and I mean stop them like forever and leave Brian alone.”
“Good thing he has to stop and breath” Ben said in an undertone to Michael.
“Gus, it probably isn’t that bad. I mean people quit their jobs all the time. It’s irritating to the employer but we don’t usually send enforcers to get the guy back.”
“Brian didn’t work in a comic book store Uncle Mikey, no offense or anything, but he kind of brought in big money, sometimes as much as two thousand dollars in one night.”
“Shit, what was he doing, hustling?” Michael said joking.
“Kind of.”
“WHAT?” Michael shouted. “I fucking knew this guy was taking Justin for a ride.”
“Uncle Mikey, if you’re going to have that kind of attitude, Auntie Em and I will deal with this by ourselves. Maybe we’ll go and buy us a gun or something.” Gus had no intention of doing any such thing, but he knew Michael would calm down at the very suggestion.
“Gus” Ben began. “I don’t think taking any kind of action against Brian’s former pimp is a very good plan.”
“Uncle Ben, Brian wasn’t a hustler, he worked for a Quoin, it’s a very high class kind of place, or at least I thought it was until very recently. He made good money and was going to school and everything.”
“He still peddled his ass.” Michael’s voice was low. “Your dad has a lot of money, Brian probably is looking at him as his way out.”
“Brian has lots of money, he got seventy five percent of everything he brought in and you do the math Uncle Mikey. Plus Brian doesn’t do drugs because of when he was younger, his wardrobe is limited, I mean really what could he spend it on other than school, so no Brian isn’t after dad’s money.” Gus hesitated before he spoke again. “Uncle Mikey, Brian really likes dad, and dad really likes him, they might even love each other like you and Uncle Ben do. Dad’s been so sad, can’t we help him be happy just this once. Brian makes him happy.
Michael was torn between protecting his friend from himself or letting him learn on his own. He looked at his partner and realized how much he would hate someone trying to break them up. In fact it had taken him months to get over his mother’s first reactions to finding out that Ben was positive and her subsequent constant animosity. He couldn’t do that to his friend. “I’ll help – let me talk to Ben and we’ll call you back first thing tomorrow morning.”
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Ben used the pay phone near the
Later that night Ben was reading the paper when the telephone rang. “Hey Gus” he said when he answered”
“Hi Uncle Ben. What did you decide?” Gus sounded a bit worried.
“Don’t worry about a thing; it’s all looked after Gus. If you hear from this woman or any of her men, you give me a call. You have my cell number.” He laughed. “I really think she’ll be far too busy to bother with Brian.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, and we’ll let this be our little secret. I saw your Dad today with Brian and truthfully, he’s never looked happier, well except for the day you were born. I’ve seen the pictures.” Ben laughed again. “Your Uncle Mikey and I are looking forward to your visit.”
“Do you think he’s going to make me work in one of his comic book shops?”
“Oh, probably, but you’ll still have some time to yourself and we did say we’d take you dancing.”
“Cool” Gus laughed, suddenly the heavy weight he’d been carrying on his shoulder’s disappeared. “Thanks Uncle Ben.”
“You and Em stay out of trouble. Your dad and Brian will be here until the day before the show and then I understand they’re staying for the weekend. Are you okay with that?”
“I love my dad Uncle Ben and Brian is who he wants. So yeah, I’m fine with it.”
“Good, your Uncle Mikey and I are always here if you need us, don’t forget.”
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A bouquet of flowers had been delivered earlier in the day to the Quoin with a cryptic message. Learn Rule Number One in the Gay Boy’s Handbook and your life will be much easier. Morgan threw away the card before handing the flowers over to her staff to be put in a vase in the hallway.
That same day Morgan was having her nails done when a knock on her door announced the Fire Inspector making a routine inspection. Two hours later, after he’d been through the main house and all the out buildings, she stood with a sheaf of infraction papers in her hand including a notice that her business was closed until the deficiencies could be repaired and re inspected. Even counting on the fact that she would be paying top dollar for the necessary repairs the Quoin was going to be closed for at least a week to ten days. There would be no money coming in during that time.
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Gus and Emmett were locking up the gallery for the night. Justin and Brian were expected to arrive the next afternoon. Before Gus got into Emmett’s car, he thought he saw the big guy who had asked about Brian standing across the street. As soon as he got home he called Ben’s cell. “I saw that guy again Uncle Ben. I think he’s following me hoping that Brian will show up.”
“Don’t give it another thought Gus, I’ll look after it.” Ben spent a few minutes in small talk before hanging up the phone and quickly dialing another number.
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The morning of the show at Justin’s gallery, another bouquet of flowers was delivered to the Quoin. ‘Rule Number One of the Gay Boys Handbook is very clear – check it out.”
Morgan tossed it out – she’d almost forgotten the other card. It had been a stressful and busy two weeks dealing with the renovations and the rebellion in the ranks of her employees as they had been unable to earn any money and Morgan refused to allow them to do outcalls.
Ten days after the Fire Inspector had first appeared and fourteen thousand dollars later, the Quoin was open for business and Morgan wasn’t going to allow a cryptic message to spoil her day. She planned on enjoying the evening and then perhaps visiting the gallery herself the next day to see if she could find out where Brian was.
The next day the Electrical Inspector required entrance to make an inspection. The Quoin was closed for a week. This time it only cost seven thousand dollars to bring the wiring up to code for a commercial business. Morgan was too busy dealing with this to think about Brian. On top of everything she noticed that her eyelashes had begun to fall out. A visit to the doctor suggested it was nerves and that she should relax.
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Brian couldn’t believe the people who had come to Justin’s show. Names he’d heard on the news and read about in the tabloids were greeting the love of his life as old friends. And Justin, Justin was wonderful, he never once ignored him, but rather introduced Brian to each and every one as ‘someone special’ in his life.
There was one tense moment when a former client of Brian’s approached and Brian was afraid that he might cause a scene. Instead the classy gentleman leaned in and whispered. “Justin is one lucky son of a bitch Taurus – I wish you both every happiness.” And he kissed Brian’s cheek.
Justin had watched and listened to everything. He didn’t want Brian to feel left out and he wanted to make sure that all of his friends were well aware that he was off the market for good and so was Brian should any of them recognize his handsome boyfriend.
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The number of guests that evening to the Quoin was sparse, but Morgan hoped to make up the money she’d been forced to spend, quickly. She had every intention of finding Taurus though the repairs to the Quoin had taken up all her time. Before she could call her two top security people, the door bell rang with another bouquet as well as the Health Inspector. The Health Inspector needed to see the kitchens. Little food was prepared there but still they did serve appetizers. The result of that inspection was not only a notice in the local paper regarding the fact that her establishment was closed by the Health Inspector until the kitchen could be brought up to code and re inspected but she was forced to purchase a whole new commercial dishwashing system.
Morgan informed her staff she was no longer allowing floral deliveries as a card reminding her that she should obey Rule Number One of the Gay Boys Handbook. Whatever the fuck that was – she’d already interrogated all of the boys who were left at the Quoin. The general consensus was that they wouldn’t tell her even if they did know.
After she received the last cryptic message Morgan noticed she was developing a tick over her right eye.
The same day the Health Inspector arrived, a truck full of liquid waste from a pig farm three miles away, broke down in front of the drive way and ‘accidentally’ sprung a leak filling the ditches in front of her farm with liquid pig shit. It went unnoticed until the truck was long gone and required three days and four thousand dollars to have the ditches pumped out and cleaned up and days later people still were commenting on the unusual odor near the farm house.
Another bouquet of flowers appeared with yet another note – though everyone denied seeing a delivery truck.
The next few months, as Justin and Brian were building a relationship that would last several lifetimes; Morgan had a few things to deal with.
The Building Inspector found an infestation of carpenter ants and the large home had to be tented and fumigated.
Morgan now had a scaly rash on both arms, which no amount of expensive cream could stop the itching. The message was the same.
Her Fire Insurance broker was advised that the insurance carrier would no longer consider the property insurable and it took three months to find someone else at four times the insurance premiums.
After her expected phone message, along with the news that yet another of her ‘boys’ had moved on to greener pastures - Morgan took to her bed with a migraine for two days.
A chemical was ‘accidentally’ introduced into the septic system of the not so busy Quoin and turned the drainage pipes into a solid mass of thick impermeable foam. A new bed of weeping tiles was necessary and meanwhile none of the toilets or bathing facilities could be used and the Quoin was once again shut down.
Had Morgan dared to call the gallery, she would have told them that Brian need never worry about her again – but she was afraid they would take it the wrong way so she didn’t call though perhaps she should have.
The morning of the grand reopening seven months after the enforcer had appeared in Justin’s gallery. When the crème de la crème of the Quoin’s clients were expected to arrive, one of the largest garbage trucks that the night watchman had ever seen backed up and left a full load of garbage that had been sitting in the hot sun inside the truck for a week after having been collected from the restaurant district of Chicago.
Morgan closed the Quoin, putting the building up for sale and checked
herself into a rest facility in
There was of course a lesson to be learned from all of this, one that many have had to learn the hard way. Had Morgan taken the time to get her own copy of the Gay Boys Handbook – you know the one that all gay boys get when they join the club – toaster ovens having been phased out years ago, she could have turned to page one and read.
Rule Number One
“Never piss off a queer – they always get even.”
The end.