Brian was grinning at Justin as the kid angrily pounded away on his computer key-board. “Geez, Kiddo,” he wondered. “Is all this worth it for fifty cents? I don’t know how many phone calls and e-mails. Fifty cents isn’t all that much ….”
“It is not a question of fifty cents at all, Brian Kinney,” Justin retorted. “It is a matter of principle. The drinks in those damn machines over at the Institute are not worth $1.75 in the first place and then the damn machine does not give you your damn quarter change like it’s supposed to. And then like – twice in one damn week too ….”
“If the drinks are not worth the damn $1.75, Sweetheart,” Brian was still wondering – and laughing too. “Why do you deposit your damn $ 2.00 in the damn machine in the first damn place? The machine doesn’t grab you and force you.”
“That is not the question either, Kinney,” Justin complained. “And you know it too. But fair is fair and they’re not gonna get away with it – not with Justin Taylor.”
“You know what, Baby,” Brian laughed. “When we had a few little ‘discussions’ last election time, you kept harping on your candidate’s ‘Change is inevitable’ position and I told you then ….”
“Yeah - you told me that Confucius said: ‘Change is inevitable – except from vending machines.’”
“Well that’s what I heard, JT,” Brian defended himself. “And I heard it from very authoritative sources – maybe folks who actually knew Confucius.”
“Like there even were vending machines in Confucius’
time, Bri,” Justin had to smile. “I don’t think so ….”
”Well anyhow - Confucius wouldn’t be so dumb as to pay $1.75 for a drink that
wasn’t worth it in the first place,” Brian reasoned. “So he wouldn’t ever have
to complain about not getting his quarter back. Saved himself a lot of phone
calls and e-mails.”
“You know what, Kinney?” the kid came back. “If you would just ‘cease and desist’ for a little while, I could get on with this and eventually bring justice back into a shattered world.”
Brian moved over to the kid and caressed Justin’s neck with the back of his hand. “Hey, Taylor, justice in this shattered world is important but if you think about it a little there just might be some way that I could make you feel better – maybe even make you forget about your tremendous financial loss. Wouldn’t that be a start for the shattered world too? And I have lots of stuff to offer – so what would you like?”
Justin got up from the computer – just as Brian had expected - and slid himself into Brian’s waiting and triumphant arms – to the extent that arms can be triumphant, that is.
“Well,” he cooed in the big guy’s ear, “Let’s start with the fifty cents ….”
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