A Pat on the Back

The fireplace was lit and the guys were in position. Brian had waited for the right moment to ask the kid a question. This seemed to be it.

"Did you see Mikey at all today?" he asked.

"Yeah," Justin told him. "I stopped over to the store this morning. I had some ideas about Rage I wanted to bounce off him so I stopped in. He seemed OK to me. What's the problem?"

"Is Rage all you talked about?" Brian pursued his questioning.

"Yeah," Justin replied. "I think so. I might have mentioned that it was raining or something like that. What's up, Bri? Nothing went on that would matter to you."

"I don't know," Brian explained. "I had a message on my voice mail from Mikey. All he said was 'Thank you for siccing Boy Wonder on me." I couldn't get him back. Who do you suppose 'Boy Wonder' could be?"

"Well he always calls me 'Boy Wonder' but I don't know what he could be talking about," Justin insisted. "You certainly didn't sic me onto him, and we didn't argue about anything. He liked my ideas about Rage. I don't know what 'Boy Wonder' he's talking about. Why would you sic anybody on him in the first place?"

"That's what I don't know," Brian responded. "I talked to him yesterday and he was OK. He didn't take my advice but he hardly ever does anyhow so that couldn't be it."

"Well he should take your advice, Brian," Justin assured him. "You're smart and you have good ideas. I always take your advice."

Brian laughed a bit at that remark. "Well I tried to reason with Mikey," he recounted, "But it didn't do any good at all."

"Oh gosh, Bri," Justin smiled, looking a little sheepish, "Did it have anything to do with Hunter?"

"Yeah, it did," Brian told him. "Malcolm is going to some summer theater camp in the Catskills for six weeks and he wants Hunter to go too. Ben thought it was OK but Mikey didn't like the idea so they told Hunter he couldn't go. I told Mikey he was an over-protective parent and he ought to let the kid go. It would be good for him. Nothing is gonna happen up there that doesn't happen here. But I couldn't budge him. When Mikey makes up his mind, it's made up."

"Well that subject did come up, Bri," Justin remembered, "But I didn't know you had talked to Mikey about it. You didn't tell me."

"Well it wasn't important so I guess I just forgot," Brian replied. "I don't see how that would prompt the message I got from Michael though. What do you think? I guess I'll just have to wait until I talk to Michael. I don't think he was mad or anything but it was a strange message, I think."

"I don't know, Brian," Justin told him, "But you must have convinced Mikey yesterday because I think Hunter is going with Malcolm."

"No, I didn't, Kiddo," Brian decided, "But you probably did. You worked your magic on Michael. I want to know how you did it?"

"I'm sure you must have convinced him, Brian," Justin insisted. "He probably thought over what you told him and decided you were right."

"What did you tell him, Twink," Brian demanded. "I'm going to try to find out your secret."

"I just told him it would do Hunter a lot of good to go to the camp," Justin recounted. "Hunter is in acting at the Performing Arts High School and he wants to be an actor, so this would be a good experience for him."

"I told him that," Brian said. "That didn't work. What else did you tell him?"

"I guess I told him that he seemed to like Malcolm as Hunter's boy friend and that their being together at camp shouldn't be a problem," Justin continued. "I told him if they were separated for six weeks, one of them might find somebody else and Mikey might not like how that turns out. Hunter could do a lot worse than Malcolm."

"I told him that too," Brian remembered, "But when he left he said he still didn't want Hunter to go."

"Well I figure I just reinforced what you had already told him," Justin remarked. "See how we think alike. I reinforced what you told him. I'm sure it was you who convinced him though. He probably would have called you to tell you he changed his mind even if I hadn't talked to him."

Brian thought about that for a while, then he laughed. "Well I think you did it, Baby," he told the kid. "But maybe I'm glad you did. At least I'm not the only one who always does what you want. Poor Mikey is a victim too. But I don't understand how you could use the same arguments I did and convince him when he wouldn't budge for me. Are you sure that's all you told him?"

"Geez, Bri," Justin protested. "This seems like an inquisition. I told Mikey the same things as you did. You shouldn't be picking on me for agreeing with you. You should be giving me a pat on the back instead of picking on me."

Brian didn't have an answer for that so he gave the kid a light pat on the back and a period of silence ensued.

Brian eventually resumed the discussion. "Are you sure you didn't tell Mikey anything else to convince him to let Hunter go?" he pressed Justin.

"What else could I have told him?" Justin countered.

"Well I was just wondering about the message that I sicced you on him," Brian explained. "That doesn't fit in at all. You know Mikey is going to tell me how you changed his mind. If you're holding out on me, I'm going to find out. Are you sure there's nothing else to tell?"

"Please, Bri," Justin asked him, "Can't you leave well enough alone? You talked Mikey into letting Hunter go, and that's that. Isn't that enough?"

"It would be enough if that's what happened," Brian agreed, "But that's not what happened. I'd rather have you tell me than Mikey."

"You'll get mad at me," Justin pleaded. "I didn't know you were involved in this at all. I love you, Brian. I don't want you to get mad at me."

"Justin Taylor," Brian told him. "If you don't know that I could never get mad at you, I haven't done my job very well. But I am curious. What the hell did you tell Mikey to make him change his mind?"

"Do I have to tell?" Justin moaned.

"Tell," Brian ordered.

"Shit, Brian," Justin mumbled. "I reminded him I was just a little older than Hunter when I met you."

Brian surprised Justin by responding with laughter. "You little rat," he howled. "You scared Mikey with the vision of a sexual predator out there waiting for Hunter. That is really funny."

"You're not mad?" Justin asked tentatively.

"No, Baby," Brian was still laughing. "I'm not mad. You're just funny. Maybe that's why I love you back."

"Well I am sorry Brian. I guess I don't really deserve a pat on the back for this performance," Justin concluded.

"Oh I wouldn't say that," Brian smiled at him. "You probably do deserve a pat on the back - just a little bit harder and a little bit lower than you were expecting."

Return to Fireside Chats