Spring Break

Justin was seated in front of the fireplace. He had lit the fire because he had some thinking to do and he hoped the fake flames would help. Earlier that day, he had stopped by Brian's office for a surprise visit but found that Brian was out at a meeting. Cynthia had drawn him aside to talk. She said that Brian was on one of his workaholic binges. She told him that Brian had never been patient with incompetence but at times now he was even impatient with competence. He was driving all of them crazy.

"What he needs is to get away for a while," she had told him, "And you are the only one he listens to. Don't worry, Justin, nobody here knows that but me, and my lips are sealed, but I have been trying to get him to take some time off, and he just ignores me, so it's up to you. Isn't your spring break coming up soon? Get him out of town."

Justin remembered that Brian had promised to take him back to Vermont for more snow-boarding during spring break, if he wanted to go, but Justin had planned to pass on that. He had felt lucky to get Brian home from the New Year holiday trip in one piece. Brian was not very good on a snow-board and did not seem to notice. There were only two things that Justin knew that Brian was not good at - snow-boarding and swimming - he had seen Brian swimming a few times at the gym - so if he could avoid those two activities…. "What about New York? Plays, museums, sight-seeing," Justin thought, "That's it. I'll see what I can do. I wonder how much time I have to work this out. Spring break is still a month away." Actually, he did not have very much time at all but he didn't know that then.

At the same time Justin was busy thinking, so was Brian. He was driving home and his mind was on the same topic as Justin's. "Cynthia is really on me to get away for a while. It's only a matter of time till she calls in Justin and then I won't have much choice," he figured, "I don't think he'll take me up on that offer to go back to Vermont. He acted like I wasn't very good at snow-boarding. Well it was my first time and I was pretty good by the end of our stay. I'm going to have to get him to go someplace where I can do something I'm really good at. Swimming, that's it. Mexico would be good. There are a couple of campaigns coming up that I could get some background for. The twink doesn't need to know that I'll be working too. How will I approach the subject? I want to be subtle." Brian thought.

When he got to the loft, Brian was surprised that the fireplace was aflame that early. "What's up, Sunshine?" he asked. "Just thinking," Justin replied. "What about?" Brian wondered. "Oh, just a lot of little things," Justin bent the truth a little.

Brian sat himself down next to his beloved kid and put his arm around him. "How about you and me going to Mexico for spring break?" he took the bull by the horns. "Mexico?" Justin said, trying to conceal his surprise, "I didn't really need to go back snow-boarding but I was thinking…" "I've never been to Mexico and I've always wanted to go. I'm glad I waited till now so that I can go with you," Brian broke in before he could finish.

The best laid plans don't always work and Justin's plans had been barely laid at all. Justin loved Brian and Brian wanted to go to Mexico. "That sounds great, Brian" he responded enthusiastically, "I would love going anywhere you want to go. I would follow you to the ends of the earth." He threw his arms around Brian's neck and kissed him while not voicing his reservations, "except for snow-boarding and swimming,"

"There's a wonderful little town in the mountains down there called San Miguel de Allende. It's an artists' colony and there are a lot of retired U. S citizens living there too, so we would be able to get around in English," Justin suggested, "How does that sound?"

"I was really thinking about the shore," Brian countered, "Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun - someplace like that. You taught me how to snow-board and I can show you the finer points of swimming." Justin's heart sank just a little.

"I'm not that good of a swimmer. I'm afraid of the ocean, Brian, and you're such a good swimmer I'm afraid you'll be doing all kinds of crazy things in the water and that will really scare me," Justin said. "You should be more frightened about what I might do on shore?" Brian warned him. "That doesn't scare me at all, Brian" Justin answered.

"Promise you won't go out too far," Justin pleaded, "And that you won't go swimming when I'm not around." "That sounds like rules, " Brian laughed, "I thought rules were from the old days." "I just want you safe," Justin quoted Brian from the old days, while laughing back at him, "I want you around for a long time." "Well remember you didn't get what you wanted when I said that," Brian countered. "So that makes it my turn to get what I want now," Justin insisted. "OK, Baby," Brian gave in, "I'll do what you want while we're in the water." "And I'll do what you want while we're not," Justin promised.

"I want you to take your art stuff with you," Brian said, "I want you to paint the sunrise or the sunset, whatever they have in Mexico," Brian ordered. "I think maybe they have both, Sweetheart," Justin informed him, "But not at the same time, and only one will be over the water."

"You really do know a lot about Mexico, Sunshine," Brian jibed, "I suppose you've been there many times."

"No," I haven't," Justin replied, "But I studied geography in fourth and fifth grades."

"That was sure a smart cookie I picked up under the lamp post one night," Brian bragged. "Don't be so sure it was you who did the picking up," Justin warned him. That gave Brian some food for thought.

The discussion broke off there and they went to the kitchen. Justin had planned to cook their evening meal but his meeting with Cynthia and the subsequent thinking had kept him from doing that. He volunteered to take Brian out to dinner but Brian preferred eating in, and so they had soup and sandwiches, and each other, which was more than enough for them.

After they ate, they resumed their positions on the floor in front of the couch under the blanket facing the fire. The subject of their trip was rekindled. "I'll get Cynthia to look into some places in Mexico and get us reservations for your spring break. I'm really looking forward to having you all to myself," Brian told Justin, "You know, Cythia has been on my back to get away from the office for a while. She said I was getting mean. I was worried that she might get in touch with you and get you on my back too. You two have teamed up on me before, but I beat you to the punch this time, didn't I?" "Yes, you did, Honey," Justin told him.

Brian looked at Justin. "No I didn't, did I? You knew about that, didn't you? Tell me the truth, you little weasel," Brian moaned. "Well Cynthia did say she thought work was getting to you…." Justin admitted. Brian thought that was funny and Justin was glad of that.

They sat there in silence until another thought jumped into Brian's head. "Sunshine Baby," Brian said to Justin, "It seems to me that I remember Daphne saying that she had a swimming pool at home and that you were the very best swimmer at the Academy. Do I remember correctly?" "I wasn't there if she ever said that." Justin responded, "She does have a swimming pool at home and we did paddle around in it often enough. But I wasn't even on the swimming team at school."

"But don't I remember Daphne telling me that you weren't on the team only because it conflicted with Art Club which was your big activity there?" Brian demanded. "I was not there for that discussion at all," Justin complained, "So how can you expect me to know what Daphne told you?"

More realization hit Brian at that point. "Your mother told me that you were a life guard at the country club for two years. Weasel out of that," Brian went on. "Brian, are you trying to start an argument or something? I was not a life guard at all. I was a substitute life guard. Regular life guards had to be 18 years old," Justin defended himself.

"But you did pass the Red Cross life guard swimming test?" Brian wondered. "Yeah," Justin confessed, "When I was 14." "And you're worried about my swimming ability?" Brian confronted Justin. "Oh Brian…," Justin started to reply and was very happy to be interrupted. Brian put both arms around Justin. "I love you," he told his boy-monster. "Do you ever wonder why?" Justin asked. "Never," Brian declared.

A while later, right before they extinguished the fire and went to bed, Brian asked Justin, "Sunshine, did I really decide to go to Mexico on my own, or did you and Cynthia decide that and force me to think that it was my own idea?" "Actually, I was thinking of New York," Justin admitted. "And we are going to Mexico," Brian marveled, " I must really be the boss around here." "Everybody knows that already, Brian," Justin told him, "I don't know why you're always the last one to find things out."

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