Beautiful Music

The fireplace blazed away as the guys settled in for the evening. Everything seemed to be in order. Justin may have just been about to bring something up when Brian got in the first word.

“The Pittsburgh Opera is doing La Boheme this week and you haven’t said anything about going,” Brian challenged the kid. “Isn’t that your very favorite opera?”

“Yes, it is my favorite opera, and I did mention it to you a couple of months ago when all the good tickets were getting sold, you may remember,” Justin told him. “And you asked if that fat ugly tenor we saw last year was playing Rodolfo – which he was, of course.”

“Yeah,” Brian admitted. “I might remember that.”

“And you also mentioned that Boheme had four young artistic guys living together in Paris and none of them were gay,” Justin continued. “So I figured you didn’t want to go. Was I wrong?”

“Baby mine,” Brian laughed at him. “You are never wrong about anything – and when you are wrong, I never mention it. It’s much safer that way.”

“Yeah,” Justin replied sardonically. “That’s true all right. Oh yeah. Maybe that’s why I maybe gave up on Boheme – because I always get what I want around here.”

“Well, you did seem to give up easy back then,” Brian recalled, “So maybe you ought to get your way this time. Maybe we should go - either Thursday or Saturday. I’ll get Cynthia to call about tickets as soon as the box-office opens tomorrow. Any preference for date?”

“No way Justin Taylor is gonna look a gift horse in the mouth, Brian,” Justin responded with a smile. “Whatever day you pick will be OK with me. I’m just a little bit surprised….”

“Is it so surprising that Brian Kinney would decide to take in a little culture, Baby?” Brian complained good-naturedly. “Dumb old cretin Brian Kinney?”

“Well I tend to be a little suspicious every once in a while,” Justin grinned at him, “Not that I’m paranoid like some people – always thinking somebody is trying to pull something over on them.”

The conversation seemed to die out temporarily and the guys appeared to be just staring contemplatively at the flickering flames. It was Justin who took up the discussion eventually.

“Brian,” he asked. “This may seem like a dumb question, but did you happen to be watching the noon news today on KDKA?”

“As a matter of fact, I did see some of it,” Brian said, with a trace of surprise. “I was having lunch with a client. He needed to have lunch early because he was flying out to Louisville this afternoon. We were at Del’s and I could see the giant TV screen. Couldn’t hear the sound though.”

“But somehow you did figure out that your favorite fat ugly tenor had to cancel out because of illness?” Justin smilingly accused him. “And that his replacement was this tall beautiful guy on the TV – the best looking guy singer in the world probably? You figured that out?”

“Well, this dame at the next table was screaming into her cell phone,” Brian admitted. “She was so loud the other person probably could have heard her without the phone. And she was saying that this Nicola guy was the replacement – and that there he was on TV right then. So what happened to the other tenor? Indigestion?”

“Appendicitis, they said,” Justin laughed. “Probably caused by indigestion.”

“And just how do you happen to know so much about this, Taylor?” Brian began to wonder. “And that the guy was on the TV and all?”

“Well, if you’d have been able to hear the sound, Kinney,” Justin was still laughing, “You’d have known he was being interviewed at the Institute. The ugly tenor had scheduled a master class in the music department while he was in town – and this new guy filled in for him there too. So I actually saw him live and in person – and I was there when KDKA interviewed him afterwards too – and they said it would be on the noon news. He’s even better looking in person than he looked on TV, Bri. So that’s really why you suddenly decided you want to go to the opera – not because Boheme is my favorite opera?”

“Thought you didn’t look gift horses in the mouth?” Brian laughed at him. “Anyhow you’re wrong, Sweetheart. I’m going to Boheme because you want to go – and this new tenor is just icing on the cake. So there.”

“OK, if you say so,” Justin still sounded doubtful, “But I am glad to be able to see Boheme. I’m glad you brought up the subject.”

And that brought about another contented pause in the conversation. They were just sitting there with Brian’s arm around the kid and Justin’s head resting on Brian’s shoulder. It was Justin again who broke the silence.

“You know what, Bri?” he announced. “If you want to go on Thursday night, maybe Cynthia won’t need to try to get tickets for us. I think I might have two tickets for that performance lying around somewhere. I think maybe I got a couple of tickets when the best seats were still available.”

“You bought two tickets way back then, eh?” Brian didn’t seem upset at all, “And you were figuring to talk me into going, weren’t you?”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin protested mildly. “There you go again - blaming me for stuff. I didn’t buy those tickets for us at all. I got them for me and Malcolm – just in case you were busy that night and I could get away to see it.”

“Well, I don’t want to see Malcolm disappointed, Baby,” Brian considered. “He’s probably looking forward to going. Maybe you should just go with Malcolm on Thursday – and then we can go again on Saturday if you want to see it twice. That way Malcolm won’t be disappointed.”

“I don’t think Malcolm will be all that disappointed, Brian,” Justin told him. “I don’t think I remembered to tell him about getting the tickets.”

“Geez, Baby,” Brian laughed. “I thought it was just me, but I guess you don’t tell anybody about anything. It’s amazing how you can talk as much as you do and still not tell anybody anything.”

“Just like you to think you’re so special, Kinney,” Justin laughed back at him. “But I guess maybe you are special, Brian. Yeah you are – you are very special to me.”

OK, that stopped the discussion in it’s tracks - as Justin tried to show how special Brian was to him – with some little reciprocation on Brian’s part. But it was Brian who resumed the talking when they finally came up for air.

“You were planning to try to talk me into going anyhow, weren’t you?” he accused Justin in amusement. “Even if the ugly tenor were still singing. I bet you were. And you just lucked out that he got sick and cancelled – and even luckier that I happened to see him on television. So I ended up making it easy for you – even doing your job for you. You must be the luckiest guy in the world.”

“I’ve got you, Brian Kinney,” Justin whispered. “So I am the luckiest guy in the world. And I know it too. But you know what they always say: ‘The Lord helps those who help themselves.’”

And that did complete the discussion for the evening. Justin had no more to say - and Brian was speechless.

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