Solution

 

The guys had not seen each other since breakfast. Brian had a dinner meeting so he didn’t reach the loft till almost nine o’clock. Justin had eaten dinner on campus and done a little work there, arriving home just a short while before Brian did. Brian was not surprised to find the fireplace already lit and the kid parked in his usual place in front of it. Wordlessly, Brian slipped himself onto the floor next to Justin and waited – not very long – for the kid to say something.

“I did it, Brian,” Justin exulted. “My plan worked out perfectly. Jason and Brandon are back together. I – er – we – did it.”

“Well crow if you gotta, my little latter-day and meticulously efficient Peter Pan. You know though, I actually thought up the idea of the breakfast meeting,” Brian pointed out, “But it was your perspicacity that planned what went on at that meeting – and they are back together - so I guess you did it all right.”

“Yep.” Justin modestly agreed. “A stroke of genius. That’s what it was.”

“You’re going to have to tell me how you thought that scenario up though, Baby,” Brian told him. “The planning you did was not easy to figure out. It looked like to me that we were just sitting at the table with Brandon – and then Jason came in the front door – and then Brandon got up and they ran at each other - and started hugging and kissing and making a scene - and making everybody in the restaurant laugh too. Thank goodness the place was not very crowded. But I’ll bet nobody there knew that you had planned the whole thing …. It actually looked spontaneous.”

“Just like I wanted it to look, Kinney,” Justin told him. “I like to stay in the background – even when I do my best work.”

“Yeah you do shun the spotlight all right, Baby,” Brian laughed. “So the spectators didn’t know the whole thing was all your doing – but I knew – and Brandon and Jason knew – even if they didn’t say so – not right then at least.”

“Well they didn’t say so then, Brian,” Justin pointed out. “Since they asked for a table just for themselves and didn’t eat with us at all. You weren’t upset that you had to eat with just me, were you?”

“Nope,” Brian told him. “I liked it actually. A great Spanish omelet. I didn’t miss hearing those guys billing and cooing all over the place. I was hungry.”

“You know – maybe we could have done some billing and cooing ourselves, Kinney,” Justin suggested, “But I guess that was too much to expect.”

“Yeah, Baby,” Brian agreed. “You know how much I love you – but I was waiting for that Spanish omelet….”

“OK, Sweetheart,” Justin laughed at him. “You win. You’re excused from billing and cooing while you’re waiting for a Spanish omelet. I guess I can live with that but - you know what, Bri – there’s no Spanish omelet on its way right now….”

And there was a pause in the discussion at that very point – Justin having made sure that the makings of any Spanish omelet were not then available in the loft. Nor did Brian suggest that he wanted one either.

“So did you hear from them later on?” Brian asked the kid when, at last, the discussion resumed.

“Yeah,” Justin said. “About five o’clock. Jason skipped his classes all day and they went somewhere and spent the whole day together. Everything’s OK now between them – no problems at all. Jason said ‘Thanks” and he said to thank you too for your help. Did you hear from Brandon?”

“Well, yes and no,” Brian told him. “His secretary called Cynthia when Brandon missed an 11:00 meeting - to see if I knew where he was. He had told her he was having breakfast with me so she thought I might. – but I didn’t. And Ernestine called Cynthia again about 4:00 to tell her that Brandon had just showed up then. He forgot he had those meetings he missed. Ernestine said he didn’t seem all that sorry. She thought maybe she knew why. So did Cynthia cause I told her what went on at breakfast.”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin wondered. “I bet you wouldn’t miss any big meetings for me – like Brandon did for Jason.”

“Well Jason was irresponsible in letting Brandon miss those meetings,” Brian pointed out. “I’d probably be willing to miss meetings for you too – but you’d be mad if I did – because you’re more responsible than Jason, I guess.”

“Good answer, Kinney,” Justin gibed. “Couldn’t have done better myself.”

“The ultimate compliment,” Brian told him, pulling the kid closer and ushering in another pause in the conversation.

“Then you didn’t talk to Brandon himself then?” Justin concluded.

“Actually, I did,” Brian told him. “He called on my cell phone while I was driving home. I pulled over to the curb and answered – just like I make you do. He wanted to thank me for setting up the breakfast meeting. He thought that’s what solved the problem. He didn’t know how you had really thought the whole thing through – but I told him….”

“I guess I’m supposed to believe you pulled over to the curb all right – just like you’d yell at me for not doing,” Justin sounded doubtful. “And I’m surprised Brandon didn’t see my hand in the final solution. Maybe next time they have a problem, I won’t ….”

“Yeah you will, Baby,” Brian assured him. “You wouldn’t miss a chance to meddle – but even more – you wouldn’t miss a chance to do the right thing and help somebody….”

“OK Kinney,” Justin gibed. “Flattery will get you just about anywhere but I am not through with the ‘pulling over to the curb’ bit – after all the lectures I get.”

“Hey, Sweetheart,” Brian came back at him. “I’m not saying I didn’t pull over to the curb – but if I thought about not doing that, it was just because I was so eager to get back here to sit next to you ….”

“Darn if you aren’t getting about as good as I am,” Justin marveled. “I guess you won’t need me after you accomplish that feat.”

“Well, nobody could be around you without learning a lot from you, Baby,” Brian told him, “But learning the fine points of weaseling – important as it might be – is not the main reason I want you around….”

“So you’re never sorry you met me?” Justin jested.

“Cut it out, Sweetheart,” Brian stopped him. “Jason and Brandon can get away with that because they have us to get them back together. Who would do that for us?”

“You’re right, Brian,” Justin said. “We don’t have Brandon and Jason trained well enough yet for them to handle that situation – not yet anyhow.”

“And we don’t have to hurry in getting them trained either, JT.” Brian assured him. “I don’t think it’s a service we’re ever very likely to need. What do you think?”

Justin plopped his head onto Brian’s shoulder as a form of reply. Justin didn’t think so either.

It was a short while till the conversation finally ended up however – returning to an earlier topic. “Hey, Baby,” Brian reminded him, “Just remember - there is to be absolutely no talking on that cell phone while you’re driving – and that’s an absolute order. And I mean it too. Got it?”

Justin just smiled contentedly. There were a lot of ways to say “I love you.”

 

Return to Fireside Chats