The Good Citizen

The guys had just seated themselves on the floor in front of their fake fireplace. Justin looked enthusiastic. Brian did not. They were about to continue a discussion started earlier over dinner at Woody’s.

“I think it’s neat,” Justin was telling Brian. “Just a month or so since we last watched Twelve Angry Men and now you’re going to be on a real jury.”

“Maybe I’d think it was neat if it were you who was going to be on the jury,” Brian grouched. “I don’t much want to be on a jury so maybe I’ll try to get out of it. And anyhow, I might not even get picked if I do go. A lot of people are called in but not everybody has to serve on a trial. If they don’t pick me on the first day, I’m off the hook you know. It’s one day or one trial in this county.”

“But you’re sure to be picked. Everybody would want to have you on their jury, Bri,” Justin told him.

“Would you, Sweetheart?” Brian wanted to know. “If you were on trial, would you want me on your jury? I couldn’t be since I know you - but would you really want Brian Kinney on your jury?”

Justin stopped to think about that one for a minute. “I don’t think so, Brian,” he concluded. “You always figure I’m guilty no matter what I do or don’t do. You try to be judge and jury when you blame me for something. No, I guess you wouldn’t be a good person to be on my jury because you know me so well.”

“Do you mean that since I know you so well, I know you’re guilty of whatever it is you’re charged with?” Brian laughed.

“No that’s not what I mean at all, Kinney,” Justin laughed back at him. “What I mean is that you seem to enjoy pretending that I’m always doing something wrong - cause you like to pick on me.”

“Maybe so, Sweetheart” Brian pointed out. “But I’m not sure that I always have to pretend – or even very often either.”

“Maybe not always, Kinney - but most of the time,” Justin argued.

Brian kept on smiling and the discussion went on a brief hiatus at that point – with the qualities of good citizenship forgotten for a while.

“You know about my pal Kevin,” Brian broke the silence. “He works for that big drug company account but Kevin’s a doctor too. I can get him to write me some kind of medical excuse. Maybe I’ll do that. I don’t really think I want to be on a jury at all.”

“What could he write?” Justin reasoned. “You’re so healthy and all.”

“Doctors know stuff to write,” Brian informed him. “He’ll know what to say.”

“Gee whiz, Bri,” Justin remonstrated. “Don’t you think it’s your civic duty as a good citizen to serve on a jury when they call on you? You don’t want to shirk your duty, do you?”

“I guess I’m not the only one around here who wants to be judge and jury, Baby,” Brian smiled. “Not that I’m complaining of course - or picking on you either.”

“No, you wouldn’t ever do that,” Justin answered with a trace of irony in his voice.

“And what if I get on a jury like the one in Twelve Angry Men? That wouldn’t be very much fun,” Brian surmised.

“You’d get that jury to do the right thing - just like what happened in Twelve Angry Men, Bri,” Justin told him. “That’s where your experience just recently seeing the movie will help you in real life. Aren’t you glad we watched it? And like – remember - you actually were in Malcolm’s production a couple of years back – like maybe thanks to me cause I kind of encouraged you to do it – so you’ve got a lot of real courtroom experience.”

“Don’t push it, Twink,” Brian warned him with a smile. “I might just end up as the defendant at the trial instead of one of the jurors. And anyhow, Sweetheart, Twelve Angry Men was scripted so it would come out right. You could get a real crazy on a real jury - and there wouldn’t be any script either.”

“There have been a lot of juries in the history of the United States, Bri,” Justin pointed out. “And the system seems to work pretty well – most of the time anyhow - and it works only because good citizens – like us - agree to serve on them.”

“So the really big boss around here thinks I should be a good citizen and take my chances being on a jury,” Brian gibed.

“You’re trying to change the argument, Bri, but I’m not taking the bait,” Justin responded. “It’s entirely your decision whether you want to be a good citizen or not. I’m not about to act as judge and jury. And I love you anyhow – good citizen or not. I can’t help myself.”

“And you’re not the one called to be on the jury either,” Brian came back. “But you win, Baby. I’ll go.”

Justin cuddled himself closer to Brian, bringing about another lull in the conversation. It seemed as though Justin had won the day for good citizenship. But eventually, Brian resumed the conversation.

“Well if I’m going to be on a jury, I better make sure that Ted and Cynthia are clued in on everything at the office,” Brian conjectured. “You can handle things around here in case I get on some long trial and get sequestered.”

“What do you mean, long trial?” Justin gulped. “And who said anything about you being sequestered?”

“Well you know that on some of those big trials, people have been sequestered for like six months - away from their families,” Brian recalled. “I probably wouldn’t get on such a long trial, or even be sequestered at all, but then you never know. Charlotte Butler was on a jury a few years ago and she was sequestered for a little over two weeks. I don’t know if I’d be allowed to even call you on the phone or not but you could come to the trial some days. I’d like that. Then I could at least see you a couple of times a week. I’ll miss you if I get sequestered, Baby. It could be a long six months …”

“Nobody said anything about sequestering, Bri,” Justin protested. “That jury notice doesn’t say anything about any sequestering.

“Well the good citizen has to be prepared to do his duty, doesn’t he?” Brian reasoned. “Regardless of the sacrifices involved. So however long the trial goes….”

“Yeah,” Justin agreed somewhat reluctantly, “I guess. But I don’t know about this sequestering business.”

“Couldn’t do without me for even two weeks, could you?” Brian teased him.

“About as well as you could do without me,” Justin claimed, teasing Brian back. “And since I wouldn’t be sequestered, I could still get around town. Maybe like even drop in at Babylon.”

“Which you would never do, Honey” Brian laughed. “But it’s a good idea for me to remember anyhow. I might think about that if you ever get called up for jury duty and get sequestered.”

“You wouldn’t do it either,” Justin insisted. “Maybe in the old days - but not now. You don’t want anybody but me.”

“Yeah,” Brian told him. “You’re probably right, Sweetheart - just like you always are. I’d just sit around here for however long – weeks or maybe months even - and patiently wait for you to come back. It would be pretty lonely though …”

Some thinking took place during the quiet period that followed – as well as some other more pleasant activities. Still, Justin looked more than just a little perplexed. Finally he spoke up.

“You know what, Kinney,” he told the big guy. “I need you to introduce me to Kevin.”
 

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