What a Day That Was

It was nearly a hundred degrees in Pittsburgh and the air conditioner was whirring in the loft as the guys sat down in front of their fake fireplace. They were both smiling and ready for a discussion that was absolutely inevitable.

“Well yesterday was some day, Brian,” Justin began. “I think it was the best Gay and Lesbian Day that Kennywood has ever had.”

“I don’t think I had all that good a time,” Brian threw a little cold water on the kid’s enthusiasm. At least that’s what he tried to do.

“Well you did too have a good time, Brian Kinney,” Justin corrected him. “We stayed later than usual and you were even too tired to talk about it when we got home. I guess you needed all day today to figure out what you didn’t like so you could complain….”

“Hey, Sweetheart,” Brian told him. “It was you who was sleeping while I was driving home. I think I was wide awake and maybe it was you who was too tired to talk….”

“OK, Brian,” Justin cut that subject short. “You want to complain so go ahead – get started.”

“Well the lovely Penelope Shellcoff, Malcolm’s delightful pain-in-the-ass sister was there – and her damn dog, Henrietta the Eighth. How’s that for a starter? Henny and Penny are not favorites of mine.”

“First of all, Kinney,” Justin rebutted. “The dog did not go to Kennywood. They don’t allow dogs - as you well know. You only saw Henny at Linz’ and she hardly even barked at you – except maybe when you picked Gus up and threw him up in the air, she thought you were attacking Gus – and she was being protective. She likes Gus – and Gus likes her too. Henrietta quit barking when you put Gus down. I think she’s getting used to you.”

“Well, Penelope was at Kennywood, Baby,” Brian persisted. “Guess they didn’t know what a dog she is.”

“So Kennywood’s a pretty big place, Brian,” Justin pointed out. “And we weren’t with Penny all that much either. I think you’re mad because Gus wanted to ride with her on a couple of things. Gus likes her and he likes the dog too. You may as well get used to that. Penny loves Kennywood and I think she’ll be coming back every year. And Mel and Linz like her and they …..”

“OK, JT,” Brian groused. “Be on everybody else’s side but mine. I don’t care. I guess I should get used to that too Nobody’s ever on my side. Nobody loves me.”

“Oh now cut it out, Kinney,” Justin grinned at him. “Somebody does too love you. And I don’t even think you mind Penny all that much. I know what you’re mad about. It’s about the Thunderbolt, isn’t it?”

”What about the Thunderbolt?” Brian challenged him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“So it is about the Thunderbolt, Bri,” Justin was convinced. “When Gus wanted to try the roller coasters, he was just a little shorter than that comic book character’s statue so he couldn’t ride – and when you told him you’d take him on the Thunderbolt next year, he said he’d rather go with me.”

“You turned him against me,” Brian claimed good-naturedly. “That was your doing. Or maybe Penelope’s.”

“It was not either my doing, Mr. Kinney,” Justin defended himself. “Or Penny’s either. Gus watched us riding the Thunderbolt and he saw you acting silly and he thought he’d be safer riding with me – so it was your own fault. Gus is pretty sensible. Maybe your son won’t be growing up to be as crazy as you.”

“That would be too bad, Baby,” Brian squeezed the kid affectionately. “Then he might not find a guy like you to save him….”

“Or a girl, Brian,” Justin reasoned. “Maybe he’ll need a girl to save him.”

“Always looking at the dark side, Kiddo,” Brian accused him. “That’s Justin Taylor for you – always looking at the dark side of things.”

“Yeah, that’s me all right,” Justin grinned at him. “Always looking at the dark side and complaining. I need to be more like you – always happy and optimistic. I’ll have to try that sometime…..”

Justin might still have been tired from the previous day’s activity because he put his head on Brian’s shoulder – which in turn caused a pause in the discussion – as the guys found some things to agree on.

“Well Penny’s not the only visitor we’re likely to have at Kennywood every year, Bri,” Justin resumed the discussion. “Wil and Alan were there too – thanks to your invitation – and you know that always allows for some misidentification since Wil looks so much like me. But you still don’t hear me complaining.”

“Well I could complain about that too if I wanted to,” Brian informed him. “You know those two new guys I hired a couple of months ago. I thought maybe they were gay then, but I don’t check that stuff out any more like I used to – thanks to you - so I wasn’t really sure. I didn’t see them at Kennywood yesterday but they were there. You know what they told Cynthia today. They told her the boss’ boy-friend was running around Kennywood with some other guy. But they also said the other guy wasn’t as hot as me – so at least they’ve got good eyes. Still they thought maybe you had ditched me for Alan….”

“Naw,” Justin told him. “They probably thought you ditched me and that I was rebounding with Alan. You know what, I guess I wasn’t gonna tell you this but a couple guys from the Institute were at Kennywood too and they saw us together and then they saw Wil and Alan – and they thought I was running around Kennywood with two guys. They warned me that it was dangerous for me to do that – and they said if they could have Brian Kinney, they wouldn’t be running around with somebody else….”

“Those guys said that, did they? Pretty smart fellows. Well maybe the picnic wasn’t so bad after all, Baby,” Brian allowed. “Maybe I did have a pretty good time. But I wonder why those guys from the Institute would think that you could ‘have’ Brian Kinney, that famous free spirit.”

“Maybe for the same reason that your guys thought that the cute blond young man with Alan was the boss’ boy-friend?” Justin told him. “They just don’t realize that the only reason you let me stay around here is because I do all the cleaning and cooking and laundry and ….”

“Cut it out, Twink,” Brian laughed at him.

“Try and make me, Kinney,” Justin laughed back at him. “Bet you can’t.”

“You know that I’d never try to make you do anything, Baby” Brian said - but he managed by some non-verbal means to prove Justin wrong on that score. And there was a lull at this point in the conversation – which satisfied Brian – and Justin too.

“Hey, Brian,” Justin eventually broke the silence, maybe changing the subject too. “Please don’t be mad at me - but Henny and Penny are flying back to Cincinnati tomorrow and I kinda told Mel and Linz that we’d take them to lunch and then drive them to the airport. Mel and Linz are real busy tomorrow and we….”

“We’re supposed to take a dog to lunch?” Brian complained. “Two dogs, counting Penelope? You are really something else, Twink. Where the hell do you take a dog to lunch?”

“Not like Gino’s or any great big restaurant, Kinney,” Justin explained. “Henrietta the Eighth loves Big-Macs so I thought maybe we’d just go use the drive through there. I didn’t really think you’d want to go - but I wanted to help Mel and Linz out so I’ll take them to the airport myself. I just hoped that maybe….”

“I’ll go, Sweetheart,” Brian conceded. “I’ll go - and you knew all the time I’d go too. Maybe you do ‘have’ Brian Kinney – at least a little bit. I guess that’s OK – if it’s just a little bit….”

“Gee whiz, Mr. Kinney,” Justin cuddled himself in closer. “Maybe that also makes me the boss’ boy-friend – a little bit at least?”

“Could be,” Brian allowed. “Could be at that – at least a little bit….”

Justin did not argue the point – even the “little bit” part. Justin saw it as a kind of challenge. Justin loved challenges. And he did not doubt for a minute that he was up to this one.

 

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