Plots and Counter-Plots

Justin was lighting the fireplace and Brian was already in position on the floor of the loft. Both of them had satisfied smiles on their faces – and with good reason. They were two very happy fellows.

“Thanks, Bri,” Justin said even before he got himself into his accustomed position. “I am really glad you found me those many years ago. You are the greatest guy in the whole world ….”

”Were you surprised?” Brian asked him in return, “Like - really surprised?”

“Nope,” Justin replied. “You were what I was looking for – so I knew all along you’d find me somehow ...”

“Cut it out, you goofy little twink,” Brian stopped him. “That’s not what I mean at all – and you know damn well it isn’t. You must get some perverted pleasure out of …”

“You complaining about perverted pleasure, Mr. Kinney?” Justin laughed at him. “If you are, then I’ll have to admit I am just a little surprised. I thought …”

“OK, Wise Guy,” Brian concluded. “If you’re gonna be your usual self, I’m not gonna talk to you at all about the last three days and I’m sure that’s what you really want to talk about, so …”

“Of course I was surprised, Brian,” Justin approached the real subject of their interest. “I was surprised when you told me you had to go to Chicago for a business meeting and you wanted to take me with you – like you never want to do - and then I was surprised when you didn’t take me to Chicago …”

“Geez, Baby,” Brian told him. “You are really wound up tonight – so I’m guessing you were surprised - and you enjoyed yourself - and now you’re just a little bit giddy too ...”

“You know what, Kinney,” Justin told him back, “I am so in love with you at this moment that maybe I am a little bit giddy. So if I’m giddy, it’s really your fault. That was one of the nicest things you’ve ever done for me …”

“And you’re thereby admitting,” Brian asked, “that sometime – somewhere – somehow – I’ve done something nice for you before…?”

“Now who’s acting a little bit giddy, Bri?” Justin called him out. “I guess I’m not the only giddy guy around here …”

“You might have a point there, Baby,” Brian admitted. “If I am giddy though, I plead the same reason as you did …”

That explanation seemed to please Justin well enough – or perhaps better than well enough. A period of very contented silence ensued – which should not be construed as perverted pleasure either. It might have consumed the whole night - but there was a subject they both wanted to discuss and so …

“I knew you wanted to go up to New York to see your new pals, Ricky and Robert – Rick on the soap opera and Robert before he left for Toronto to shoot that cable series,” Brian resumed the discussion - maybe somewhat reluctantly. “And you hadn’t been pestering me about it at all - so I just thought I’d surprise you …”

“Well you succeeded, Brian,” Justin confessed. “I never figured it out till we checked in for the New York flight … And you had already arranged for us to watch the soap opera shooting for two days too – and dinner with those guys both days - the whole thing. I’m kind of amazed. Sounds like Cynthia to me …”

“O ye of little faith, Kiddo,” Brian laughed. “Well Cynthia did the plane reservations and the dinner reservations but I did the rest myself. It’s hard to watch you do stuff and not have a little bit rub off …”

“Well you did a great job, Kinney. You can rub stuff off me any time you want to …”

“Geez, Twink,” Brian wondered, “I guess I didn’t rub the giddiness off of you … I’ll have to try again later.”

“I don’t think you ever will either, Bri,” Justin warned him. “But I guess you could try - if you think …”

“Well anyhow, Baby,” Brian – surprisingly - returned to the subject they both thought they were discussing. “You made me watch all of Ricky’s scenes on tape for the last month or so – and I know a little bit about soap operas – but whatever the plot is, it’s pretty dumb. They’re advertising a gay love affair, and that guy Ricky’s character is chasing does not seem to be interested in Ricky at all. Seems straight to me.”

“OK, Sweetheart,” Justin told him. “Pay careful attention and I’ll tell you what’s going on. In the soap plot, the guy Ricky’s character is chasing is straight - and he’s not at all interested in Ricky’s character. The writers are showing how frustrating that can be. Ricky is gonna have a broken heart. That could actually get him an Emmy nomination, Bri. Bad things on soap operas are very good things for Emmy nominations…. But the producers are looking around right now for another actor who will play a gay character and that character will come to Summergarden in a month or two and fall madly in love with Ricky’s character …”

“And Ricky and Ralph – this new guy – will live happily ever after,” Brian seemed to get the idea. “OK, I got it now.”

“Hey, Brian,” Justin crushed Brian’s illusions. “This is a soap opera. – Nobody lives happily ever after – They’re lucky if they live happily for a week – or maybe two at the most.”

“But Ricky has a three year contract?” Brian pointed out. “That’s pretty close to ‘ever after.’”

“Yep,” Justin agreed. “So he’ll be happy half the time and unhappy half the time – in alternating two week intervals probably – and the fans will get mad and complain and still watch to see if anybody listens to their complaints - and they’re already complaining too … But – I guess you also probably noticed there’s some tension on the set too …”

“Tension on the set?” Brian echoed. “I don’t think I noticed any tension on the set, Baby.”

“Probably then because you were so interested in the artistic aspects of the taping, Bri,” Justin opined. “Cause there is tension on the set – a lot of tension too. That guy who plays the straight kid who isn’t interested in Ricky’s character – Well, he is really gay and very much interested in Ricky … He’s hitting on Ricky all the time - and Ricky isn’t interested in him because he’s so much in love with Robert – but Ricky doesn’t want Robert to know anything about it – cause he thinks Robert will worry if he knows – and maybe not want to go to Toronto – even though he doesn’t really have anything to worry about at all.”

“Geez, Baby,” Brian stood in awe – while still seated on the floor, “I guess I can see Robert’s point-of-view, that is, the point-of view Robert might well have if he knew what was going on …”

“Well Ricky is trying to make sure that Robert does not find out, Bri,” Justin told him. “And the whole thing is really tough on Ricky – chasing this creep all over the place when the camera’s running - and then running away from him when the camera’s off - but it will all be over pretty soon. They’ll be writing out this character who doesn’t like Ricky’s character in the show but is chasing Ricky behind the scenes – and Ricky is hoping the guy they get to play the new gay guy who falls in love with Ricky’s character will be straight – and then Ricky won’t need to worry – and Robert won’t either.”

“And Robert will never even know he ever had anything to worry about,” Brian mused. “You know, Baby, for some reason or other I kind of think I can identify with Robert. Would you ever tell me if I had anything to worry about?”

“I don’t think so, Brian,” Justin told him. “I love you way too much to let you worry about anything …”

There was yet another pause in the conversation at this point – which provided time for Brian to sort out the new revelations – if that’s what he wanted to do with the pause.

“You know what, Baby,” Brian said as the discussion began again. “People say that soap operas have such crazy plots because real life is actually too dull – but the ‘behind the scenes’ real-life stuff up there is way more interesting than what they’re showing on the screen. The fans are right to complain. And you know what else - stupid old Ted is always telling me our life - me and you - is like a soap opera – but I think our life is better than any old soap opera.”

“It is, Bri,” Justin affirmed. “Gee whiz, Brian, I’d have told you that if I thought you didn’t already know it.”

And maybe Brian didn’t know that before – but he darn well knew it now, he thought.

“You know what else, Sweetheart,” Brian caressed the kid’s face with the back of his fingers, “I didn’t mean to disparage ‘perverted pleasure’ a little while ago …”

“I never thought you did,” Justin responded, making some moves of his own – moves that signaled the end of the discussion phase of that evening’s activity.
 

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