Staff Recommendations

It was still summer in Pittsburgh but the days were getting shorter and the outside light was showing signs of impending autumn. The guys were seated in front of their all-season fake fireplace reviewing their summer activities when Justin suddenly changed the subject.

“You’re not mad are you, Brian?” Justin questioned. “About our not going out-of-town for Labor Day – like we’ve been doing the past couple of years?”

“Nope,” Brian replied. “It’s always better to do what you want to do – and you didn’t want to go so….”

“That’s not fair, Brian – blaming me,” Justin complained. “Of course I wanted to go. But Gus is starting a new school on Tuesday and he wants us to take him for his first day. He’ll feel better if we take him and when he asked me, what could I say?”

“It’s OK, Baby,” Brian told him. “I’m not upset that we are staying safe at home this Labor Day. We can go away some other time – and I’m sure you’ll figure someplace that you want to go soon enough. And I’m certainly not mad because Gus asked you and not me either….”

“Cut it out, Brian Kinney,” Justin interrupted. “None of that Brian the martyr crap. Gus asked me because I was the first one of us he saw after he decided that he wanted us to take him to the new school. And that’s the only reason too…..”

“So Gus doesn’t know how mean I am, eh? Brian laughed. “Like everybody else does. He just asked you instead of me by accident and not because he knew how nice you are and …?”

“Yep,” Justin laughed back. “Just by accident. Gus doesn’t know how mean you are and he just asked me by accident. That’s exactly what happened. And anyhow, Kinney, what would you have told him if he had asked you about taking him to school? Would you have told him we couldn’t take him because we were going to be out of town on some pleasure trip?”

“Hey, Taylor,” Brian laughed harder. “Some pleasure trip? If we were away when you wanted to be here? A pleasure trip? You have to be kidding. No chance of that. And you know what I would have told him if he had asked me? I would have told him to ask you. That’s what I would have told him. I’m not crazy.”

“So I’m really the ogre around here, am I?” Justin cuddled closer to Brian. “Like everything has to be done my way eh? Like I get everything I want around here? So I’m the ogre?”

“That’s about it,” Brian squeezed the kid just a little. “It’s always about what you want. You, Kiddo – the most beautiful blond ogre in the whole world. Not that I’m saying that I don’t sometimes agree that what you want is a pretty good idea….”

The discussion went into pause mode at this point – and chances are that if Gus had been heading off to the new school right at that moment, he might have had to fend for himself – new school or no new school. Anyhow the guys did seem to have come to an agreement about what to do next.

And it was quite a while therefore before the conversation resumed - but it eventually did.

“Hey, Taylor,” Brian was the one who restarted the discussion. “Did I have anything to do with the decision for Gus to change schools? My memory fails me on that point….”

“Yes, you did, Mr. Kinney, Sir,” Justin pointed out. “I remember distinctly us telling you we thought Gus would be better off at Grandview and asking you what you thought about it.”

“’Us’ would be you and Melanie and Linz, I guess,” Brian presumed.

“And Mikey,” Justin appended. “And we asked around and just about everybody thought it would be better….”

“So like maybe everybody was asked before me?” Brian concluded. “Seems like that’s what you’re telling me.”

“But you have it all wrong, Sweetheart,” Justin disagreed. “We saw ourselves as like the staff who puts together a plan of action and then presents it to the CEO or the general – or whoever makes the final decision. So the truth of the matter is that you made the final decision – approving the hard work of your loving and competent staff.”

“So then maybe I think I’m Brian the martyr when I’m really Brian the general,” Brian was laughing. “I just never thought about it that way. I wonder what would have happened if General Kinney hadn’t approved the staff plan.”

“Well fortunately,” Justin reminded him, “We didn’t have to face that possibility because he enthusiastically endorsed our staff work. He usually does – because he has a great staff and he trusts them implicitly.”

“And he also wants to finish those few golden years he has left as peacefully as possible too,” Brian smiled knowingly. “But why did we decide to have Gus change schools anyhow?” Brian wanted to know. “I forgot why I so enthusiastically decided that he should.”

“Well Grandview is a lot better school than the other one,” Justin pointed out. “Gus will have a much better chance of getting into Harvard or Princeton if he has Grandview Elementary on his academic record.”

“Or like if he wanted to go to Dartmouth for an MBA?” Brian suggested. “I guess Grandview would be better for that too – if his staff suggests that as the plan of action - when that time comes of course.”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin protested. “You are in a nasty mood tonight. I should have figured that out when you brought up the subject of Gus changing schools.”

“See how absent minded I’m getting in my old age,” Brian said. “I remember it as like you brought up the subject. I’m slipping, I guess.”

”Well maybe I was the first one to bring the subject out into the open, all right,” Justin admitted, “But I only did it because I knew you were getting ready to do it – so I just like – helped you out – like I always try to do.”

“And very successfully too, I might add,” Brian broke in. “And so very often before I even know I need help too. I guess I’m really lucky to have you around.”

There was another pause in the talk at this point as the guys celebrated their joint luck in having each other around. But the chatting wasn’t over yet – so it resumed a while later.

“Grandview has a much more creative curriculum, Bri,” Justin broke the silence. “Gus will get a great education there. And they have a top-notch music program too and you know how good Gus is on the violin. Maybe he’ll want to go to Julliard someday – and that will be great – and if he wants to go to Dartmouth and get an MBA, that will be all right too. Whatever he wants to do when he gets to that time in his life….”

“No staff recommendations?” Brian laughed. “Poor Gus is gonna have to make all his own decisions?”

“Brian Kinney,” Justin moved himself onto Brian’s lap. “I love you as much as anybody could love anybody – and you’re my first priority – and you always will be too.” Justin rubbed his hair against Brian’s cheek. “But that doesn’t mean that I might not be able to spare a little time to do some staff work for Gus too. After all – he is our son….”

“That will be quite all right, Taylor,” Brian wrapped his arm gently the kid’s neck. “As long as I’m the first priority I approve that plan. It’s OK with General Kinney. In the meantime, we’ll escort our son to his first day in his new school next Tuesday – just the way you planned it.

“Brian Kinney,” Justin responded. “You would no more have gone away when Gus needed us than I would have – and I know that as well as you do – so don’t think I don’t know.”

“You’re probably right, Baby,” Brian admitted. “I guess I do like to take care of the people I love.”

“Including me?” Justin queried - in perhaps semi-jest.

“Especially you,” Brian came up with the exact right answer. “So when the right time comes for us to get away, you just tell me and we’ll take a little belated Labor Day excursion - wherever the staff decides, General Kinney will approve.”

“Yes, sir,” Justin told him. “Just as you say. When it’s safe, I’ll be glad to tell you and we can go away – and you can pick the place if you want to – within reason of course. In the meantime, if it’s OK with you, I’d just like to feel safe at home - with the greatest guy in the world.”

And Brian approved that plan too.
 

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