On Land Or On Sea

The fireplace was lit and the guys were seated on the floor of the loft staring blankly at the flickering flames – each one wearing an enigmatic smile on his face. The subject of the evening’s conversation was certain - though neither of them seemed to want to utter the first word. But it was the logical one to speak first who eventually spoke first.

“Last night was not as bad as you think it was …” Justin began.

“It was worse than I think it was,” Brian disagreed. “A lot worse. I just didn’t think about it all that much - so I don’t know how really bad it was – and that’s OK with me … But I know bad when I see it ….”

“Well it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting,” Justin maintained. “That crowd is not as hard to take when I’m not seasick …And anyhow, it was your idea that we should go … I sure didn’t decide that we should have dinner at the Herrings with all the sea-people . .. Not my fault – not at all…”

“But I think I was depending on your good sense to keep us from going, Sweetheart,” Brian told him. “I didn’t know how to say ‘no’ to Red Herring since I had suggested Brandon to him to solve his legal problems – and I didn’t know how to refuse to go with Brandon and Jason either since they wanted us to go so badly - but I expected you to know how to get us out of it …”

“Brian Kinney,” Justin pontificated, “It’s hard for me to believe that you would have any trouble saying ‘no’ to anybody about anything. So there may be hope for you yet. But it was the right thing for us to do – to go to the Herrings and support Jason and Brandon. So what if it wasn’t the best night of our lives. Doing the right thing often has its own rewards…”

“Yeah, it does, Baby,” Brian laughed. “Its own rewards all right. And sometimes double rewards too. I bet you were only expecting one doggie bag from the dinner and you got two…”

“Well technically, Kinney,” Justin split a hair, “I only got one doggie bag – the left over beef burgundy from the dinner. The spaghetti with the new fancy sauce that Mrs. Mallard brought for me - that was like – just so I could taste it – and let her know what I thought. I’m like an expert on spaghetti sauces.”

“Yep, you are – quality and quantity too. But there’s enough spaghetti in that sample for four or five servings,” Brian conjectured, “And I don’t suppose I’ll be getting any of it …”

“I guess you could, Honey,” Justin conjectured back, “If you really want to try it. But us gourmands have to try stuff three or four times before we can venture a valid culinary opinion so …And anyhow, spaghetti is all carbs and …”

“And the beef burgundy?” Brian wanted to know. “What about that?”

“It’s gone, Brian,” Justin informed him. “I had a long day today at the Institute so I took it along and heated it up in the microwave so I could skip lunch.”

“And eating like six pounds of left-over beef burgundy is your idea of skipping lunch, Sweetheart,” Brian laughed. “Thank heaven I never skip lunch, Baby. I’d weigh a ton.”

“Well you’re just too vain anyhow, Kinney,” Justin laughed back at him, settling himself more snugly into Brian’s arms and deliberately cutting off the discussion at that convenient point.

“I guess you talked to Jason today, Baby,” Brian presumed, re-opening the discussion. “Since he survived last evening – thanks to you …”

“Yeah, I did,” Justin said. “And actually he didn’t have all that bad of a time. He’s like – a big Stephen Foster fan …”

“I gathered that when he kept encouraging Red to play some more on that guitar …” Brian acknowledged.
“I never knew Stephen Foster wrote so damn many songs, Honey – and Jason seemed to know them all …”

”No he didn’t, Brian,” Justin grinned, “But he learned some new ones from Mrs. Herring – and she does know them all. You know how she loves folk music – well - she’s on the board of Foster Memorial over at Pitt, Bri. And you have to know that Foster was a Pittsburgher …”

“Yeah, I did, Sweetheart,” Brian admitted, “Not that I knew him personally or anything. He was a couple of years ahead of me at school. …”

“Well all joking aside, Brian,” Justin pointed out, “Jason made a big hit with the Herrings. Brandon is a cinch to end up with all Red’s legal work – and Mrs. Herring is gonna take Jason on a private tour of the Foster Memorial collection of Stephen Foster stuff – including some of the secret stuff that’s not on display -and Jason wants me to go along too. You could come if you wanted …”

“Yeah, I’d love to, JT - but I’m real busy that day – whatever day it is,” Brian apologized. “Be sure to have Mrs. Herring take you and Jason on a boat ride too – like - way down upon the Swanee River …”

“Beautiful dreamer, Kinney,” Justin smiled at him. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily – even if you wanted to – which you don’t… ‘

“No I guess I don’t, Taylor” Brian admitted – creating a cessation of the discourse yet again, “Even if I sometimes wish I did …”

Justin didn’t think Brian meant that – and he didn’t.

“I bet you talked to Brandon today too, Brian,” Justin guessed as the discussion eventually resumed. “Bet you tried to convince him that he didn’t enjoy himself …”

“Well maybe I did try that, Baby,” Brian admitted. “But Brandon was talking for a long while to Swann and Fisher and they’re both going to see him later this month about some legal stuff – so Brandon was like – mixing business with displeasure. He did notice Swann’s cigars though…”

“Well he’d have to be dead to miss that, Bri,” Justin opined. “Or at least not breathing…”

“And Brandon got invited on that tour of Stephen Foster Memorial too – but he had to decline,” Brian added. “He’s too busy that day – like me.”

“He should go, Bri,” Justin thought. “Brandon should like Stephen Foster songs. Brandon has a pretty good singing voice …”

“Unlike Brian Kinney, I guess,” Brian pouted, “Who can’t carry a tune …”

“You can too carry a tune, Brian,” Justin clarified. “It’s just that the tune you carry might not be exactly what Stephen Foster actually wrote. What I mean to say is that you’re so creative musically that you might tend to improve on Foster …”

“Like hell that’s what you mean, Twink,” Brian grouched. “You just mean to be mean. So two can play that game. Brandon also told me that Jason was disappointed because you got two doggie bags and he didn’t get any …”

“It’s not my fault that he didn’t get any, Bri,” Justin countered. “He just doesn’t know the fine points of doggie bag acquisition. I could teach him …”

“But would you, Sweetheart?” Brian laughed. “The stuff that’s in Jason’s doggie bag won’t be in yours …”

“I’ll just have to spread the word that there are gonna be more doggie bags to fill, Kinney,” Justin pointed out. “That’s all part of the protocol. And anyhow, I’ll bet Brandon and Jason will be invited on the boat ride next summer – maybe instead of us - so we could be off the hook …”

“Actually, Baby,” Brian confided, “They’ve already been invited – and so have we …”

“So that’s a long time away, Kinney,” Justin decided. “I have a long time to prepare for it – so I can be ready … No problemo …”

“But maybe dinner at the Swann’s is not that far away at all, Baby,” Brian suggested, “Or at the Fisher’s …”

“Let Brandon and Jason go themselves, Brian,” Justin protested. “They can go themselves if they want to. They don’t need us. I don’t think I want to go …I don’t want to go….”

“But maybe us going would be the ‘right thing’ to do, Baby,” Brian argued, “And we always want to do the ‘right thing.’ And not only that, as you pointed out earlier, doing the right thing has its own rewards…”

“Well there better be some pretty big doggie bags, Kinney,” Justin told him – maintaining some residual reluctance.

“But you deserve much better rewards than just doggie bags, Sweetheart,” Brian whispered in the kid’s ear as he pulled the twink up onto his lap and circled him with both arms. “You really do – for like – always doing the right thing.”

And Justin did not feel that he could reasonably disagree with that very honest assessment of Brian’s – so he didn’t. He thought that was the right thing to do – or not do – and it suited his purposes too.
 

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