A Bright New Year

It was a snowy evening early in the new year. The guys had successfully lived through a very busy holiday season and were glad for the opportunity to sit back and relax in front of their blazing fake fireplace. They could have just sat there all evening in peaceful silence – and enjoyed themselves thoroughly doing that - but that is not what they did…

“I was over at Mikey’s comic book store this afternoon, Baby,” Brian told the kid. “He was telling me about the reception at the Institute on the afternoon of New Year’s Day – the one that you thought I’d hate so I didn’t get to go to…”

“Well it was dull and boring, Bri,” Justin affirmed. “I was glad you weren’t there.”

“I guess I can believe you were glad I wasn’t there, Baby,” Brian said. “But was it all that dull and boring?”

“What did Mikey tell you, Brian?” Justin - somewhat nervously - wanted to know. “He wasn’t there either…”

“But Malcolm was, I understand,” Brian pointed out.

“Yeah, he was,” Justin gritted his teeth. “And I bet he doesn’t know how to keep his big mouth shut either.”

“Hey, JT,” Brian reminded him. “You know how we never keep any secrets from each other – well Malcolm and Hunter don’t keep any secrets from each other either – and maybe Hunter didn’t realize there was any secret to keep - so maybe he said something to Mikey.”

“Well it’s actually your fault, Kinney,” Justin told him. “If you hadn’t got me interested in Guy Lombardo music for the new year…”

“Like I told you to take those CDs with you to that reception,” Brian laughed. “With all them far-out hippies you have over there. But I’m sure you were planning to tell me all about it since we don’t keep any secrets from each other – so just pretend I don’t know anything that went on and …”

“Well we don’t keep any secrets, Brian,” Justin agreed. “But we don’t tell each other everything that ever happens - cause there’s a lot of boring stuff too.”

“Yeah, that’s true, Baby,” Brian agreed in turn. “But maybe dancing with the wife of the Chairman of the Institute’s Board of Trustees – the one the students – and the faculty too, I hear – call Marilyn Monroe – that just might be worth a mention.”

“OK, Kinney,” Justin felt like he was surrounded. “So I took the Guy Lombardo CDs and I got Timmy the DJ to play a couple Lombardo songs – and he told the crowd that I had brought them…”

“And that crowd was mesmerized by the dulcet tones of the Royal Canadians?” Brian laughed.

“You know damn well they were not, Sweetheart,” Justin took the offensive. “They were all razzing me – like telling me that’s what happens when you get an old boy-friend – and other stuff like that…”

“And that’s when Marilyn Monroe stepped in?” Brian presumed. “And did this lady really look like Marilyn Monroe?”

“I don’t even know who Marilyn Monroe is, Brian Kinney – cause nobody ever told me about her – like maybe they should have,” Justin complained. “But yeah, that’s when Mrs. Wallace Wamper, the wife of the chairman stepped in – and yeah - she’s a pretty good looking woman too. She said that she herself loved Guy Lombardo music and was happy that somebody at the Institute knew about him – and she made Timmy play It’s Later Than You Think – and she made me dance it with her – just the two of us out on that huge dance floor. It was embarrassing…”

“And what did Wally, the chairman think of all this, Kiddo?” Brian asked. “A young and beautiful blond twink with his younger wife – a striking couple I imagine…”

“He thought the whole thing was funny, Brian,” Justin grumped. “He laughed. That’s what he did. Then he made the whole crowd sing Auld Lang Syne. Old people are crazy, Kinney – really crazy.”

“Guess you’d be smart to stay away from old people then, Baby,” Brian advised. “And maybe not ever get old yourself either.”

“Well some old people aren’t so bad…” Justin suggested, moving in closer to Brian and bringing the conversation to a lengthy - if not permanent - pause.

“I think maybe you need to make a New Year’s resolution to tell me every time you dance with Marilyn Monroe, Baby,” Brian broke the long silence. “I’d always be interested in that.”

“OK, Kinney,” Justin told him. “Just cut it out. You know very well this is the first year that I didn’t make any new year’s resolutions for either of us. And that was your idea too. You never kept any of your resolutions.”

“And it seems that January 13 was the latest date that you ever kept any of your own resolutions, Sweetheart,” Brian countered. “If memory serves correctly…”

“And that was who’s fault, Kinney?” Justin complained. “You made it an annual project of trying to get me to break all my resolutions – like you don’t want me to improve myself – if you also recall that…”

“Baby,” Brian squeezed him gently. “You don’t need to improve. Not at all. That’s why I did that. Resolutions are a waste of time for you.”

“You are so full of it, Kinney,” Justin laughed. “I don’t know why you always try that crap.”

“Because I thought it worked, Kiddo,” Brian acted surprised. “Doesn’t it work? Geez…”

“Well maybe it does work – a little bit…” Justin reconsidered – thereby setting off another pause in the evening’s discussion – maybe a little shorter than the previous one though.

“Hey, Brian,” Justin eventually returned to the subject that would not die. “Just who the hell is Marilyn Monroe anyhow – and how come you never mentioned her?”

“Well,” Brian grinned at him, “Your Marilyn is Marilyn Monroe II. Marilyn Monroe I was a big movie star who died pretty young. I didn’t tell you about her because I didn’t think you’d be all that interested – but we can watch an MM movie sometime soon if you want to. I’m thinking maybe Niagara would be a good one…”

“You pick it, Bri,” Justin said. “I know I’ll like whatever you pick. I always do.”

“Well – no matter how much you like it,” Brian teased him, “You’ll never get to dance to It’s Later Than You Think with the real Marilyn Monroe for comparison purposes – so you’ll have to be satisfied with the pleasure of dancing it with the new MM.”

Brian immediately regretted saying that – he really did – but it wasn’t soon enough - even immediately was still too late. “Hey, Bri,” the kid’s face lit up, “When we get finished here, I think I’d like to dance It’s Later Than You Think with you. I bet that’d be better than dancing it with either of the Marilyn Monroes.”

“And what if it isn’t?” Brian wondered.

“Then I’ll never tell you – even if we never keep secrets from each other,” Justin told him.

“So what if I decide not to get up, Twink,” Brian suggested. “I may just sit here for the rest of my life.”

“No you won’t either, Mr. Kinney,” Justin seemed sure. “And I can wait. You’ll get up sometime and then we’ll dance to It’s later Than You Think.”

“Geez, Baby,” Brian grouched unconvincingly. “I can see that this year is gonna be just like last year…”

“I’d settle for that, Bri,” Justin decided – running his fingers through the older guy’s hair. “Wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah, I would,” Brian decided too - reciprocating the fingers through the hair bit – all the while plotting ways to take Justin’s mind off both the Marilyn Monroes and It’s Later Than You Think too. He felt sure he could do that – and he was kind of eager to try.
 

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