ON THE BEACH
 

The guys had just settled themselves down onto the floor of the loft to gaze at their blazing fake fireplace - and also to do whatever else it is they do as they gaze at that blazing fireplace. And they started on that project almost immediately.

“Now let me get this straight, Sweetheart,” Brian sounded like he was complaining. “That eminent college scholar, our pal Jason, has an assignment he doesn’t want to do - so we have to help him do it? Right?”

“Not quite, Mr. Kinney,” Justin grinned at him. “Maybe a little bit close but not quite right. Jason is taking a history course at Pitt this summer and since June 6 this year will be the 65th anniversary of D-Day in World War II, the professor assigned them to pick a movie about D-Day and watch it and then they’re gonna discuss it in class next week. There are lots of movies available and Jason picked The Longest Day."

“Which is also the longest movie on the subject too, Baby,” Brian informed him. “Like three hours long – but it is the best one all right…”

“Well then Brandon decided that he wanted to see it too – actually he was the one who picked which film to watch - and then they decided to invite a lot of us guys over to watch it too – so we’re like - invited….” Justin continued uninterrupted by Brian’s interruption.

“And so we have to go I guess…?” Brian surmised.

“Well I guess we don’t really have to go, Brian,” Justin wavered. “But Mikey and Ben are coming and Malcolm and Hunter and a lot of other guys – and we can invite some people if we want to – Jason said….”

“No point in arguing then, Honey,” Brian gave up any opposition – more easily than usual, “We’ll go….”

“I’m glad we’ll be going, Bri,” Justin snuggled up some toward the big guy. “It’s like a sacrifice for me too. You know war pictures bother me because I can’t stand the sight of blood and ….”

“And there’s a lot of blood in Longest Day too, JT,” Brian acknowledged. “But the picture’s in black and white so it won’t be so bad….”

“Black and white?” Justin seemed surprised, “Jason said they had about a million movie stars from all over the world in this movie - and then they shot it in black and white? Cheap-O….”

“I don’t think money was the issue, Sweetheart. I think it was a purely artistic choice. But it’s too bad you weren’t around to advise Darryl Zanuck at the time, Baby,” Brian laughed. “Zanuck was kinda mean – and pretty sure of himself - and he picked black and white – but if you had been there we might be watching a technicolor extravaganza next week. Yeah, Zanuck versus Taylor – that would have been a big war movie in its own right. Not sure who would have won though….”

“Well I don’t know anything about this Zanuck guy, Brian,” Justin told him. “But the Kinney guy I’m stuck with is kinda mean – and pretty sure of himself too….”

“And you don’t have any problem twisting him around your little finger,” Brian laughed.

“I didn’t say that, Kinney,” Justin laughed in return. “But you decided we’d go watch this movie a lot easier than usual – for stuff you don’t want to do – so I’m wondering if maybe you did want to….”

“Actually I thought about watching it here on an old movie night, Babe,” Brian admitted. “And I was reminded about it last month when Kenneth Annakin, its main director, died. He was in his 90s. It’s a really great movie….”

“Wait a minute, Brian Kinney,” Justin got an idea. “I think I’ve got the picture now. Jason needed to find this movie and Brandon called you and you suggested Longest Day in the first place. They know about you and movies. I wouldn’t even be surprised if you called Jason’s prof and suggested that he make the assignment….”

“Can I maybe – plead the Fifth Amendment, Baby,” Brian tightened his grip around the kid. “Like - this is still – the United States of America…”

“I hate you, BK,” Justin told him – while behaving in a way which might have confused some people. But not Brian Kinney – not a chance. And there was a pause in the discussion at this point – about which neither of the guys complained.

“Hey, Brian,” the kid eventually came up for air. “What if we had scheduled The Longest Day for an old movie night here – and then Jason had got that assignment…?”

“Easy, Kiddo,” Brian told him. “We’d have just invited him over to watch with us – and Brandon too of course….”

“Wrong answer, Kinney,” Justin proclaimed. “No outsiders on old movie night – not in this loft….”

”But they’re our friends, Sweetheart,” Brian protested. “We….”

“Friends are friends and old movie nights are old movie nights,” Justin amplified his point. “And never the twain shall meet. Mark Twain said that, Bri.”

“Nobody ever said that, Twink,” Brian laughed. “Till you did. It’s pure unadulterated Justin Taylor at his meanest. But you weren’t referring to Mark Twain either. I think the author you were looking for would be Rudyard Kipling….”

“And how would you know anything about Rudyard Kipling, Kinney?” Justin laughed back at him. “You never went to St. James….”

“Can’t live with somebody as smart as you, Baby,” Brian teased. “And not get real smart – if you want to survive….”

“And if you do want to survive, Brian Kinney,” Justin warned him. “You better not suggest visitors on old movie night. And if you decide to pay back Brandon and Jason for their kind invitation, you better think up some better idea too….”

“New movie night,” Brian quickly suggested. “We can rent some new movies and have the whole gang over….”

“Shut up, Kinney,” Justin cut him off – and offering certain enticements – secured Brian’s immediate compliance. And so silence fell on the loft again - for quite a while.

“You know what, Baby?” Brian eventually returned to the evening’s subject. “I don’t know if I ever told you this, but I had a grandfather – my mother’s dad – who landed on Omaha Beach – on June 6, 1944 – right on D-Day. He never liked to talk about it though – so I don’t know exactly what he did….”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin seemed surprised. “That’s important enough for you to have told me. You never tell me anything….”

“Sorry, Kiddo,” Brian apologized. “I guess the subject never came up and….”

“It’s OK, Bri,” Justin seemed to understand. “Like – I don’t think I ever told you either. My great-grandfather landed on Omaha Beach too – on June 6. I never knew him. But maybe they knew each other….”

”Well there were a lot of great guys there, Honey,” Brian pointed out. “They were the greatest generation. A lot of them never came back either – but it’s possible that they knew each other. We could go to the library and see if we can find if they were in the same unit – or maybe we could even do that on the computer ….”

“If they did know each other, Bri, I bet they were friends,” Justin conjectured. “But they wouldn’t have known about us….”

“Nope,” Brian smiled. “You’re too young….”

“Cut it out, Brian,” Justin interposed. “You’re too young too – but suppose we had been there – on Omaha Beach – on June 6, 1944 - and that’s where we met….”

“Justin Taylor….” Brian’s tone seemed to be hinting that the discussion should be over for the night – and Justin took the hint too – but he figured that the exact subject would come up again - sometime in the future – like maybe next week - after they’d seen the movie – and come back to the loft - alone. Old movie nights were just for the two of them.
 

Return to Fireside Chats