OVER (IN) A BARREL
 

“Well you can’t accuse me of keeping it a secret, Brian,” Justin was protesting as the guys situated themselves in their usual positions on the loft floor facing the fake fireplace’s leaping flames.

“So I guess then what I’m accusing you of is not telling me, Babe,” Brian argued. “Which seems very much like keeping a secret to me.”

“Gee whiz, Kinney,” Justin defended himself. “It just happened today and this is the first time I’ve seen you since – and I told you about it even before we had the fireplace lit. That’s not keeping a secret….”

“But you could have like – called me before you went, JT,” Brian reasoned. “Which you apparently forgot to do.”

“I didn’t forget, Bri. I knew you were in a meeting,” Justin reasoned contrarily. “And I know I can always call you and Cynthia will deliver any message – even in big meetings – but she would have told you and you would have told her to tell me ‘no’ and then I would have had to either stay home or go without your permission….”

“And you did like - maybe – go without my permission, Taylor,” Brian pointed out. “Not that you really needed my permission or anything since you’re an adult - chronologically at least – but you should have told me, I think – even if you thought you wouldn’t get the chance to talk me into it like you usually try to do….”

“And like I always succeed in doing too,” Justin told him as he insinuated himself closer to the affronted party on his left. “And I didn’t want you to worry about me – like you always do whenever I do anything like….”

“Like flying up to Niagara Fall for a couple of hours?” Brian finished Justin’s sentence differently than Justin had planned.

“Darn it, Brian,” Justin complained. “It’s not like I planned it or anything. I did not even know that Abelard was flying in with some delivery from Columbus or anything. He just like - flew in unexpectedly this morning. Stuff comes up fast in that company he works for. And he had to fly on to Buffalo to take something there – and stay over a couple of hours to pick up something to bring back. And he called Malcolm to see if he wanted to fly upstate – and I happened to be with Malcolm when the call came through so he invited me and….”

“And the rest is history,” Brian grinned as he completed another of Justin’s sentences.

“Well what are you complaining about, Kinney,” Justin took the offensive. “You know Abe is a good pilot and that’s a great plane his company has. I was safer at 20000 feet than I’d have been on the ground downtown between the Institute and Kinnetics….”

“So maybe I thought that we had decided that someday - when certain things are more legal in Pennsylvania than they are now,” Brian told him. “We were gonna go to the Falls together….”

”Yeah we did talk about that, Bri,” Justin admitted. “But we didn’t say we’d never go to the Falls until then. You’ve already been there before and so have I….”

“Yeah, you have, Kiddo,” Brian smiled gently. “When you were eight years old – and your dad told you that you might come back there sometime - when you got married – and that’s why….”

”He did say that, Brian,” Justin smiled back. “But I don’t think he was thinking about the same kind of honeymoon that you might be thinking about – and all I was thinking when I was there with him was about those guys who went over the falls in a barrel. I thought that would be really cool. I wasn’t thinking about getting married. I wanted to sail over those falls in a barrel….”

“Sweetheart,” Brian cautioned, “if you’re about to tell me that you went over the falls in a barrel this afternoon, maybe you would be actually better off keeping that a secret….”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin told him. “Of course I didn’t go over the falls in any barrel. You can’t just go up to Niagara and go over the falls in a barrel on the spur of the moment. You’d have to get a barrel for one thing – and I hear they do background checks on anybody who wants to buy a barrel in Niagara Falls.”

“Well if they did a background check on you, Baby mine,” Brian had to laugh, “they’d be sure to find out you’re crazy and it’d be no barrel for Justin Taylor. But can I ask you how you know all about the technicalities of buying a barrel at the falls?”

“It’s just something that everybody knows, Bri,” Justin said matter-of-factly. “I’m surprised you didn’t know….”

“JT,” Brian demanded, “I want you to promise me right now that you will never – ever - under any circumstances whatsoever – attempt to go over any waterfalls in any barrel – ever….”

“Darn,” Justin complained. “The things I have to do to keep you happy. OK though. Under your constant and relentless pressure, I hereby promise never to have any fun in Niagara Falls….”

“That is not what I said either, Taylor,” Brian grinned at him. “When we go to the falls together, I think I can show you the best way to have fun there. Bet you won’t even think about going over the falls in some barrel….”

“Well if I do think of it then,” Justin laughed. “I don’t guess I better mention it to you….”

“Nope,” Brian agreed as he instituted a pause in the fire-lit chat. “I think maybe that’s one secret you should keep – not that I think it could ever happen….”

It was quite a while before Brian returned to thinking about the flying excursion to Niagara Falls. “Geez, Baby,” he reminded the kid, “Jason will be mad at you when he hears about him missing your sudden trip. He hates to miss anything – but Brandon will be glad he wasn’t with you goofs….”

“Brian,” Justin spoke hesitantly. “Like – I was supposed to have lunch with Jason today so – like – I had to call him to cancel – and like – Jason skipped all his classes today. He was like – with us. But he doesn’t want Brandon to know so….”

“I’m supposed to keep a secret from my good friend, JT?” Brian gasped on cue, “While his so-called boy-friend sneaks off to Niagara Falls….”

“I don’t like it either, Bri,” Justin explained. “But Jason is like – scared to tell stuff to Brandon sometimes. I tell him how to work it but he’s still scared….”

“Maybe I should talk to Jason, Taylor,” Brian grinned. “I could give him a good recommendation for you. If you tell Jason how to ‘work it’, Brandon could be as easy to get along with as I am….”

“Well- you and me - we do like – understand each other better than like – any other couple in the world,” Justin reminded him

“Yep we do,” Brian agreed, squeezing the kid on his right just a little closer. “So I know that if I ever get a chance to fly off somewhere without you for a couple of hours sometime, you’ll understand….”

“I don’t know if I’d do that if I were you, Honey,” Justin suggested cagily, running his fingers through Brian’s hair.

And Brian understood just what Justin meant. Those guys understand each other better than any other couple in the world.

Return to Fireside Chats