I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy
 

It was a warm night in Pittsburgh – even for the end of June – but the fireplace in the loft was aglow, the air conditioner was functioning, and the two residents thereof were sitting on the loft floor in their usual positions - watching the flames – which were devoid of heat in keeping with the season.

“Hey Brian,” the younger resident opened the evening’s discussion. “Remember I told you that Malcolm was putting on that musical, George M., about George M. Cohan - at the Little Theater - sometime around the fourth of July?”

“Yep,” Brian remembered. “And I also remember that you told me that none of us were supposed to be in the cast.”

“Almost correct, Kinney,” Justin grinned. “I told you none of us was supposed to be in the cast except for Hunter. Hunter is in the cast and so are a couple of other kids from the Performing Arts High School and some guys from the Institute and some other people we know from some of Malcolm’s other stuff. And I hope you also remember you said you’d go….”

“Yep, again, Baby,” Brian grinned back at him. “I not only said I’d go but I also mentioned that I like George Cohan’s music. Real good patriotic stuff. Very appropriate for the fourth of July. So when are we going?”

“Well it’s playing the weekend before the fourth and the weekend after the fourth but not the weekend of the fourth,” Justin informed him, “And you can pick any performance that suits you. So think about it. You decide when.”

“You know what, JT?” Brian told the kid. “Something about this scares me just a little bit. It’s all too easy. I already said I’d go to the play. It’s not all that good a show but I do like the music. And I get to pick when we go – and it seems like you don’t have any ax to grind but…. Is there anything more involved, Baby? This is too easy. I have a feeling that maybe there’s something more….”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin smiled, “You’re awfully suspicious but you do get some good ‘feelings’ sometimes too. There might be like – just one more little thing – just a little thing though and…”

“Nope,” Brian smiled back at him, “It’s a big thing I suspect and I guess I’ll at least start off by saying ‘no’ – on general principles and from a lot of prior experience.”

“Doggone it, Kinney,” Justin faked umbrage, “You know you can always say ‘no’ if you want to. I never try to push you into anything. You’re so talented and you never seem to want to do anything – so you waste your talents. So maybe sometimes I bring you opportunities to do stuff but like – you never have to do it. It’s always up to you….”

“Yeah, I know that, Honey,” Brian had to laugh, “So are you about to tell me what opportunity you are bringing me this time? These opportunities are always interesting – and often pretty surprising too – even coming from you….”

“Well you already know we’re all gonna spend most of the day at the holiday program out at Mikey’s local park – and then go downtown for the fireworks at Point State Park later on,” Justin recounted. “See - you know all that stuff so you’re not always being surprised either, Brian Kinney. Well, out at Mikey’s, the cast of Malcolm’s George M. is gonna do a few musical numbers from the show. It’s about a forty-five minute program….”

“And this has something to do with me?” Brian interrupted. “I’m not in the cast of the show but I’m gonna be in this mini-performance? What the hell…?”

“Gee whiz, Bri,” Justin interrupted him back. “Lemme finish. All they want is for you to like – introduce the numbers and tell the crowd a little bit about the show – like – be the emcee….”

“Why me, Taylor?” Brian wanted to know. “Why not Mikey or somebody who lives out in Gayburbia? Maybe somebody volunteered me – maybe – not that I’m accusing anybody in particular?”

“It is well known to everybody in the general public, Mr. Kinney,” Justin stated categorically, “That you like George M. Cohan music and that you know a lot about it and….”

“And you derive some perverse kind of pleasure from seeing me doing stuff I really don’t want to do,” Brian finished the thought – grinning as he did.

“You don’t mind doing the stuff either, Brian,” Justin smiled knowingly, “But you do like to complain and try to make me feel guilty and all – but it doesn’t work. I’m onto you, Bri. You ought to know that by now….”

“OK, Sweetheart,” Brian gave in, “I’ll do it. I’ll need to talk to Malcolm and see exactly what he wants but you can tell him I’ll do it – that is if you haven’t already told him I’d do it,”

“Malcolm will stop by your office tomorrow about two, Bri,” Justin answered the question indirectly. “Cynthia said you had a meeting over there but you’d be free by two, I could come too but I don’t want to interfere so I….”

For whatever reason, that revelation led Brian to initiate a pause in the discussion that prevailed for a lengthy period before the conversation resumed.

“You know what, Justin Taylor,” Brian reopened. “When I’ve got my arms around you, I can tell if you’re plotting something– and I’m thinking that you’re thinking there’s something more than we’ve already talked about….”

“Well, actually there is one more little thing, Bri,” Justin admitted. “After the crowd sees the excerpts from the show, Mikey thought they’d want to sing some of the Cohan tunes themselves – so there’s like a half-hour set aside for a community sing – all Cohan songs. Roger’s gonna do the accompaniment on an electric guitar – but Roger thought he’d like to have maybe – some back-up guitars too – and like – Mikey said he’d do it….”

“You want me to stand up on that stage and play my guitar with Roger – like – the best guitarist in Pittsburgh?” Brian asked him. “And with Mikey – like – the worst guitarist in Pittsburgh? That’s what you want?”

“All I wanted was to present you with the opportunity, Brian,” Justin insisted. “It’s completely your decision. I didn’t even bring your guitar up from the storage room. Just think about it. I probably won’t even mention it again. It’s completely up to you.”

“Bring the damn guitar up the next time you’re down there,” Brian told him in such a way as to cause another cessation in the conversation – about as long as the last one and just about of the same nature.

“Too bad they never made a movie out of George M., Bri,” Justin eventually restarted the conversation. “I never saw it on stage before and I bet I’d really like it….”

“Well there’s no movie version of George M., Baby,” Brian confirmed, “But there is a very good old-time movie about Cohan. It was called Yankee Doodle Dandy and it won the best-picture Oscar way back in the 1940’s. James Cagney played Cohan and he won an Oscar too….”

“You mean the same Cagney guy that killed everybody he ever met in a couple of those old gangster movies that you made me sit through?” Justin wondered.

“You liked those movies, Baby, but you’re still mad because I invited Mikey over to see them with us, aren’t you?” Brian laughed. “Well Mikey always loved those movies where Cagney killed everybody he ever met. I’d have felt guilty watching them without telling him - and how could I tell him without inviting him…?”

“Well I don’t count them as ‘old-movie nights’ at all, BK,” Justin informed him. “There’s just us two at genuine real ‘old-movie nights’ and that’s that….”

“OK, Baby,” Brian smiled at the twink, “It’s the same murderous James Cagney all right – but he doesn’t kill a single soul in Yankee Doodle Dandy. He was originally a song and dance man who got into the gangster movies by accident. But since this is not a gangster movie we don’t have to invite Mikey….”

“A genuine old-movie night then,” Justin enthused, “Just me and you and the red, white and blue….”

“Sorry, Baby,” Brian informed him. “Nice rhyme and all but there’ll be no colors on the screen. The movie is in glorious black and white.”

“But you’ll be here when I see it, Brian,” Justin cuddled himself closer to the guy next to him, “So I’ll see it in color anyhow.”

And Brian understood exactly what he meant. And Brian was not one to pass up an opportunity when it was presented either - certain kinds of opportunities at any rate.
 

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