Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie

As the guys were positioning themselves on the floor of the loft in front of their blazing fake fireplace, there was a certain subject that Justin was hoping would not come up. Tough luck, Kid.

“You know, Baby,” Brian began almost immediately, “I have some questions about our walk to the library this afternoon.”

“Gee whiz, Kinney,” Justin feigned surprise. “What’s there to talk about? We walked to the branch library – and I got some books – and then we walked back. You know how I like to read.”

“And you also like to walk to the library, Sweetheart,” Brian concluded. “And it’s about the only place you do like to walk. You always walk to the library.”

“Well it’s a very pleasant walk,” Justin agreed in principle. “Very relaxing.”

“So today, JT,” Brian went on, “it was such a nice day, I said I’d walk along with you - and you acted like you didn’t want me to ….”

“I certainly did not, Brian,” Justin complained. “That’s your paranoia at work again.”

“Nope it’s not either, Taylor,” Brian stuck to his guns. “As soon as I decided to go along and you couldn’t talk me out of it, you thought maybe you’d rather drive ….”

“Well maybe I was afraid the walk would be too much for you, Mr. Kinney,” Justin offered a possible explanation. “What did you think? That I was meeting somebody at the library – like – behind your back? Driving wouldn’t make any difference in that case ….”

“But it would if you were planning to meet somebody along the route, Mr. Taylor,” Brian pointed out. “Somebody you didn’t want me to know about for whatever reason. Maybe some nice young handsome lad – or worse yet – some nice young handsome lass ….”

“Cut it out, Kinney,” Justin demanded. “You know damn well I was not planning to meet anybody at the library – or on the way – or … And we didn’t meet anybody either so ….”

“Ah, but we did meet somebody over on Library Place, Kiddo,” Brian remembered. “We met the dog that you called Brownie - penned up in his front yard – and you stopped to talk to him …Is Brownie really his name?”

“I don’t know what his name really is, Bri,” Justin admitted. “He’s like – always in his yard and I’ve never seen any of the humans connected with that house so I don’t know – so I call him Brownie cause he’s brown … And anyhow, Brownie was kind of asleep ….”

“You know what, Baby,” Brian told him, “I don’t think Brownie was asleep at all. He saw me first and he started to bark and then he saw you and immediately pretended he was asleep. He wasn’t asleep. Every once in a while when you were talking at him, he opened one eye like – half-way ….”

“Well he didn’t know you, Brian,” Justin explained. “So he started to bark - and then he saw me with you and he knew everything was all right ….”

“And fell asleep in like – two seconds?” Brian wondered. “Brownie must have been a tired dog. But he didn’t actually fall asleep, Sweetheart. He pretended to fall asleep. That dog was every bit as awake as I was ….”

“So maybe I taught him how to play ‘asleep,’” Kinney,” Justin suggested. “And he was just showing off for me – and you too, of course. Dogs love to do tricks …..”

“Nope,” Brian objected. “If that’s what happened you would have been crowing about what a good dog whisperer you are – and you didn’t. Sorry, Baby, I don’t think that answer works at all ….”

“Well then I guess we’ll never know what got into Brownie, Bri,” Justin tried to conclude the discussion – unsuccessfully. “Will we?”

“I think we do know, Baby,” Brian laughed. “Or at least you know – and I think I suspect. I don’t think you wanted me to know about Brownie. And you know what else – it seems to me that Jason was over here a couple of times and walked with you to the library. I bet he met Brownie ... And I also bet that if Brandon asks Jason, we can find out the answer to the mystery of why the sleeping dog lies. Brandon’s good at finding stuff out from Jason …..”

“OK, Brian,” Justin gave up. “You win this one, Kinney. I’m gonna tell you the story – and then I don’t want to hear another word about it either – and I’m serious too – not even one word …..”

“I guess I can keep a secret, Honey,” Brian grinned. “You ought to know that.”

“Yeah,” Justin agreed, “but you can’t keep a secret from yourself and that’s the problem …. OK, Brownie has been living in that nice house for about a year. Every time anybody comes walking past, he like – barks from the time he sees them till he can’t see them any more. He barked at me a few times like that and I decided to like – make friends with him - so I stopped to talk to him. He wasn’t used to that. I told him the news of the day – and about the books I was returning. We even discussed religion and politics – stuff I wouldn’t even talk to you about ….”

“You bored the poor dog silly,” Brian laughed heartily. “And now the poor critter pretends he’s asleep when you come by – to avoid an ear beating with a lot of boring stuff ….”

“You think the stuff I tell you is boring, Kinney?” Justin acted disturbed. “Then how come you’re always yelling about how I don’t tell you stuff? And lots of times I did tell you too …..”

“Guess I’m sleeping and just pretending to be awake, Kiddo,” Brian reasoned. “Just like Brownie pretends to be sleeping when he’s really awake – involuntary defense mechanisms - and I don’t yell either ….”

“OK, Kinney,” Justin grouched. “I told you I didn’t want to hear a word about this business like – ever again ….”

But Justin’s protests tailed off as Brian himself instituted an end to – or perhaps just a pause in - the discussion. It must have only been a pause because the subject did come up again later - after a very long delay though.

“So Jason does know about Brownie then?” Brian presumed. “Or you wouldn’t have ever admitted to a thing, Kiddo ….”

“I didn’t ‘admit’ to anything, Brian Kinney,” Justin objected. “I just told you what you wanted to know. That’s all I did. But yeah, Jason knows – and Brownie still barks all the time when Jason’s around – even if I’m there too. Jason tried to talk to him like I do – but it didn’t work for Jason. He can’t make Brownie pretend he’s asleep ….”

”Maybe what Jason tells him in more interesting than what you …?” Brian began to state an opinion.

“OK, Kinney,” Justin demanded by way of interruption. “Just forget it. This is not open season on Justin Taylor. And the discussion of Brownie is over – over – over. Anyhow, I gotta tell you some stuff about Linz and Melanie. They’re gonna redecorate the house. The kitchen is gonna get all redone but the powder room and the bathrooms only need a little up-dating – and they’re gonna rework the garden too – with some new kinds of flowers. I’m gonna help them …. Brian Kinney – open your eyes. You are just pretending to be asleep. I can see you opening your one eye part way. So just cut it out – right now ….”

“OK, Baby,” Brian seemed to rouse into action immediately. “I don’t guess I need to use Brownie’s trick to shut you up. I have a few tricks of my own – but don’t worry - I won’t let Brownie in on the secret …..”

And Brian was as good as his boast too. He did know how to shut Justin up when he needed to – and he proceeded to do just that right then. But Brian figured his tricks probably wouldn’t work for Brownie so ….

Return to Fireside Chats