A Cultural Christmas

“Geez, Baby,” Brian was saying as the guys settled down in front of their fake fireplace. “Talk about a busy schedule of ‘fun’ stuff. We haven’t even had a chance to rest here by the fireplace in days. Don’t you think we’re over-scheduled? Like - every night. We’re really lucky Abe and his crew did not come in from Columbus this year.”

“It has been busy all right, Bri,” Justin agreed. “But we had to go everywhere we went. We just had to.”

“I guess so, Sweetheart,” Brian allowed grudgingly. “But two Amahl and the Night Visitors on two consecutive nights is at least one too many Amahls and maybe even two too many….”

“Well Gus sat through both of them too and so did I,” Justin pointed out. “And we enjoyed both performances and I bet you did too – deep down. It’s a good opera for kids and it’s short too – a little less than an hour.”

“Well I suppose I’m just too good a sport to complain,” Brian told him with a straight face. “So I won’t….”

“Yeah you are not a complainer at all, Brian,” Justin replied with a reciprocal straight face. “But you know we had to go to them both. Peter is our nephew and when he was picked to sing Amahl at Baldwin High - that was a big surprise….”

“Who ever told Peter he could sing anyhow, Baby?” Brian wondered. “I bet it was you. That’s the kind of stuff you do….”

“It was not either me, Kinney,” Justin denied the accusation. “But that was only because I had never heard Peter sing. If I had heard him, I would have told him he could sing – because he can sing. And he made a great Amahl too and you know it. He was as least as good as the kid who played it the next night at Performing Arts High School – and we had to go there too – with Hunter playing one of the kings – and Malcolm doing the stage direction. Maybe next year, our Gus will be Amahl somewhere – he has a good singing voice I guess you know that but just in case you don’t….”

“And we’ll have to go to maybe one more performance of Amahl and the Night Visitors?” Brian laughed. “Geez. We’ll know the damn thing by heart. Probably we ought to buy the CD so we can enjoy Amahl between live performances. But maybe we’ll have to skip the Pittsburgh Ballet’s Nutcracker nest year if we get too many Amahls on our schedule….”

“I don’t think so, Brian – not at all,” Justin laughed back at him. “Even if Gus’ Amahl runs three or four performances – and I know you’ll insist on going to all of them. You know what a good scheduler I am – and Gus loves Nutcracker too – you know he does. So just accept the fact that we’ve got a cultured kid on our hands, Kinney….”

“Takes after you and Melanie then,” Brian semi-grouched. “I didn’t sign on for any cultured kid….”

“Cut it out, Kinney,” Justin laughed. “You’re as proud of Gus as I am – maybe more – even if you’d never admit it. I don’t think you’ll ever have to worry about Gus being in a Nutcracker performance though, Sweetheart. He’s a pretty clumsy dancer. So at least he takes after you in something….””

“Thanks, Sweetheart,” Brian went on undisturbed. “Insult and deride if it helps to boost your Christmas spirit. But seriously - we’ve got two Amahls and one Nutcracker already taken care of. How much more of this culture stuff do we have to suffer through before we get to the good Christmas stuff – decorating and parties and Santa Claus?”

“Well, the Pittsburgh Symphony Christmas Pops is coming up this week,” Justin reminded him. “And Ethan has some neat solo parts – and Gus really wants to go. He loves violin playing and he really admires Ethan and….”

“You know what, JT,” Brian wondered, “I think maybe we should get some DNA testing done….”

“OK, Kinney,” Justin grinned. “We all have our own personal Christmas traditions so I’m not gonna complain because your favorite tradition happens to be complaining. Go right ahead – enjoy yourself…. And our good friend Roger is playing several solos on the guitar with the glee club over at the Institute. He’d really be happy if we came – but if you really don’t want to go….”

“Nah, I’ll go, Baby,” Brian grinned back at him. “We all have our own Christmas traditions and one of yours is dragging me to as many places that I don’t want to go as you can – so if you’re gonna let me complain, I guess I have to let you drag….”

“Well then the last thing is the Christmas Carol that Malcolm is directing over at the Community Playhouse,” Justin smilingly concluded his list. “He really wanted you to play Scrooge, Bri, but I lied to him - I told him you’d be miscast in that role – even though I’m sure you’d be perfect. I don’t think he believed me though….”

“Yeah, I guess I could play that role all right, Baby,” Brian smiled. “With you as my inspiration I would be a perfect Scrooge. But I figure you could inspire anybody to play Scrooge well. And the only reason you told Malcolm I wouldn’t do Scrooge was that I might have to miss a couple of Amahls or Nutcrackers. Can’t be two places at one time …. But I thought maybe Mikey wanted that role….”

“He did,” Justin concurred. “But when he tried out, he couldn’t do it very convincingly, Brian. He was just too nice. He knew it and so did everybody else. Mikey is just too nice to be Scrooge….”

“I could have told you that, Taylor,” Brian concluded. “So if nobody we know is in it, do we have to go?”

“Well I guess not, Brian,” Justin opined. “But we usually try to go to all of Malcolm’s stuff – so I’d like to go - but you don’t have to. I’m sure Jason and Brandon will go with me – or maybe Brandon will come over here and keep you company and Jason can go with me….”

“Yeah, they’ll go all right,” Brian laughed. “They’ve already made the two Amahl’s and the Nutcracker – and acted like they enjoyed them too - and they’ll be at Ethan’s performance – and Roger’s – and Malcolm’s Christmas Carol – as long as we go they will definitely be there….”

“And are ‘we’ going to Christmas Carol, Bri?” Justin laughed back. “I thought it just might be me going….”

“No you didn’t, Baby,” Brian told him. “You knew I’d be going all along. In fact, I bet you have the tickets already reserved – don’t you? Tell the truth….”

“Well I didn’t want to take a chance on sell-outs,” Justin pointed out. “These are all great shows. The tickets can be cancelled and I didn’t want to disappoint Gus….”

“Like – I’m the only one who gets disappointed around here,” Brian pouted without sincerity.

“Poor Brian,” Justin smilingly commiserated with equal sincerity – and the discussion went into ‘pause’ mode for a while – during which Brian found no reason for disappointment.

“Hey Brian,” Justin broke the silence after the long hiatus. “I should really be getting to the Christmas cards….”

“Nope,” Brian interrupted with an executive veto of the idea. “No Christmas cards for you.”

“Gee whiz, Kinney,” Justin feigned surprise. “Are you saying that you’re gonna do the Christmas cards this year?”

“Nope again, Baby,” Brian told him. “I am saying that you can do the Christmas cards tomorrow morning while I’m at work - instead of messing around over at the Institute. We haven’t been able to sit here by the fire all week and we’re sitting here tonight – whether you like it or not….”

“And you think maybe I don’t like it, Brian?” Justin inquired.

“Well I think you usually do like it, Baby,” Brian conceded. “But you were talking about Christmas cards….”

“But you never let me finish, Bri,” Justin pointed out. “I was gonna say that I’d do them tomorrow instead of going over to the studio – but you never let me finish anything …..”

“Is this some kind of a trap, JT?” Brian asked suspiciously. “I don’t know why but I’m suspecting some kind of a a trap ...”

“I don’t think so, Bri – but maybe,” Justin slid over closer to Brian. “Nah. No trap. I was thinking maybe I’d just put your new CD of Amahl and the Night Visitors in the player – it’s like an early Christmas gift from Gus and me - and Brandon and Jason - and we could….”

“Nope again, Taylor,” Brian insisted. “I have a better idea – a way better idea.”

And he did have a good idea – or at least they both thought he did – but it wasn’t much different from the trap Justin himself had in mind..….
 

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