Next Year - In New York

“That was the best New Year’s Eve party I was ever at, Brian,” Justin was enthusing as the guys sat down in front of their fake fireplace on an evening very early in January – reviewing the events of a few days earlier. “And it was all your idea too ….”

”Nope,” Brian replied. “It was mostly Dave’s idea – but you are the one really responsible for it. If you would have gone to New York to Dave’s party like he wanted us to, we’d have been there in person and there wouldn’t have been any idea at all about any big TV hook-up. But it did work out beautifully, I must admit - and everybody at the Center was thrilled. It was like having New Year’s Eve with some famous people most of our folks would never meet.”

“Yep,” Justin had to agree. “The kids were wild about talking direct to those New York Yankees and then getting the autographed stuff – and Malcolm got invited to visit that famous Broadway director too ….”

“And the kids got an invitation to go to a Yankees game next summer and meet the rest of the team,” Brian went on. “And we got …..”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin interrupted. “I know everyone at the party loved it – and they really want to do it again next New Year’s Eve but ….”

“And Dave said he would do it again next year but he hoped we would be on the New York side of the TV screen,” Brian finished the sentence, “You told him this year Pittsburgh was just like being in New York and he told you that next year maybe New York could be just like being in Pittsburgh ….”

”Well I don’t know, Bri,” Justin protested. “Like – the Institute has its holiday open house on New Year’s Day. I should be there and I like to go there too – like I did this year ….”

“So you can hob-nob with the chairman of the board’s wife - who looks just like Marilyn Monroe …?” Brian laughed. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re not really a closet straight. But you wouldn’t even have to miss that shindig to be in New York on New Year’s Eve, Kiddo. Dave said he’d have you flown back the next morning and you could easily get there. Ya know, I think maybe you have doubts about Dave just because he’s so nice. Don’t you like nice people?”

“Well, Kinney,” Justin smilingly cuddled himself closer to the big guy. “There’s lots of nice guys in the world – and didn’t I still pick you …?”

“Geez, Baby,” Brian grinned, “I guess you did. So if I’d been – like - a nice guy - I might have escaped?”

“You’ll never know,” Justin grinned back – and there followed a pause in the discussion – jointly decided by the guys without any prior negotiation. At any rate, during that pause, Brian was somehow disabused of any thoughts about having maybe escaped – or wanting to.

“OK,” Justin reopened the discussion by deliberately changing the subject. “Have you made any resolutions for the new year, Sweetheart?”

“Nope,” Brian revealed. “Actually I don’t think I have ever made any resolutions in my whole life. You made some for me a couple of times but I never kept any of them – and you couldn’t even complain because you don’t ever keep the ones you make for yourself ….”

“Well making the resolutions is what’s really important, Kinney,” Justin pointed out. “It shows you’re thinking about improvement – like – even if you don’t actually keep them ….”

“OK, Baby,” Brian agreed. “You’re the super-logician in this loft all right. So you can make some resolutions for me when you make yours – as long as I don’t have to keep them. I wouldn’t want to get too nice and have you ….”

“You wouldn’t want to get too nice - or you wouldn’t want me to ….?” Justin began to pose a question – only to be cut off by the beginning of another pause in the conversation – instigated by the guy who wanted to avoid that question.. Maybe it was just as well.

So when the discussion eventually resumed, it was Brian who deliberately changed the subject.

“So you haven’t told me about the big reception at the Institute, Baby?” he pointed out. “Anything I ought to know?”

“Nothing you probably haven’t pried out of Malcolm or some other spy already, Mr. Kinney,” Justin laughed. “You knew Malcolm’s parents were in town cause you saw them at the Center. They were at the Institute. And yeah, Mrs.Wallace Wamper, the chairman’s wife - who looks like Marilyn Monroe - was there – but I didn’t take the Guy Lombardo CDs so ….”

“But I heard ….” Brian tried to interrupt.

“Let me finish,” Justin resisted the attempt. “She brought her CD and yeah we like – danced the one GL number – something called ‘Sweethearts on Parade.’ You should have been there, Brian Kinney, instead of spying on me with Malcolm and I don’t even know who else – maybe Roger too ….”

“And you’d rather dance ‘Sweethearts on Parade’ with me than with ‘Marilyn Monroe’ Wamper?” Brian asked archly.

“Well I wouldn’t get any more razzing from dancing with some old guy who looks like Clark Gable than I get from dancing with some old gal who looks like Marilyn Monroe,” Justin replied just as archly. “So you’ll come with me next year?”

“I didn’t think you even wanted me to go with you, Baby,” Brian told him. “And you know old guys like me and Clark Gable need their rest the day after a vigorous New Year’s Eve celebration.”

“I just thought you’d be bored, Bri,” Justin responded. “You get bored pretty easily and I didn’t want you to be bored - but I guess I don’t care if you’re bored any more, so will you come with me next New Year’s Day?”

“Didn’t you just like – about a couple of hours ago – tell Dave on the phone that it was too early to decide about his New Year’s invitation for next year, Babe?” Brian recalled. “Didn’t you say that was a whole year away? I thought that’s what I heard ….”

“Eavesdropper,” Justin accused him. “So just because I can’t make up my mind a whole year in advance is no reason why you couldn’t ….”

“Well I guess my decision about the Institute might depend on your answer to New York?” Brian decided.

“And like – that is blackmail – pure and simple, Kinney – blackmail,” Justin complained. “And that’s mean – really mean.”

“Well with all the nice guys in the world, Taylor,” Brian argued, “I need to preserve my distinctiveness.”

“No worry on that score, BK, - none at all,” Justin assured him as he placed his head on Brian’s shoulder. “You’re like – a lot different from anybody else I’ve ever met.”

“Well, Baby,” Brian circled the kid with both arms. “We’ll be cruising with Dave in a week or so on that big Rage planning cruise. I bet he’ll mention next New Year’s Eve then. It would be nice if you’d give him an answer so he’d know …..”

“Brian Kinney,” Justin wanted to know. “Would you be willing to swear on a stack of Bibles that you haven’t already told Dave we’ll be in New York City for the festivities next year?”

“Can’t, Baby,” Brian told him. “We don’t have a stack of Bibles. I’m not sure if we even have one Bible.”

“Well if we did have a stack of Bibles, Kinney,” Justin doggedly persisted, “could you swear ….?”

“Maybe not, JT,” Brian told him. “You mad?”

“Guess not,” Justin concluded the discussion – indicating he was ready to move on.

And Brian decided 2010 would be pretty much like 2009 and 2008 and the years before them too – even without any new New Year’s resolutions – and that was good enough for him. Justin was thinking just about the same thing. Like – they always agreed on the important stuff.
 

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