Mother's Day

The guys had just settled themselves down in front of their fake fireplace – probably expecting a quiet evening – something they needed and were both looking forward to. At least Brian was expecting a quiet evening. Justin maybe thought otherwise.

“Well, I got confirmation, Bri,” Justin smiled. “Martha’s plane left on time. Mikey took her to the airport and she’s gone…..”

“Finally,” Brian replied. “I thought the day would never come.”

“She was only here eight days Bri,” Justin reasoned. “That’s not so long. And she’s a good person – like Debbie – good-hearted. I liked her and so did you, I think. And she stayed with Debbie and Vic and….”

“And she could figure out more crazy stuff to do than any ten people,” Brian reminded him. “Dave told us his mother was a lot like Debbie – but I think maybe it should be that Debbie is just a little bit like Martha. I bet Debbie could learn a lot from Martha…..”

“And she probably will too,” Justin agreed. “We’ll just have to get used to that. They hit it off pretty well all right. So I guess we’ll be seeing a lot more of Martha over the years….”

“Something to look forward to,” Brian grouched. “I noticed that Dave was too busy to drop into town while his mother was here. “I wonder why.”

“No you don’t either, Kinney,” Justin laughed. “You know why as well as I do – and I do know too – and I would have known even if Wendell hadn’t told me not to expect them.”

“Well she’s gone for now and peace has returned to the city,” Brian allowed. “So let’s change the subject and not mention Martha the rest of the evening.”

“That would be OK except,” Justin told Brian what he didn’t want to hear, “that yesterday – if you recall, your mother and my mother had lunch with Debbie and Martha so that they could all get better acquainted….”

”And I think you could get very well acquainted with Martha in a short time too,” Brian had to grin. “Lunch would be plenty long enough. I wonder what their reaction to the Martha whirlwind was?”

“I’m glad you asked that, BK,” Justin grinned back at him, “because I can tell you the answer. My mother called me this morning to tell me….”

“Gee,” Brian interrupted, “you must get along better with your mother than I get along with mine. She never called me.”

“The truth just happens to be, Mr. Kinney,” Justin laughed, “that not only do I get along better with my mother than you do with yours, I also get along with your mother better than you do – cause I’m more sympathetic and understanding.”

“So I guess my mother called you too,” Brian jibed. “Since she didn’t call unsympathetic me.”

“Well yeah, Bri,” Justin responded. “As a matter of fact she did. In fact she called me right before my mother even called.”

“OK, Mr. Sympathetic and Understanding,” Brian told him. “There’s some kind of a problem here – and they want you to solve it for them – which is OK with me - so just do that little thing. I don’t even need to know anything more about it.”

“Well you’re gonna hear some more about it, Brian Kinney,” Justin informed him – with an air of determination, “and you’re gonna offer your advice and counsel too….”

“So that when you give them your advice,” Brian supposed, “which will not benefit at all from any of my so-called input – I’ll get stuck with half the blame when it doesn’t work out….”

“Maybe something like that, Bri – if I can’t manage to get you all of the blame,” Justin conceded while snuggling even closer to the big guy next to him – and thus causing a pause in the discussion. This action may have been intentional to the result – or maybe not – but nevertheless there was an extended pause.

“Well Martha liked your mother and my mother,” Justin some time later renewed his exposition.

“I think Martha likes just about everyone,” Brian laughed. “To the extent that she notices them. How did they like her? That’s the question.”

“I guess you might say they were overwhelmed, Bri,” Justin told him. “Martha can be a little overwhelming….”

“Tell me about it, “ Brian replied caustically. “Not that I really want you to tell me about it – but you are intent on telling me about it so go ahead and tell….”

“Well I guess they were invited up to visit Martha in the Hamptons the next time Debbie goes up,” Justin informed him. “Martha said she has a lot of friends up there that she wants them to meet….”

“Sounds awful. So at least we’ve been spared an invitation to the Hamptons, Baby,” Brian pointed out. “There’s that. So we have something to be thankful for….”

“Gee whiz, Brian Kinney,” Justin marveled. “We were invited up at least three times – and you don’t remember that? Talk about selective memory….”

“Not selective memory at all, JT,” Brian informed him. “Selective hearing. There’s lots of stuff I don’t hear….”

“I guess I know that well enough,” Justin grinned. “But you better turn the selective hearing off for now cause….”

“Well I am not going to the Hamptons, Taylor,” Brian maintained, “and that’s that.”

“We will cross that bridge when we come to it,” Justin philosophized. “But Wendell told me that he and Dave will help us avoid the Hamptons. They think that would be wise - and they know how to deal with Martha.”

“Nobody knows how to deal with Martha, Baby,” Brian told him. “Just tell our timid mothers to go with the flow and enjoy their visit to the Hamptons.”

“Just like you’ll ‘go with the flow’ if we ever have to visit Martha,” Justin laughed.

“Can we stop talking about Martha, Sweetheart?” Brian wondered impatiently – thereby avoiding a response to Justin’s barb. “This is the first day for over a week without her specter looming…..”

“She also invited them on a cruise – on Dave’s yacht, Brian,” Justin continued.

“Wait a minute, Kiddo,” Brian recoiled. “We’re supposed to go cruising for a couple of weeks this summer – to work on the Rage projects. Are you telling me that Martha and Debbie – and our mothers - are gonna be along…?”

“Nope,” Justin replied. “That’s why I called Wendell this morning. To check that out. I didn’t want to have to tell you that….”

“Like there’s any bad news you don’t want to tell me, Sunshine,” Brian came back. “I think telling me bad news is one of your favorite activities.”

“Well most all news is bad news to you, Kinney,” Justin defended himself. “And you always act like you want to know what’s going on. But Wendell tells me that Martha uses the yacht for her own cruises a couple of times a year – but they don’t go with her – and she doesn’t go with them – so….”

“Can we talk about something else besides Martha, Baby?” Brian asked him. “If you’ll promise to solve whatever problems our mothers have with the harridan of the Hamptons, I’ll promise you an alternative that I think you’ll like.”

“So let me think about that proposition for a few minutes, Brian,” Justin grinned at him.

But it didn’t take him even a few minutes to accept the offer. Justin had his priorities in order – and he wasn’t above taking an attractive bribe either.
 

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