Mostly Mozart

“Dave said we’d be having dinner with them two weeks from Saturday, “ Brian was telling Justin as the two of them sat down on the loft floor opposite their fireplace.

“Yeah,” Justin admitted. “I think we will – if it’s OK with you, that is. Wendell’s mother is going to be in town and….”

“Wendell has a mother?” Brian seemed surprised. “I never thought of Wendell as having a mother….”

“Gee whiz, Kinney,” Justin laughed. “If you had gone to St. James and had biology with Dr. Wagner, you would know that everybody like – has a mother. Wendell’s mother is Beverly - and she’s gonna be in town to play a recital for the Tuesday Morning Music Society. Beverly plays the violin….”

“So why haven’t we met Beverly before?” Brian asked. “We know everybody else’s mother….”

“Actually I have met Beverly already, Bri,” Justin revealed. “She came to visit Wendell last fall – before Dave even came onto the scene. She was worried then about Wendell – that maybe he’d never find anybody. She was afraid he wasn’t even looking….”

“And she shared this concern about Wendell with all his friends at the Institute?” Brian seemed puzzled. “Not that motherly it seems to me. Geez – she hardly knew you guys so….”

“It was like – only me she told, Brian,” Justin explained. “It wasn’t like Wendell had a lot of friends – being kind of a loner and all. He still doesn’t have a lot of friends over there…..”

“Well no wonder his mother thought he might not ever find somebody then,” Brian smiled at him. “And I doubt anybody was out looking for Wendell either. Not the kind of guy somebody would look for. Seems like you were the only one he found – and – modest as I am - I don’t think you’d pick Wendell over me….”

“Probably not,” Justin smiled back. “But there’s no accounting for affairs of the heart, Kinney. There really isn’t. You didn’t seem like that much of a catch when I first….”

“So where’s Beverly from, Babe?” Brian inquired. “Since she’s visiting she must not be from here….”

“She lives in Peoria, Bri,” Justin told him. “She’s first violin in the Peoria Symphony and she’s a pretty well-known violin teacher and coach all over the country. Ethan already knew about her. She’s pretty famous among good violinists….”

“Well I guess that’s why I never heard of her,” Brian reasoned. “Not being a good violinist myself. Does Wendell have a father too?”

“He had a father, Bri,” Justin answered him, “Just like everybody else – according to Dr. Wagner – but his dad is dead. He played the cello which is probably why Wendell took it up too….”

“Glad my father did not play the cello then,” Brian told him. “I wouldn’t want to play the cello – but then I don’t think I took after my father very much…”

“Well maybe not a lot, Bri, but….” Justin replied until he was interrupted.

“So we’re gonna like – take Beverly to dinner then?” Brian returned to the original theme. “That’s like – all we have to do. And I guess you are planning the entire party….”

“Well Dave wanted me to make all the arrangements,” Justin revealed, “But Jason seemed to want to do it so like – I’m helping Jason. We’ll use Gino’s private room. Dave and Wendell like Gino’s well enough and Beverly likes Italian food….”

“I’m surprised that you let Jason take charge of such an important social event, Baby,” Brian told him. “It doesn’t seem like you….”

“So how is Jason gonna learn to do stuff if he doesn’t ever get a chance,” Justin explained. “I already said I was helping him…..”

“Yeah,” Brian sighed. “I get the message. I don’t know what I was thinking. You’ve helped me a couple of times so I know just what that means…..”

“Cut it out, Brian,” Justin demanded. “Jason is making all the major decisions – and I’m just helping with the details. There will be about 18 in the dinner party. We had to invite….”

“I guess I have to go to the dinner, Sweetheart,” Brian told him. “But at least I can’t make the concert. I’m always busy on Tuesday mornings….”

“Darn it, Kinney,” Justin came back. “The concert is on Sunday afternoon and you will too be free. The Tuesday Morning Music Society always meets on Sunday afternoon. You should remember that from when Ethan played that recital for them…..”

“Selective memory, JT,” Brian claimed. “I just don’t remember crazy stuff – but why do they call themselves…?”

“They’ve been meeting on Sundays for the past fifty years or so, BK,” Justin informed him, “But they did meet on Tuesday mornings when the group was founded – back in 1903….”

“So why don’t they change their name then?” Brian posed a logical question.

“Their president told me they didn’t want to irritate the older members, Bri,” Justin recalled, “So they didn’t….”

“Like – they still have some members from 1903?” Brian laughed. “I wouldn’t want to irritate them either….”

“Now you’re just being silly, Kinney,” Justin protested. “So we should quit talking about this for a while….”

Brian found that to be a good suggestion – and a pause in the discussion ensued. That may have been Justin’s intention – or it might not have been – but it is what happened – and it happened with no complaints at all from anybody.

“Well I don’t think they’ll need me at the concert - even if it is on Sunday, Baby,” Brian returned to the subject more soberly - after a while. “So what’s it all about anyhow? What will I miss?”

“Well they originally called it an all-Mozart concert, Bri,” Justin narrated. “But now they’re calling it ‘Mostly Mozart.’ Beverly is playing several solo violin pieces – and then a couple of duets with Ethan – and then a couple of trios with Wendell coming in on the cello. All the stuff is by Mozart….”

“Wait a minute, Kiddo,” Brian laughed. “The Tuesday morning Music Society is meeting on Sunday afternoon to do a concert that’s all Mozart – and they’re calling it ‘Mostly Mozart.’ I think I’ll be better off somewhere else. I’m like – sane – and I want to stay sane if I can. You’re the only one who will miss me there - and I can make that up to you. I promise I will….”

“Sorry, Kinney,” Justin informed him, “But I think you’re gonna have to go. You didn’t let me finish. The concert is really mostly Mozart. That’s no mistake. The first encore is gonna be like – a Mozart trio for two violins and cello – and Beverly, Ethan and Wendell will do it the way Wolfgang wrote it. But Wendell – you know he composes too – has added another pretty simple violin part so it’s now a quartet and….”

“Gus is gonna play that part,” Brian chimed in. “Damn. I’ll have to go. You did it, Justin Taylor. It’s all your doing. It has to be. Your stamp is all over it. You’ll do anything to get me to go to violin concerts. You hate me.….”

“But you’ll go to the concert?” Justin asked for confirmation of the crucial point.

“Yeah,” Brian told him with quiet resignation. “What else can I do? But what are you gonna do, Mr. Wise Guy, if Mozart gets mad at having an extra part added to his trio? He might not like that.”

“I can handle Mozart if he causes any trouble, Kinney. Believe me. He’ll be sorry if he tries anything. Don’t worry about that.” Justin cuddled himself a little closer to the guy on his left. “But you know what else, Brian Kinney - I don’t hate you. I really don’t.”

“Prove it,” Brian grinned a challenge at him. “If you can….”

And Justin – modest as he always is – was still quite sure he could handle that challenge.
 

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