Ladies' Week

“You act like you aren’t even one bit worried, Sunshine,” a worried looking Brian Kinney addressed the kid as the guys settled themselves onto the loft floor facing their roaring fake fireplace.

“Actually, I’m not worried, Kinney,” Justin grinned at him, “But even if I were worried, I don’t think there is anything I could do about it….”

“There is always something you can do, Sweetheart,” Brian maintained staunchly. “Doing stuff is what you do best. I don’t get it. Maybe you’re actually in on the plot – but I can’t figure out how…. Like – what would be in it for you?”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin tried reason, “It’s only like – a social event – like a ladies’ week. Martha just invited Debbie and my mother – and Wendell’s mother….”

“And my mother,” Brian interjected. “My mother. Martha doesn’t even know my mother and my mother is invited too. And who knows who else’s mother is invited. It sounds like a war council to me. I don’t like it….”

“Brian,” Justin maintained. “This thing is not about you – or us. I don’t think any real persecution is gonna be planned. I just think the ladies are hoping to have fun. They deserve it. They’re gonna get the big tour of New York City – see some Broadway shows, go to the top of the Empire State Building, take the Staten Island ferry – stuff like that….”

“Yeah,” Brian retorted, “All the time planning ways to watch us closer. Maybe our only hope is if they get involved in shopping. You know how women are about shopping. That might take their minds off of us….”

“OK, Honey,” Justin laughed. “Make a list of stuff you want them to get for you. Give your mother a list of clothes you need – and we can give Deb a list of stuff we need to jazz up the loft. Remember though, you’ll have to wear the clothes your mother picks and we’ll have to display the googaws that Debbie discovers – and the Big Apple has a lot more weird emporia than we have here….”

“You know how much help you are, Justin Taylor?” Brian asked him. “None at all,” Brian answered his own question in the same spirit that he had asked it.

“Maybe it would help some if I tried to take your mind off this big problem, BK?” Justin suggested suggestively. “I could try. Whattaya think?”

“Geez Taylor,” Brian wondered. “This is a really big problem. How do you think you could do that?”

“Let me think about it for a minute,” Justin told him – and it took him less than that – a period measured in seconds - to think of something which seemed to accomplish the stated aim well enough. There was a pause during which Brian did not seem worried at all. But – alas – it did not last forever.

“Just how much do you know about this big meeting, Baby?” Brian eventually resumed his worried look - and his interrogation. “Just who all’s mother is going to go?”

“Well,” Justin scoured his memory, “The ones you’ve mentioned. “And Brandon’s mother – and Jason’s mother, I think…..”

“Brandon’s mother?” Brian echoed. “Well we know Jason’s mother because she makes that great candy But we don’t even know Brandon’s mother. She like – lives in Syracuse or some far-off place like that. This has to be some gigantic plot….”

“Well we will meet her, Bri,” Justin informed him. “She’s coming here for a week after Long Island so we’ll get to meet her….”

”Probably coming to get a good look at the victims,” Brian surmised.

“I think they would have invited Malcolm’s mother,” Justin returned to the listing of the roster, “But they didn’t want to include Hunter’s mother so….”

“Is she still in jail?” Brian wondered.

“I don’t know, Brian,” Justin told him. “I don’t even know if Hunter knows – and I – like – mind my own business…..”

“Every once in a while – maybe,” Brian smiled for the first time of the evening – squeezing the twink and ushering in another pause – not quite as long as the first – but long enough for Brian to forget his problem for that while.

“Brian,” Justin resumed the conversation. “There’s nothing to worry about – those women are not planning anything that concerns us. My mother didn’t like you at first – and your mother didn’t like me – but that’s all changed now. They like ’us’ as a couple – they all do. So….”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Brian agreed. “And what could those dames do to ‘improve’ us anyhow – after all we’ve already got you to do that – and that ought to be bad enough for them. What could they ever think up that would be worse than some of your ideas?”

”Exactly,” Justin laughed. “So what was all the fuss about? You knew that all the time…..”

“Well,” Brian confessed. “Something Jason said made Brandon think that there was something we didn’t know – and you did – and maybe Jason too. Like maybe this whole ladies’ week was your idea….”

“Not exactly, Honey,” Justin did some confessing of his own. “It was all Dave’s idea – well maybe I helped him with it – a little bit - but ….”

“And so now I’m gonna hear the whole story, JT,” Brian ordered. “Right now. With all the secret gory details…..”

“You know that Wendell’s mother – Beverly – she’s a great violinist,” Justin complied. “We heard her. Well she and three lady musician friends of hers are doing a little tour – playing string quartets. They’re gonna be in New York for like – ten days – playing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and some other places – and doing some master classes too. Dave was afraid that him and Wendell would be stuck showing them all the tourist sights – it’s Beverly’s New York debut and all. They didn’t much like the idea of being tour guides. Now this way, the ladies will take them to all the touristy points and Dave and Wendell will be off the hook….”

“And so are we,” Brian laughed, “Cause we might have had to go up there too – and you were right to figure that I wouldn’t have gone. But you can go if you want to – loving violin music like you do. There ought to be some of us males giving Beverly some support in the big town….”

“So Ethan and Tom are going up for a couple of the concerts, Bri,” Justin told him. “Ethan says Beverly’s quartet is really good and he wants to hear them. He knew Beverly even before we knew Wendell….”

“Well if you want to go along, Babe,” Brian laughed at him, “I’ll swallow my intense jealousy and let you go up - Ethan and all. See how mature I’ve become – and I guess the credit has to go to you….”

“Cut it out, Kinney,” Justin commanded. “I’m not all that big on string quartets either. That’s why I don’t want to go. Not that I’d miss you or anything….”

“Is that all there is, JT?” Brian inquired. “I can’t see any reason why you didn’t tell me all this sooner – not from what you’ve just told me now. Why the secret stuff?”

“Well there’s like – just one other little thing, Bri,” Justin confessed. “Dave was thinking that maybe sometime soon we could have a ‘Guys’ Week” in New York – like the ‘Ladies’ Week’ that’s coming up. I wasn’t sure how you’d react to that so I wanted to approach the subject gradually….”

“Gonna trick me into going, eh?” Brian laughed. “Well I’m gonna ruin your fun, Baby. Give me a couple weeks notice to clear my schedule and I’ll go – no convincing needed. No tricks needed. How’s that?”

“I dunno, Kinney,” Justin hesitated. “That’s too easy. You got some kind of a trick of your own in mind?”

“Geez, Kiddo,” Brian seemed taken aback, “Now that hurts my feelings…..”

”Maybe it would help if I tried to take your mind off your hurt feelings?” Justin offered. “Think I ought to try, Mr. Kinney?”

“Seeing that I have very sensitive feelings, Taylor,” Brian reminded him, squeezing him just a bit harder. “That might be pretty tough….”

“Maybe not,” Justin predicted – confidently – and as it turned out - correctly.

 

Return to Fireside Chats