Rising Young Artist

The guys had been sitting on the loft floor for a full half-hour and nothing at all had been said - so perhaps it was surprising when Justin began the evening’s conversation – the way he opened it was surprising, that is.

“Cut it out, Kinney,” Justin demanded. “It’s really all your fault anyhow so just cut it out.”

“I would be happy to comply, Sweetheart,” Brian replied, “if I was doing something, that is. It’s pretty hard to ‘cut it out’ when you’re not doing anything.”

“Oh you’re doing something all right, Brian,” Justin insisted with complete certainty. “You’re getting ready to give me a hard time – that’s exactly what you’re doing - so just cut it out right now.”

“Hey, Baby,” Brian reasoned. “The only way I could cut out getting ready to give you a hard time would be to start giving you a hard time. Am I wrong about that?”

“See,” Justin pointed out. “I was right all along. You are starting to give me a hard time – just like I knew you would.”

“And you’re gonna tell me just how you knew I was gonna give you a hard time?” Brian asked. “And maybe why I’m giving you a hard time anyway – and especially why it might be my fault? Then if you’d explain how you want me to cut it out, maybe I could….”

“Don’t play dumb, Kinney,” Justin complained. “You know darn well you made me do that interview with the Post-Gazette. I told them “No” and then you made me do it – and now you’re wanting to pick on me about it.”

“You mean the Post- Gazette’s ‘Pittsburgh Artist - Rising Star’ selection is blaming me because he’s the rising Pittsburgh star artist?” Brian grinned at him. “I don’t see how it could be my fault that you’re a rising star artist at all, Baby. You’d be a rising star artist even if you never heard of Brian Kinney – so there’s no reason it could be my fault.”

“Wrong again, Kinney,” Justin told him. “Any rising star artist has to be happy – and, if it weren’t for Brian Kinney – who just happens to be you - I wouldn’t be happy – so I couldn’t be any artist at all – so it’s your fault all right. But what I was especially referring to is that I did not want that article about me to be in the PG at all and you made me do the interview so they could write that article. That’s what’s your fault.”

“Wait a minute, Honey,” Brian stopped him. “I thought all those old-time great artists were so great because of their suffering – not because they were happy – so I figure it ought to be harder to be a great artist if you’re happy – so if you’re happy, you’re doing it the wrong way – but I don’t see how that could be my fault.”

“Well I am happy,” Justin admitted, “But, thanks to you I get to do a lot of suffering too – like always getting picked on – so I guess I must be a suffering artist too – like you making me do that interview and all.”

“Ya know, Baby,” Brian responded. “I have no intention of being sorry about that. You are a rising young star artist and, if the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thought you should be recognized, I was not gonna let you refuse them – and I don’t want to know why you wanted to refuse them either, because this conversation is too complicated already. And that’s my final word on the subject.”

“Fat chance of that, Kinney,” Justin had to laugh in spite of himself. “You’re gonna pick on me all night about that article. That’s probably why you made me do the interview in the first place.”

“Are you saying that you’re not a rising young star artist, Sweetheart?” Brian wondered. “Then why would the PG want to write about you? But I always did think that art critic over there had eyes for you ..”

“Cut it out, Brian,” Justin interrupted. “You know that guy’s really good looking - but he’s married and has about a thousand kids – and none of them were adopted either.”

“Geez, Kiddo,” Brian reacted. “A thousand kids and none adopted. That guy would have been real competition if he….”

“Well he isn’t, Kinney,” Justin said, showing a trace of a smile. “So he wasn’t any competition for you and he isn’t any competition for you and you don’t have a thousand kids either. All you have is me.”

“Well you know what I think, JT,” Brian replied with a trace of a smile too. “I think maybe the thousand kids would be an easier job to handle than ….”

It was an odd place for the discussion to stop, but Justin elbowed Brian in the ribs at this point and one thing led to another. At any rate, the discussion did not resume for a considerable period – but if finally did resume.

“I bet you wouldn’t really rather have a thousand kids than just me,” Justin proposed. “I bet you think I’m kind of special, Bri.”

“Yeah you are, Kiddo,” Brian admitted. “I could easily have a thousand kids and not one of them would be a rising star artist – like you are. You’re one in a million, Baby – not one in a thousand. Maybe one in more than a million. So I guess I shouldn’t be picking on you – even if I don’t think I’m picking on you at all. Anyhow, as of this minute I do hereby officially ‘cut it out.’”

“Wait a minute, Bri,” Justin replied quickly. “I haven’t asked you to cut out anything recently. I think I was beginning to like what you were saying. It’s just like you to be willing to ‘cut it out’ just when I don’t want you to.”

“Geez, Baby,” Brian moaned. “You’re just never satisfied. I can’t seem to do anything right.”

OK, that brought on another pause in the discussion. Justin cuddled closer and Brian seemed to be doing some things right and it also seemed that Justin just might have been satisfied too. It might easily have been that the conversation was over for the night – but it wasn’t in actual fact.

“Bri,” Justin eventually told Brian, “both the guy who sells my stuff here and the guy from New York called me this afternoon. They’re both sure that the publicity from that PG article will increase the interest in my stuff and they want me to produce more than I have been - and quick. I can do that and still maintain the quality but if I have to spend more time in the studio, maybe I won’t have as much time to spend ….”

“So I’ll just have to be the one who suffers for your art, Baby,” Brian interjected. “But I’ll do it – because I love you. And I want the world to know how great you are – just like I do. That’s what the PG thing was all about. So whatever has to be … Maybe Jason or Malcolm will come over and keep me company when you can’t be here. They might like the fireplace. Too bad your cousin Wil isn’t closer. He looks just like you so I might not even notice the …”

“OK, Kinney,” Justin concluded. “The ‘I love you’ part of that was OK – and wanting the world to know about me - but the rest of it ….”

“Just OK,” Brian interrupted with feigned dismay. “The ‘I love you’ part was just OK – just OK?”

“I love you, Brian,” Justin told him as he threw both arms around Brian’s neck. “I love you more than anything.. And I love that you want the world to know about my art too. And you know I’ll never give up any of my time with you. I’ll probably have to skip lunch – some days at least – so I’ll get more stuff done – but you won’t need any substitutes here by the fireplace. I’ll be right here – just like always. So are you satisfied now?”

“Well maybe I am,” Brian seemed to agree. “But I can see that it’s gonna be pretty hard – being in love with a rising star artist.”

“I hope you’ll be willing to try, Brian,” Justin said as he rubbed his head against Brian’s cheek. “I’m gonna try. I sure hope you’ll try.”

“Yeah, Baby,” Brian told him as he squeezed Justin affectionately. “I’ll try real hard – as hard as I can.”

But, in fact, Brian did not expect the task to be very difficult at all.
 

Return to Fireside Chats