Preparations

It was just a few days after Thanksgiving. The denizens of the loft had settled themselves down cozily in their accustomed positions - facing their fake fireplace – secure from the cold sleety rain blowing outside - and appreciative of the warm emanation of very real heat coming therefrom.

“So Jason and Brandon had a good Thanksgiving, Twink,” Brian told the kid. “They really did. Thanks to you.”

“And Brian Kinney had a good Thanksgiving too,” Justin laughed in reply. “Also thanks to me, I think. Cause it was me who worked out all the times so we could visit your mother, and my mother, and get five pumpkin pies baked, and still be in plenty of time for Debbie’s big bash – where we had our usual swell time….”

“I repeat, Sweetheart,” Brian smiled his reaction. “Jason and Brandon had a good Thanksgiving – thanks to you….”

“Yeah, BK,” Justin agreed, “And I bet they’d be glad to admit it too – unlike some ungrateful folks I know – who don’t like to give credit where credit is definitely due….”

“What were they mad at each other about anyway, Baby?” Brian asked – returning to his original subject. “I don’t think I caught that at all…..”

“Me neither, Brian,” Justin admitted. “But that’s often the best way to deal with getting people made up when they’re mad at each other. If you don’t know why they’re mad in the first place, you can’t take sides – and the worst thing you can do when you’re fixing them up would be to take sides – or have them even think you were taking sides….”

“Do you think I’ll ever be able to do the fixing-up myself?” Brian inquired. “After I watch your multitude of successes – thanks to Ted and Blake, Malcolm and Hunter, and especially - good old Brandon and Jason?”

“I don’t think so, Bri,” Justin grinned. “You’re not the fixing-up type I don’t think….”

“Well I might just decide to try anyhow, JT,” Brian decided. “So - after talking with them all through that one day early Thanksgiving dinner at Gino’s - for just us four….”

“Which you arranged, Kinney,” Justin interrupted, “not me. I didn’t set that up. It was you who scheduled that particular engagement ….”

“They seemed to be all OK right then – at Gino’s,” Brian continued – refusing to be interrupted. “But you still managed to get us – all four of us - back to their place – and us helping them to sort out their Christmas decorations too – when we don’t even have our own decorations sorted yet. What was that all about?”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin informed him. “That’s why I don’t think you’ll ever be a good fixer-upper. You don’t always get what’s really happening. They were not getting along all that well at Gino’s. Oh they were polite and all – but …..”

“They weren’t getting along at Gino’s?” Brian was puzzled. “I thought it was all taken care of at Gino’s. I thought you had it all fixed up …..”

“Nope,” Justin pointed out. “If we’d have let them go home themselves, they would have been at each other’s throats even before they got back to the apartment. They both love Christmas and decorating. Now they’ve got a project that they want to do – and do together too – and also a big reminder of how great their past Christmases have been. And all we did was get them started – which was all we had to do. Then we left. I was worried for a minute that you might decide to stay. I’d have killed you if you had. And you called Brandon the next day, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Brian remembered, “and you’re right, JT. Darn it. He talked mostly about their Christmas decorations and how they….. Damned if he didn’t….”

“You know what, Kinney,” Justin provoked. “Like – you don’t know I’m always right?”

Brian pulled the kid closer and initiated a pause in the discussion at this point – possibly so as not to have to admit that Justin was always right – or maybe not. But there was a pause.

“Well when are you gonna get our decorations ready?” Brian broke the extended silence after a while. “Aren’t we a little behind schedule?”

“Not really,” Justin told him, “but Malcolm, Hunter, Roger and Jason are coming over tomorrow afternoon and we’ll have a lot done before you get back from your late meeting ….”

“Well - if it’s so good for Brandon and Jason to work together on their Christmas decorations,” Brian wondered aloud, “how come we don’t do that too?”

“Simple, Mr. Kinney,” Justin laughed. “We are not mad at each other - so we don’t need any project to get us working together – not to mention the fact that you don’t like doing Christmas decorations – much as you like them when they’re done….”

“And I guess not to mention either, Taylor,” Brian laughed back at him. “That you don’t think I do Christmas decorations very well – and you’d be embarrassed to have your artsy friends see the loft if I had any part of ….”

“Well if that were true, Bri,” Justin smiled. “I don’t think I’d mention it either – or we might need some kind of project to do – to get us made up. Now I do think it would be nice if you’d do some of the Christmas cards. We could do that together. How about that for a project ….”

“A complete waste of our ‘together’ time, Sweetheart,” Brian pronounced. “A complete waste. Wouldn’t you rather do something else than Christmas cards when we’re together?”

“Like what, Brian?” Justin played dumb.

“Don’t know,” Brian played dumb too.

Neither of them was really dumb though - and for some reason or other the conversation stopped at this point – and the subject of Christmas cards did not come up again when it resumed either.

“So I guess then that the whole Christmas season is already planned,” Brian resumed the conversation, “and all I have to do is just go where I’m told - when I’m told…..”

“Gee whiz, Kinney,” Justin laughed. “I don’t know anybody who enjoys being a martyr more than you do – or rather - acting like a martyr when he’s actually having a good time…..”

“So what’s the next thing on the agenda, JT? If I’m allowed to know,” the would-be martyr asked plaintively – concealing a grin but not too effectively.

“The Charlie Brown TV Special, Mr. Kinney,” Justin told him. “Only we’re not actually watching it on TV this year. Wendell and Dave are gonna be in for the week-end and Dave rented a nice meeting room at the Fairmont Hotel for a small Christmas gathering on Saturday – and we’re gonna show the Special on this huge screen …..”

“Would Charlie Brown approve of that huge screen, Baby?” Brian’s grin became more obvious. “And what would Charlie’s humble tree think? The Fairmont yet…..”

“Well they won’t actually be there in person, Bri,” Justin grinned too, “so we’ll get away with it all right. “And Dave is having some Christmas type food and stuff ….. Gus is bringing a couple of his friends – and Johnny and Peter are bringing some friends too.”

“This is getting to be a lot different from when just me and Mikey watched it in his room for all those years,” Brian pointed out. “How the hell many folks are you gonna have – like – 50?”

“Closer to 125, Brian,” Justin told him – sliding closer to the big guy, “Just about everybody wants to come. You’re lucky to be invited. It’ll be a big event...”

“You know what, Taylor,” Brian told him, non-threateningly. “The way you always get everything messed up - it’s a wonder we don’t have some disagreements – or even real fights- like Brandon and Jason….?”

“Maybe we do, Brian,” Justin grinned at him. “And maybe you just don’t notice – cause I get them fixed up before you even figure it out ….”

“Well maybe it’s better that way, Taylor,” Brian tightened his grip on the twink, “Than having to get Brandon and Jason to help us out. We could end up doing Christmas cards together as a project instead of ….”.

And there seemed to be an agreement between them at that point – possibly an agreement not to write Christmas cards – or possibly not on that subject at all - which did successfully close out the evening’s discussion.
 

Return to Fireside Chats