Back to Normal

“I kinda love the holidays, Kiddo,” Brian told the kid after they had positioned themselves comfortably on the floor of the loft facing the fake fireplace. “But it’s also nice to get back to normal…..”

“Or what passes for normal around here, Brian,” Justin laughed in response. “It’s not some people’s normal at all…..”

“So even the holidays weren’t all that normal, Babe,” Brian pointed out. “The big showing of Charlie Brown’s Christmas, you forgetting to bake the pies for Christmas – and us getting snowed in over New Year’s Day…..”

“I did not forget to bake those Christmas pies, Kinney,” Justin insisted. “I just got started on them later than usual. They were ready when needed…..”

“With a little help from me, Sweetheart,” Brian remembered.

“Well I’ll have to admit that wasn’t normal, Bri,” Justin grinned. “Baking is not one of your natural talents…..”

“So I do have some natural talents then?” Brian decided. “Even if baking is not one of them….”

“Yep you do, Mr. Kinney,” Justin assured him. “And you’re very good at what you’re good at….”

“One thing that was normal about this Christmas season, Sweetheart,” Brian changed the subject slightly, “was your unprovoked snowball attack while I was trying to build the big Christmas snowman with not a lot of help from you….”

“Well if you didn’t keep planning a surprise attack on me, Brian Kinney,” Justin reasoned, “maybe I wouldn’t have to defend myself either. And you even changed the date this year to try to trick me – but I am used to your tricks….”

“Betcha if I changed the date to mid-July you wouldn’t be ready, JT,” Brian theorized.

“Just try it and see, Brian,” Justin teased – allowing a pause in the discussion to develop – to which neither of the guys showed the least objection.

“Hey Brian,” Justin eventually broke the silence out of necessity. “There’s a couple of things I gotta tell you….”

“So normalcy does return to the loft – whether I’m ready or not,” Brian reacted. “The holiday decorations are gone but I was hoping to keep the holiday spirit for a while longer. So you can only tell me good news. If I don’t want to hear it, don’t tell me…..”

“Gee whiz, Bri,” Justin complained. “You’re making things tough for me. How come I have to get back to normalcy while you stay in some dream world? That’s not fair….”

“So you don’t have any good news I guess,” Brian concluded. “That’s par for the course…..”

“I do too have some good news, Kinney,” Justin disagreed. “Abelard is coming in for a few days next week and I told Malcolm we wanted to take them all up to Gino’s one night while he’s here. We haven’t seen Abe for like – six months. He was gonna be here over New Year’s Day but he got snowed in over in Columbus – just like we did in New York City….”

“It will be good to see Abelard, Honey,” Brian agreed. “He’ll probably tell you how his Christmas shopping was a big failure this year and you’ll feel needed and….”

“Gee whiz, Kinney,” Justin stopped him. “I don’t know why picking on me is so much a part of your holiday spirit – like that’s why I always have my snowballs at the ready – but I already know Abe’s shopping went well. He didn’t come here to shop but there’s like e-mail and texting so….”

“Geez, Baby,” Brian seemed surprised. “Justin Taylor – the latter day Oracle of Delphi – or maybe you’re more like a ouija board – with answers by e-mail….”

“I heard of a ouija board, Kinney,” Justin pointed out, “but I have no idea what one looks like or how you use it. Like – I’m not that old. Of course I know about the Delphic Oracle because of my excellent background in ancient history…..and I’m available to all my friends when they need me….”

“And just as available when they don’t need you,” Brian laughed. “And most available when they don’t want you….”

“Damn it, BK,” Justin complained. “I think things have returned completely to normal. I can’t even tell you good stuff….”

“Nevertheless,” Brian pronounced. “I’m extending the holiday spirit till tomorrow. I’m going over to discuss everything with Gus tomorrow. After that you can resume trying to ruin my life if you want to….”

“I am truly sorry, Sir,” Justin saw some humor in Brian’s hope. “But if you’re going over to talk to Gus tomorrow, there’s something I gotta tell you first. Not that it’s my fault or anything. It’s your big mouth….”

“OK, Sweetheart,” Brian gave in. “You’re bound and determined to end any trace of holiday spirit so I guess I can’t….”

“You were telling Mikey and laughing about our new year’s predicament-– stuck in NYC in that mammoth blizzard – and you told him about how you wished you’d have rented a dog-sled….. Well I don’t know how the word got back to Gus but it did. He didn’t know much about dog-sleds himself but it turned out that Rex is a big fan of some Sergeant Preston of the Yukon….”

“Good old Sarge Preston,” Brian laughed. “He was RCMP – very smart but not nearly as smart as his dog, King. King like – solved all the murders and Preston got the credit….”

“Go ahead and laugh, BK,” Justin laughed too, “but those kids got Hunter to take them over to Mikey’s store. He not only had some old Sergeant Preston comic books but he had some mp3s of the old radio broadcasts….”

“Not a problem, Babe,” Brian decided. “We can get them some comic books and mp3s and stuff,” Brian assured him. “We can get them anything they want but a dog as smart as King. And they don’t need a smart dog either. You’re always available to your friends….”

“OK, Kinney,” Justin went on. “You may soon be seeking my sage advice - which you now seem to disdain so completely. They don’t want comic books or mp3s either. They want to go for a ride on a dog-sled….”

“Now where the hell are we gonna get them a ride on a dog-sled, Taylor?” Brian wondered.

“Surely you’re not seeking my advice, are you, Sir Brian?” Justin laughed. “Not that I’m not always available….”

“Cut it out, Twink,” Brian ordered. “My reputation for getting whatever I’m looking for might just be on the line here. This is serious business….”

“Well even if I didn’t know I’d be needed to help, BK,” Justin pointed out, “I did check and I found there’s some Amish farm in Ohio – about 200 miles away – that does dog-sled trips – and I called Wendell too – they’re still feeling guilty about getting us stranded up there – and Dave will fly us in a dog-sled and team from Alaska if we need them. We’ll just have to provide the snow….”

“OK, Baby,” Brian thought fast. “Go out and stash some of that extra snow we have now where you usually keep your purely defensive snowballs – and it’ll be ready when we need it….”

“If you want me to handle all the details for you, Honey,” Justin told him, “I can do that. Whatever you want to do. It’s just what I normally do 24/7/365 – or 366 in leap year….”

Brian did not answer but he pulled the kid over onto his lap and thus effectively ended the discussion for the evening. And it did seem that normalcy ruled once again in the loft.
 

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