Trickster in the House

Brian waited for the fireplace to be lit. The guys were now settled in and Brian began the conversation just as he had planned to do. “I was over at the munchers this afternoon, Babe,” he told the twink next to him. “They weren’t home but then Gus’ pal Rex came by on his new red bicycle ….”

“Don’t tell me. He gave you a ride on it and you wrecked it,” Justin interrupted. “I knew you’d do that but I’m surprised at Rex. He seems so sensible and I warned him ….”

“Quit trying to change the subject, Kiddo,” Brian commanded with a laugh. “So I took a little ride – did just a few pretty tame tricks – nothing real daring at all - and I didn’t wreck any bicycle either. Pretty skillful if I must say so myself ….”

“Luck,” Justin presumed – laughing too. “But it’s hard to believe you didn’t try something on that bicycle you couldn’t really do. That’s the Brian Kinney I know. Gee whiz - maybe you are developing some common sense.”

“Maybe I am, Sweetheart. And that should be something for you to worry about. But I did get a chance to talk to Rex for a while. And Rex likes to talk too. And I got the impression that Gus is planning some kind of elaborate trick on me for April Fools’ Day,” Brian went on. “I don’t suppose you’re involved at all – or that you’d admit it if you were ….”

“Now why would you suspect anything like that, Kinney?” Justin grinned at him. “Do you think I’d get involved in something like that? An elaborate trick on you for April Fools’ Day. You should know better. Your lack of trust is almost enough to hurt my feelings ….”

“But not quite, eh, Sweetheart,” Brian pointed out. “You took my news pretty calmly - which means to me that you knew all about it. You’d be upset if there was something going on that you didn’t know about – and you weren’t upset – I’d know if you were - so I presume you knew about it – and if you knew about it I bet you’re part of the plot. That’s the Justin Taylor I know …..”

“Well I don’t guess I’d ever be plotting against you, Brian,” Justin protested. “And I’m surprised you’d think so. But just suppose I did know something about some small trick Gus might be planning - in the spirit of the holiday. Should I be disloyal to our son and tattle on him? That would like - present me with a real dilemma ….”

“But you always solve dilemmas easily, Sunshine,” Brian grinned back at him. “Easier than anybody else I know. You do just what you feel like doing. Dilemma solved ….”

“Well I don’t know how I can convince you I’m completely innocent of any duplicity, Kinney,” Justin observed, “but I will say that I remember the trick you pulled on Gus last year and I can’t say I’d blame him if he retaliated just a little bit – and Gus is a kind of trickster in his heart ….”

“I never suspected that about Gus, Taylor,” Brian told him, “but with you as a role model I guess I can see it – now that you mention it ….”

“Ha, BK,” Justin objected, “if there’s any trickster in Gus’ lineage it’s you – not me – and I can prove it too ….”

“Well don’t prove it – if you don’t mind,” Brian laughed. “There is nothing more boring than when you try to prove something ….”

“Hey, Mr. Kinney. I think I can prove that’s not so – and pretty easily too – without being too boring either,” Justin came back, sliding himself in closer to Brian. “So guess what I’m trying to prove now, BK …..”

And a pause in this interesting discussion occurred just at this point – a pause which gave the guys time to reassess their positions for when the discussion resumed – if – indeed - that’s what they chose to do.

“So, is the big prank you and Gus are planning against me, JT,” Brian eventually resumed the conversation, “your only plan for your favorite holiday? Or do you have a separate one planned – on your own?”

“Well it would not be in the spirit of ‘my favorite holiday’ if I didn’t participate in the accepted folkways related to the observance - so….” Justin tried to explain.

“OK, Mr. Wise Guy,” Brian interrupted. “If this is war, I can give as well as I can get so ….”

“So you’ll be continuing your plot against me – the one that you are working out with Mikey ….” Justin laughed. “The one that you didn’t think I knew anything about?”

“Yep,” Brian grinned at him. “Mikey warned me of a possible leak about it – but he didn’t think you knew what the plan actually is – and I don’t think so either ….”

“You might be right and you might be wrong, Brian,” Justin pointed out. “But you don’t know for sure ….”

“You don’t know for sure exactly what I do know, Baby,” Brian warned the kid. “And you may not find out till April 1 – when you try to pull it off ….”

“But you ought to remember that I sometimes pull my April Fool tricks before the big day, Bri – and sometimes even after ….”

“Yeah,” Brian remembered. “You do take a few unfair liberties with the folkways of our American society – giving you your usual unfair advantage. But I’m expecting to be the winner of the best trick award this year no matter how many rules you break along the way ….”

What followed was an extended quiet period – not a pause in the conventional sense – but a period in which the guys might have actually been thinking.

“You know what, Taylor?” Brian restarted the discussion. “I think I’ve got the best trick planned and I’m sure you think you’ve got the best trick planned – and I’m also sure Gus thinks he has the best trick planned – but we may be - all of us - as wrong as can be ….”

“You know about the trick Melanie has planned?” Justin seemed surprised. “You are getting better, BK. You must have been talking to Gus as well as Rex. You didn’t mention talking to Gus ….”

“Well that’s because I didn’t talk to Gus at all, Smart Guy,” Brian laughed. “I was talking to Lindsay and I figured out from some of the stuff she said that Melanie had this big trick in mind. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think Linz is involved at all – just Melanie ….”

“I think you’re right Brian,” Justin told him. “Like – I was talking to Gus a couple of days ago and I …. Maybe if we worked together we could figure out the whole thing and fix Miss Melanie. That might be the best April Fool’s fun of all ….”

“But how could I be sure you weren’t actually in league with Melanie,” Brian wondered aloud, “against me?”

“The same way I could be sure you weren’t working with Melanie to get me, Bri,” Justin suggested. “Trust. The trust we have in each other – based on years of experience ….”

“I’ll need to do some thinking about that …..” Brian began to reply.

“You know what, BK?” Justin interrupted him. “Maybe we’ve done enough thinking for one evening. Maybe we need a change of pace. Melanie can wait till tomorrow ….”

“You know what, Taylor?” Brian grinned at him. “That’s just what I was thinking too. And I bet that’s what you had in mind all night – with your weird discussion. Probably another of your pre-April Fool’s Day tricks ….”

“Pre-holiday tricks,” Justin laughed. “Of which you thoroughly disapprove?”

“And maybe I don’t disapprove either, JT,” Brian pulled the kid closer to himself. “Just maybe I don’t. Maybe you’re not the only trickster in the house.”
 

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