Good Advice

The guys were settling themselves into position on the floor of the loft – facing their blazing fake fireplace – heat turned off of course –in keeping with the early spring hot spell in Pittsburgh. Justin was providing an explanation – of sorts.

“You know I always take your advice seriously,” he was saying, “But like – this one time – I’m not taking it. This would be against my basic principles. I’m not going ….”

“And that’s your final decision, I suppose?” Brian supposed.

“I am mad at the Pirates, Brian,” Justin continued. “They are really dumb and I can’t ….”

“Hold on just a minute, Kiddo,” Brian interrupted “Every ‘Bobble Head Night’ at the ball park for the last thousand years has been a must go for us – thanks to you – and even last year when they replaced ‘Bobble Head Nights’ with ‘Action Figure Nights’ you still went ….”

“Exactly, Mr. Kinney,” Justin jumped in. “That was dumb but I acted broad-minded and went along with it – because I am basically a broad-minded person - but just how much stupidity am I supposed to tolerate? I gave them a little slack last season – knowing how dumb they were and now ….”

“And now they’re going back to bobble heads – which is just the advice you would have given them - and you are still mad,” Brian laughed. “Not that I didn’t already know how hard you are to get along with – even as broad minded as you are …..”

“This is not about me, Brian,” Justin protested. “So no insults please. I admit I’m much more logical than you but.still I think you should see my point. They always had three or four ‘Bobble Head Nights’ every season and this year – just one. One. Who ever heard of just one ‘Bobble Head Night?’”

“Well if it’s a success, maybe they’ll go back to having more,” Brian reasoned. “Maybe you should support them so they see how wrong they were …?”

“Support their stupidity because they’re not quite as stupid as they could be,” Justin pondered. “I don’t think that’s very good advice. That’s just not the ‘Justin Taylor Way’ ….”

”Not at all the ‘Justin Taylor Way.’ - which is a scary concept of its own,” Brian grinned at him, “Well Gus wants to go, Babe. The guy who’s the bobble-head of the night- I forget his name - is a favorite of his. He really wants to go ….”

“I told you before, Brian,” Justin reminded him. “I know he wants to go. And a couple of his friends too. I said you could take him. You can’t expect a kid like Gus to reason like a mature adult. And he told me he was gonna try to get me a doll too. Well just let him if he wants to. I don’t want him disappointed so I’ll accept it ….”

“Would that be the ‘Justin Taylor Way’, Sunshine?” Brian asked. “Since you’re so mad at the Pirates ….”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin condescended. “You’re sure missing the point. How will the Pirates know I accepted the doll? And anyhow, I’d only be doing it to make our kid happy. Gus shouldn’t have to suffer because the Pirates are unreasonable ….”

“You’re right of course. Why should Gus have to suffer for somebody else’s unreasonableness? But actually, it turns out I won’t have to take him at all, Sweetheart,” Brian told him. “Brandon and Jason want to go and they volunteered to take Gus and his gang so I don’t have to ….”

“I think you should take him, BK,” Justin pointed out. “I don’t want him to feel neglected – and Brandon and Jason won’t know how to get an extra bobble-head for me – and then he’ll be disappointed ….”

“I don’t want Gus to be disappointed either, Blondie,” Brian replied, “But I’ve been thinking over your arguments and maybe you’ve convinced me that I shouldn’t go either. The ‘Brian Kinney Way’ is just as high-principled as ….”

“Brian Kinney,” Justin demanded. “You are too going to take Gus and his pals to the game – and that’s that. And who ever heard of the ‘Brian Kinney Way?’”

“OK, Taylor,” Brian told him. “I’ll take Gus and his friends – and Peter and Johnny – they want to go too. That’s the ‘Brian Kinney Way.’ Jason and Brandon will help me keep the crowd in tow. But I’m not going because you ordered me to go either. I’m going because the kids wouldn’t get there if somebody didn’t take them….”

“Go ahead and try to make me sound like some kind of a villain if that makes you happy, Kinney,” Justin reparteed. “Just because I stand on my principles. You better get the tickets soon though. It’s gonna be a sell-out or almost. See! I want the kids to have a good time too – so I’m not a villain either ….”

“Don’t worry, Sweetheart,” Brian assured him. “I already got the tickets. Or rather Brandon did. He picked them up yesterday….”

“Well then I couldn’t go even if you talked me into it,” Justin inferred. “You didn’t get a ticket for me, I hope ….”

“I did not get you a ticket, Baby,” Brian assured him. “I think too much of your rational thinking and decision making to do that. You have a perfect right not to go if you don’t want to. But maybe I did get one extra ticket. I expect to sit next to an empty seat all night and wish you were there but knowing that because of the ‘Justin Taylor Way’ you just couldn’t….”

“Brian,” Justin moved in closer to the bigger guy next to him, “I hope you’re not going to spend the rest of the evening trying to talk me into going to that dumb game. That would be a waste of time ….”

“I hope not too, JT,” Brian told him. “There are things I’d rather do than argue with you – but if that’s what you want, I guess ….”

But it seemed that was not what Justin wanted.

So the rest of the evening was not a waste of time – not at all.
 

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