Brian’s Replacement
“Brian
the alarm
(
“Oh god
I just fell asleep”
“Bri what
time did you get home?”
“About
“When
did you come to bed?”
“I don’t
know
“Oh baby
why?”
“Big campaign,
had to fix what the fuck up twins did”
“Brian
you can’t keep doing this”
“moan”
“Bri”
“Huh”
“Stay
in bed I’ll go in for you”
“No Justin
I’ll get up”
“No stay
I’ll look over your notes I can do this Cynthia will help
me”
“No I
can”
“No you
can’t stay, sleep that’s an order”
“Bossy
bottom”
“Asshole;
sleep I’ll call if I have a problem”
“Ok promise
you’ll call”
“Yes I
promise, sleep now”
“Sleeping
now”
---Justin gets
up, turns off the phone, puts Brian cell on the dresser for him, showers,
eats breakfast, chooses a suit to mimic Brian, picks up Brian’s briefcase
and heads for the office---
“Hi
Cynthia”
“Morning
Justin”
“Cynthia
I’m going to have to fire you”
“What?!”
“What
time did you leave here last night?”
“Uh about
“Well
Brian didn’t get home until
“Shit
that asshole promised me…”
“You know
him”
“He swore
he was going to leave right after me”
“He
didn’t and then he spent another two hours on his
laptop”
“Shit”
“He’s
lost weight and he’s exhausted I left him
sleeping”
“He
didn’t argue with you?”
“He tried
but he’s too tired to argue”
“I’m
sorry Justin you know I would do anything for him and you, I love working
with you guys”
“I know
Cyn I guess we’re both going to have to take better care of
him”
“Yeah
you’re right but aren’t you back in
school?”
“Cynthia
it’s grad school I don’t have to do all
at once I can spend more time here and at the
studio. It was Brian’s
suggestion that I devote most of my time in school”
“Well
you know him”
“Yeah
too well”
---collective
sigh---
“So
what’s on the calendar?”
“He’s
got a
“No why
don’t you reschedule for later this afternoon I don’t want a
backlog. When’s the big
one, what’s the big one?
“The Sampson
campaign that’s what we were working on last
night”
“Don’t
I know that one?
“Yes you
worked on the Phase 1 of the campaign this is Phase
2”
“Okay
at least I know the art work”
“Yes Brian
was trying to expand on what you did”
“Ok I
can do that”
“But old
man Sampson only deals with Brian”
“Well
today I’m Brian, lets go in his office and
set up”
“Okay”
“How much
time do we have?”
“Until
“Good
that gives us close to 5 hours, then I have time
for the other meeting”
“Did he
have anything else scheduled for today?”
“No only
those two”
“Good
lets get started”
---setting
up in Brian’s office---
“Cynthia
where’s his notes?”
“He emails them to himself when he works at
home”
“Shit
his email is password protected”
“I can
call him”
“No wait
I turned off the phone only his cell is on just in case, no let’s see
if we can figure this out”
“Shit
I should have made him give me his password a long
time ago”
“Well
you know how private he is Cyn, I don’t have it
either”
“Well
if we can’t get in what are we going to do?”
“Let’s
see…his birthday?”
---rejected---
“My
birthday?”
---rejected---
“Wait
I think…”
“Yeah
try it”
Sunsh…
“Yee
haw/Yeah!”
---both
laughing---
“Oh my
god look at all of this”
“This
is new he must have done this last night”
“Oh
Cynthia…sniffle…he works way too hard”
“Yeah
I always knew that but I forget he’s only
human”
“Yeah
the great Brian fuckin’ Kinney, we really need to help out
more”
“You’re
right Justin”
“Okay
let me get through this; can you get me some coffee?
“Coming
right up boss anything else?”
“Yeah
call the fuck up twins and get them in here, then call the Art Dept. I want
to see all the boards, I’ll go down there when
I’m done reaming the twins”
“You got
it boss; Justin?”
“Yeah?”
“You sound
a little like him”
“Thanks
Cyn now lets see if I can pull this off like
him-grin”
“If anyone
can its you-smile”
“COFFEE!”
“Right
away boss”
---Brad/Bob
come into the office---
“Justin
what are you doing here?”
“Yeah
we expected Brian”
“I’m
Brian for today”
“Well
that’s good”
“Yeah
you’re way more reasonable”
“Don’t
count on it; now tell me your ideas for Phase 2 of
Sampson”
“Well…”
“Shit
that sucks”
“Huh?”
“Why do
you guys do that?”
“Well
we thought that’s what he wanted”
“Uh huh
and what do you want?”
“What?”
“Tell
me what you really thought about this, an honest
opinion”
“Well
we guess uh…”
“Now
that’s good”
“Huh?”
“I knew
there was a real reason why Brian hired you guys away from
Vangard”
“We thought
it was cuz he needs someone to yell at and berate all the
time”
“That
may have had something to do with it-smirk; but he probably saw potential
in you guys and he’s waiting until you guys grow
balls”
“What?”
“You heard
me. Brian respects strength of
conviction and opinions even if it doesn’t agree with what he has in
mind. If you challenge him and
not let him walk all over you he may yell but he wouldn’t berate
you”
“We
didn’t think”
“No you
didn’t; speak up for yourselves you’ll see; why do you think he
and Cynthia get a long, she doesn’t stand for his shit and neither do
I; that’s why this works. Now
let’s go down to the Art Dept. and see what this looks like; come
on”
“Whatever
you say Justin”
“That’s
right whatever I say”
---in the Art
Dept.---
“Hey
guys”
“Hey Justin;
where’s Brian? Yeah we expected
him hours ago; yeah we thought it was kinda quiet around
here---laughing”
“Guys!”
“Oh
oh”
“That’s
right I’m Brian today now show me Phase 2”
“Uh
huh”
“NOW!”
---people
scurrying, setting up---
“Eiw;
okay let’s fix this”
---a
couple of hours later---
“I like
it, this is good”
“You’re
a genius Justin”
“No
Brian’s the genius I just translated his notes; now set this up in the
main conference room”
“Okay
Boss”
---more
scurrying---
“Justin”
“Yeah
Cynthia”
“The caterers
are here I’m having them set up”
“Good,
did you see the boards?”
“Yup they
look great; I think you did it”
“I think
so too I hope old man Sampson can get over the fact that Brian’s not
here and accept Phase 2 from me”
“I think
he will he loved the original art work and I don’t
think he knew you did them”
“That’s
good to know I can use that”
---a
little later---
“Justin
its time”
“Yeah-showtime!”
“Mr. Sampson
I’m Justin Taylor Brian’s partner it’s very nice to meet
you”
“Where’s
Kinney?”
“He’s
out today I’ll be showing you Phase 2”
“Does
Kinney really think he’s too good to show up today and he sends his
flunky?”
“Mr. Sampson
–{in a very Brian Kinney tone of
voice}-that’s uncalled for; if you must know Brian’s been working
on this on stop for weeks. These
are his ideas and I did the original art work for
Phase1”
“You,
you’re a kid”
“No I’m
not; now I know you met Brian a long time ago didn’t
you”
“Yes he
was just starting, an intern”
“Well
I was his intern and I’m his partner and I’m the same age he was
when he became an exec at Ryder”
“You look
so young”
“Well
looks can be deceiving, now lets have some lunch
and look over the boards; I’m sure you’ll be
pleased”
---sitting
down---
“Interned
for Kinney huh, well if you’re half as good as he is maybe we’ll
have a deal”
“I think
you’ll be pleasantly surprised”
---an
hour later---
Well Mr.
Taylor”
“Justin”
“Justin
you were right this is exactly what I had in mind you and Kinney make a great
team”
“I always
thought so, why don’t we go into Brian’s office and finalize
things”
“Very
good”
--in
Brian’s office---
“Cynthia
can you bring me the Sampson contract”
“Sure
thing Justin”
“Well
Mr. Sampson is that agreeable to you?”
“Yes very
agreeable Justin, I’ll let my legal look it over then fax it back later
today”
“Very
good”
“Hmmm
these sketches”---looking around the office
“Yes?”
“Just
wonderful”
“Thank
you”
“Hold
on a second, Justin Taylor, I went to a gallery not too long ago there were
some paintings and sculptures, I recall a large nude of
Brian”
---blush---
“You’re
the same Justin Taylor”
“Yes sir
that’s me”
“Hmmm-picking
up a framed picture of Justin off of Brian’s desk-partner
huh?”
“Yes sir,
partner in all sense of the word”
“Well
young man I’ve worked with Kinney for a long time,
he’s was always a bit of an
…”
“Asshole…well
yeah but you didn’t hear that from me”
---chuckling---
“But
he’s the best in the business, honest, up front I respect that; that’s
why I moved my account to his agency when he left Vangard; I’ve also
noticed a subtle change in him lately, oh he’s still all business but
some thing else, a bit more…”
“Human?”
“That’s
it; I guess you may have had something to do with
that”
“I’d
like to think so”
“Well
Justin you have my continued business and any other I can steer in your
direction”
“Thank
you Mr. Sampson, Brian will be very happy to hear that; it was very good
meeting and working with you”
“Same
here Justin, give Kinney my regards”
“Will
do goodbye sir”
“Goodbye”
---peering
out the door and whispering---
“Cynthia?”
“Yes
Justin”
“Is he
gone?”
“Yes and
with a very happy smile on his face”
---loudly---“YEE
HAW!”
“You did
it Justin”
“No we
did it”
“Come
on call the twins call the whole agency tonight we
celebrate”
“Yee
haw”
---giggle---
---later
that night---
“Hey”
“Hey”
“How’d
it go with Sampson?”
“All signed
sealed and delivered, he loved your ideas”
“And the art
boards?”
“Well
after the twins and I fixed them they were perfect”
“You let
the fuck up duo help you?”
“Bri you
know they’re not that bad when you give them a chance; I think you’ll
be surprised when you go back to work”
“Ughh
I can just imagine; so now they’re going to give me
lip”
“Yup”
“Shit
let a kid do a man’s work and this is what I
get”
“Brian”
“I know,
I know just teasing, I’m very proud of you”
“You
are?”
“Of course
I am I knew you could do it, I’m sorry that
I didn’t ask for your help sooner”
“Well
now you have no choice cuz I’m going to be there more
often”
“Are you
now”
“Yes I
am and you’re going to need my help if old man Sampson has anything
to do with it, he’s spreading the word about your agency as we
speak”
“Our
agency”
“Our
agency”
“Well
partner I guess I can be replaced”
“No Brian
never replaced just mmm
enhanced”
“And I
take it you’re the enhancement”
“Yup a
long with Cynthia and the twins”
“So I
guess they deserve a raise”
---looking
down at Brian’s crotch---
“Just
as long as its not that raise”-grinning
“Well
Sunshine I’m all rested and I actually ate something, are you too tired
for a ‘raise’?”
“Never
too tired for that kind of raise”
---both
running to the bedroom---
Sabina