Making Up is Hard to Do
Don't take your love away from me
Don't you leave my heart in misery
'If you go then I'll be blue
'Cause breaking up is hard to do
Re-mem-ber when you held me tight
And you kissed me all through the night
Think of all that we've been through
And breaking up is hard to do
They say that breaking up is hard to do
Now I know I know that it's true
Don't say that this is the end
Instead of breaking up I wish that we were making up again
I beg of you
Don't say goodbye
Can't we give our love another try?
Come on baby, let's start anew
'Cause breaking up is hard to do
They say that breaking up is hard to do
Now I know I know that it's true
Don't say that this is the end
Instead of breaking up I wish that we were making up again
I beg of you
Don't say goodbye
Can't we give our love another try?
Come on baby, let's start anew
Since breaking up is hard to do
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"Admit it Brian, tell me the truth."
"I have nothing to say."
"You’re going to stand there and tell me it wasn’t you."
"I’m sorry Justin."
"Admit the truth then I’ll accept your apology."
"I admit nothing, Sunshine; now I said I was sorry, lets leave it at that and cut to the make up sex."
"No."
"NO?!"
"No, not this time. It’s the principle of the thing. I will not accept your apology nor consent to make up sex until you tell me the unvarnished truth."
*silence*
"Ya know something Brian, for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been stubborn, pigheaded, an asshole. Done some down right stupid and unconscionable things. I’ve been angry, disappointed and royally pissed with you but this is the first time I’ve been ashamed of you. Goodbye Brian."
Justin crosses the loft to the door, as he slides the heavy door open he turns and looks pleadingly at his lover.
"Please Brian, tell me the truth. If I walk out now we’re over, done for, I won’t come back."
"Don’t say that Justin, it was only..."
"Is only a principle. The truth, a very important principle."
"I..."
"Have a nice life Brian, without me."
Justin slams the door shut and heads slowly down the stairs, hesitating, hoping to hear Brian open the door and call after him. But all he hears is the crash of Brian’s coffee mug as it hits the door. Justin barely sees the steps through his tears as he descends.
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"Daphne?"
"Hi Brian."
"Is he home?"
"No, at the diner and even if he was here, he wouldn’t take your call."
"I know. He hangs up on me, my emails are bounced back, my IM’s are blocked and he has a ‘fuck off’ message on his voice mail. I’ve lost him for good Daphne and I don’t know what to do. Do you think there’s any hope?"
"Brian, he’s my best friend so I won’t reveal any secrets or betray his confidence."
"I understand. Can you at least tell me if he’s alright? I caught a glimpse of him at the diner, he looks kind of tired."
"He doesn’t sleep well, cries himself to sleep every night."
"Daphne, do you think he misses me, misses us?"
"Do you miss him, Brian?"
"Yes, with all my heart. It’s been three weeks. I can’t, can’t..."
"Can’t what Brian?"
"Can’t eat, can’t sleep. Debbie keeps yelling at me, she thinks I got sick again and won’t do anything about it. Please Daph, I’ll do anything."
"You know what you have to do."
"But how can I tell him the truth if he won’t speak to me. FUCK! I guess it’s just too late."
A very defeated Brian hangs up the phone.
As Brian rummages through his desk, looking for a pack of cigarettes, he comes across an old pair of Eyeconic sunglasses. A wistful smile forms, Brian reminisces about a nervous young intern and falling display boards. ‘That’s it! I’m brilliant.’ A shaky hand redials the phone.
"Daphne?"
"Yes."
"Just answer yes or no, okay?"
"Yes."
"Does he still love me?"
"Yes."
"He wants romance?"
"Yes."
"Am I still the best ad man in the Pitts?"
"Yes!"
"You get my drift?"
"Yes."
"Do I have your support?"
"Uh..."
"No betrayal, just encourage him to follow his heart. Are you with me?"
"Yes."
"Sweetcheeks, if I wasn’t a fag and in love with your best friend, I’d marry you."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Night Daphne."
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The Prep for The Pitch
1) Eat; no more ribs poking out.
2) Go back to the gym and tanning salon; no more looking pasty and gaunt.
3) Romance, he wants romance, I’ll give him romance.
A-Flowers
B-Candy
C-Balloons
D-Singing telegram
E-Teddy bears
F-Stripper? NO NO NO!!!!!
G-Tiffany
H-The special delivery
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One month later.
Brian is in full ad exec mode as he preparing for the most important pitch of his entire life. The whole Liberty Ave. family is aware of the subtle changes that have come over Brian. He looks better, forcing himself to eat and sleep regularly. Well, as regularly as any 14 hour a day workaholic can. Brian reappeared at the gym. He also made an attitude adjustment. I wouldn’t go as far as saying he was actually nice but at least he was a little less than an asshole.
When he was ready, Brian set his plans into motion. The deliveries; the deliveries arrived weekly at the diner, each Saturday, at the peak of lunch hour.
Week one: Two dozen silk roses in various shades of pink and red. So real looking that the bees were fooled.
Week two: Two pounds of Godiva chocolates, sweet enough to put anyone in a hyperglycemic coma.
Week three: Three dozen balloons saying ‘I miss you’, ‘I’m sorry’, ‘Forgive me’, and ‘I love you’.
Week four: A Beargram, no, not that kind of bear. Someone dressed up as a Teddy Bear singing Neil Sedaka’s song, ‘Breaking Up is Hard To Do.’ At the end of the song, Justin received a stuffed bear holding a broken heart saying, ‘I’m sorry.’
Week five: Another silk arrangement of dogwood and orange blossoms, to appeal to Justin’s artistic eyes.
Running out of ideas and not bearing to be apart any longer, Brian decided that week six would be the coup de grace. He would subjugate himself and admit his evil deed to Justin and all of Liberty. With his special delivery slated to arrive at 1PM, Brian made sure all of the family was there to witness his confession.
Precisely at 1PM, Brian walks into the diner wearing the suit Justin loves seeing him in most. A charcoal grey pinstriped Armani with a deep crimson silk shirt and tie. Boots polished. Skin tanned, glowing with health, taut muscles rippling under the silk.
Accompanying the man are three splendidly burly delivery men, each with a handcart. On each handcart a cooler. The mist of the dry ice seeps from under the lids surrounding Brian in a mysterious fog. Brian signals Debbie.
"Oh Sunshine, get your bubble butt out here, you’ve got another delivery!"
An annoyed but curious Justin slams through the kitchen door.
"What the fuck did he send now? What the...Brian?"
"Justin, please before you shoot me down again I want to formally apologize."
"Brian, you know my terms."
"Yes I do, Sunshine."
"Are you ready to tell the truth?"
All of Liberty Diner silently awaiting Brian’s next move, wondering what was the offense.
"Yes I am but in order to do that properly I have to give you something first. The first part of this special delivery. Will you accept it?"
"As long as the truth comes with it Bri, I will."
"Okay, here it comes."
Brian kneels down while reaching into his jacket pocket. With slightly bowed head, looking up through his long lashes, Brian reveals a Tiffany box. Opening the box and in a voice loud enough to be heard throughout the diner...
"Justin, I am sorry I ate the last of your Haagen-Daz French Vanilla Mousse ice cream. Please accept this set of silver Tiffany spoons as a token of my esteem, sincerest apology and solemn vow that I will never touch your ice cream again without asking your permission first."
A stunned but elated Justin drops to his knees joining Brian on the cold diner floor accepting the beautiful spoons that were nestled in the classic Tiffany box. As the lovers embrace, a roar of applause and laughter explode in the diner. Their royal couple is again reunited. Helping each other up off the floor, Brian then looks over his shoulders at the delivery men, "gentlemen." At his signal the delivery men don protective gloves to open the coolers and reveal the last part of the gift. Stuffed into each cooler were cartons and cartons of Haagen-Daz French Vanilla Mousse ice cream. Justin screamed with delight as he leaped into Brian’s arms.
"Am I forgiven Justin?"
"You are forgiven. I missed you."
"Missed you too, my world was so dark without my Sunshine."
Not bothering to hide behind the excuse of allergies, Justin proudly shed his tears of joy.
"I can’t possibly eat all of this."
"At least not in one day. It’s yours to share, Jus."
"Good idea."
Handing Brian and Justin gloves, the delivery men help the lovers place a carton of ice cream on each table and a couple for the counter. After sharing the wealth...
"That still leaves you a whole cooler to yourself. Wanna go to the loft and break in your new spoons?"
"Of course I do but I have to finish my shift."
"Okay, then with your permission, I’ll take the cooler home and wait for you. Is that agreeable to you?"
"Very agreeable. Thank you Brian."
"Not at all Justin. Later."
"Later."
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Later that evening at the loft.
"Oh god Brian, I think I’m going to be sick."
"Who told you to eat an entire carton of ice cream by yourself?"
"I thought you were helping."
"I did, I had 4 spoonfuls."
"Four? I could have sworn you ate more than that."
"Alright, I had 6 spoonfuls, but that’s it, I swear."
"I believe you and so does my stomach. Ooooh."
"Let me help you to sit up, you shouldn’t be laying down. Want some Maalox?"
"No, just don’t move me, okay?"
"No problem. Let me fix the cushions and get you a blanket, we can cuddle up against the sofa."
"Thanks Bri. Brian?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for the spoons, they’re beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you, Sunshine."
"Thanks for admitting the truth. I’m sorry if you were embarrassed."
"I’m not. You were right to stick to your principles. I lost sight of mine. I almost lost you, again and it was entirely my fault. I should have known better than to ever try to lie to you or be flippant with you. You don’t deserve that and you’re way to smart, you saw right through me."
"I don’t feel so smart now. My stomach looks like I swallowed a basketball."
"You’ll feel better tomorrow, then you can eat another carton."
"Maybe I’ll wait till next week."
Justin, barely getting out his last statement before letting loose with an earth shattering belch.
"BURP!!!"
"Whoa, Sunshine, that’s gotta be a seven on the Reichter scale."
"Phew! I feel better now."
"If I promise to be very gentle, do you think we can get to some make up sex?"
"Be very gentle Brian."
"Justin, I never knew making up was so hard to do."
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