The Gus Diaries

Part 52

Sweet Dreams
 

A couple of nights ago Dad came home really pissed off. I knew it was nothing I’d done and I was pretty sure that since Pop hadn’t been with him all day that it was nothing he’d done, but Dad was definitely VERY pissed off.

He walked into the house, threw his coat, laptop and briefcase on the table by the front entrance and immediately started yelling, “Justin, where the fuck are you?”

Pop had been in his studio with the music on pretty loud, which was typical when he was in his productive frame of mind.

“Dad, what’s up? Pop’s in his studio. When he picked me up from the store all he could talk about on the way home was how he suddenly felt invigorated with the weather changing and he made a beeline for the studio the moment we walked in the door.”

“Well that’s just fucking peachy.” He started pacing in the front foyer.

“Why don’t you just go get him? I’m sure he just can’t hear you with the music blasting.”

“You’re right, Sonny Boy.” He took a deep breath and seemed to calm down a little. Returning to Britin always relaxed him, more than he’d admit. “I’ll see you in a few, in the kitchen.”

“Okay, well I’m almost done with my homework, so I’ll head in there in a few minutes and start dinner. Pop and I figured we’d wait for you.”

“Good. That’s good.”

He immediately went to the studio door and banged on it loud enough to wake the dead. This must be huge and I couldn’t wait until later to hear what was going on so I followed Dad to Pop’s studio. It probably wasn’t the most ethical thing to do, but I was really worried, and more than a little bit curious. I hadn’t seen Dad like this in a long time.

When Pop finally opened the door a little, Dad swung it opened the rest of the way and didn’t close it behind him. I almost wondered if he knew I was listening and this was his way of not having to revisit the story twice.

“Brian, hey.” Pop leaned up and gave Dad a quick kiss. Then he went straight to the sink to wash his hands and immediately turned off the music. “You must have had a really for-shit day.”

“That’s an understatement. I’m working on getting a new client that’s recently decided to look for a new advertising agency so his multi-million dollar account is up for grabs.”

I inched close enough to see inside the studio. “That doesn’t sound too bad. You love a good challenge.” Dad sat on the futon in Pop’s studio and Pop stood between his legs and gently stroked his cheek with his fingertips.

“I love a good challenge but this asshole company president is out of his mind.”

“He doesn’t like your innovative ideas?”

“He loves my innovative ideas, but he insists on meeting my fucking family.”

“Your fucking family.”

Dad looked at Pop and smiled. “Sorry, but you know what I mean. It’s none of his business who my family is and where we live.”

“Well, you do keep pictures of us on your desk so I’m sure he noticed them. And we’ve gone out to dinner with your clients before, let’s just do that.”

Dad shook his head. “No, Sunshine, that apparently won’t do. He insists on visiting our home and meeting my kid.”

“Well then fuck him. You have a zillion other clients. Don’t give this asshole the time of day.”

Dad looked into Pop’s eyes. “This is a 20 million dollar account.”

That got Pop’s attention. “Who the fuck is it?” Pop sat down next to Dad.

“Sweet Dreams Candy Company.”

That got my attention too and without thinking I burst into the studio. “Sweet Dreams Candy? That’s the biggest fucking online distributor of candy and gift shit in the eastern half of the country.”

“Glad to know I won’t have to repeat this story twice Sonny Boy,” Dad smirked. At least he smirked and Pop laughed.

“Sorry. I was really worried because you came in looking like you were out for blood and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t mine.”

“It’s okay -- this time.”

“So Brian, you have a chance at this huge account. What’s the problem with the president of the company? Is he a homophobe?”

“No, he’s not a homophobe. He says he needs to know that all involved, even subtly and indirectly, with his product are ethical, upstanding people, and that includes the people that mean the most to the person handling his advertising.”

“That seems really strange.”

“That was my thought too, Sunshine, so I pushed a little and guess what I discovered?”

Now Pop looked a little nervous. “He wasn’t a former trick that you kicked out, was he?”

“No, Sunshine, he was one of your former tricks who says you led him on and hurt him deeply. He wants to know if you’ve changed enough for him to trust something so important to him to a member of your family.”

“What the fuck?” Pop stood up and slapped his hand on the counter. “I hardly ever tricked without you, and when I did it was totally fucking mutual! No names, no numbers, no repeats.”

“Well, apparently that wasn’t the impression this guy got. Does the name Eric Foster ring a bell?”

Pop rubbed his temples. “No, Brian, for the life of me I don’t remember that name at all.”

“Well, guess who’s coming to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow!”

“Dad, isn’t that kind of short notice? Jeff’s supposed to come home with me tomorrow night, can he still come?”

“Yes, Gus, Jeff can come.” Dad looked at me and then turned back to Pop. “Look, Justin, I know it’s fucking short notice but he wants to select a new agency and have the contracts signed by Friday, otherwise he’ll miss the entire Christmas season. He’s already late getting started, so it also means a huge bonus.”

Pop started pacing, “Shit, I wish I could remember this guy, but I can’t, I really can’t.” He stopped in front of Dad again and put his hands around the back of his neck. “Of course we’ll have him for dinner tomorrow. Is he a vegetarian?”

“Not that I know of, in fact he mentioned that he was going out for a burger after our meeting today, with a friend.” Dad rolled his lip slightly inward, “Oh, and one more thing.”

Pop tilted his head. “Now what?”

“I invited Ted and Blake, just to further demonstrate the family-oriented, friendly environment that we have at Kinnetik.”

Pop tilted his head down and then laughed. “The more the merrier as we play who’s that trick? I hope he didn’t age too badly. I’d hate to totally embarrass myself by not recognizing him at all.”

“No, he’s actually pretty good looking.” Pop glared at Dad. “But not nearly as hot and handsome as you, Sunshine.”

Pop laughed, “Right answer.” Then he looked from me to Dad. “Anyone care to help get us some dinner? Maybe it’ll wake up my brain cells so I can remember this guy.”

I watched Dad and Pop and for some reason both of them seemed really distracted. Who was this guy? Why the fuck did a former trick from far in their past give a shit about seeing either one of them now? It didn’t make any more sense to me than it did to them.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 

The next morning Dad and Pop went about their morning routine as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“So what delicacies are you planning for us for dinner, Sunshine?”

Pop slammed down the knife he’d been using to spread jam on his bread and glared at Dad. “Look, Brian, I told you last night, and I told you while you were obsessing about this in bed and I’m going to tell you again this morning... I don’t know who the fuck this asshole is! If he really was a trick he obviously had little or no importance to me since I fucking don’t remember him.” He started pacing back and forth, covering the distance of the kitchen island. “But I will make a fucking fabulous meal for you, for your account and for Kinnetik -- not for him. Understood?” Pop was waving his hands to punctuate everything he was saying.

Dad folded his newspaper silently, took another sip of his coffee and stood up and walked over to Pop. He reached around him from behind, holding Pop against him and rested his chin on Pop’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why this has got me so riled up. We’ve had pissed off tricks revisit in the past but this is different. I shouldn’t take it out on you. I guess I’m just...”

“If jealous is the word you’re looking for, please feel free to say it.” Pop turned around in Dad’s arms and placed his arms around Dad’s waist. He then leaned into his chest.

“Okay.”

“Okay what?” I saw Pop smirk against Dad’s chest and wondered if Dad could feel the smile.

“Okay, so maybe even after all these years, although I don’t look a day over 35, I still get jealous thinking about a time when you were with other people.”

Pop stood up straight and looked into Dad’s eyes. “You know coming from you I’m not sure if I should laugh, be pissed off or flattered.”

Dad shrugged and pulled Pop in for a hug. “I know it’s fucking crazy, because we’ve been together for so long, but just knowing that there may have been another potential fiddler out there shook me up.”

Pop took Dad’s hand and brought him back to the table. “Look at me, Brian.” Dad forced himself to look directly at Pop. I could see the pain in his face, remembering a time that I had learned recently had been a terrible mistake for both of them. “There was one Ethan -- one mistake. I never made that mistake again and I never did before.”

“It was so easy for you.” Dad’s face was riddled with worry and distorted with pain.

“Easy for me? What the fuck are you talking about?” Pop was getting pissed again. “Going off with Ethan was never easy. I loved you and only you, but I was lost and looking for comfort in words rather than deeds. In facades rather than in depth and reality.”

“I meant it was easy for you to break the rules -- the rules you created.”

Now Pop turned around in a flash. I wasn’t sure what rules they were talking about, but it must have had something to do with their early relationship. I still had more questions about that time but I knew this wasn’t the time to ask.

“Those rules were the verbalizations of an insecure teen. The moment we moved in together, out of nothing but desire to be together, I was afraid you’d dump me at your first opportunity.”

“Those rules were agreed to by an insecure thirty year old who had never let anyone into his heart until that time. He was devastated and vulnerable and hurt the first time you came home with the scent of someone else on your lips.”

Pop turned away and held onto the kitchen island for support. I noticed a tear stream down his face before he turned back to Dad. “I’m sorry, Brian. I was stupid and thoughtless and never truly confessed to my part of the bricks that began to build a wall between us.” Pop paused and walked over to Dad and kissed him. Dad pulled him in tighter and the two kissed in a way that I can only describe as desperately. “I love you so much, Brian. I still have regrets about my foolish behavior back then, but now there would be, could be, nothing that would take me from you and your... shit!”

Dad opened his eyes wide, as did I. “What the fuck?”

“Brian, I have a feeling I know who Eric Foster is.”

“Care to enlighten me, Sunshine.”

“That kid, the virgin I kissed years ago. His first name was Eric -- I think.” Dad and Pop looked at each other. “You don’t suppose...”

“Nah, that’s ridiculous. As long as you made it clear that it was a one time thing.”

“I thought I did but he came back the next day looking for me at the diner.”

“What!”

“I guess teen stalkers are more commonplace then either of us realized.” Pop sat down and pulled his chair close to Dad’s. Then he took his hands and held them. “He came back and thought he was in love with me.” Dad shrugged out a laugh. “I knew I’d fucked up by kissing him. I’d only done it because I’d felt bad that his first time was so fucking cold and unemotional, so the next day when he returned, I made my feelings -- or lack thereof -- quite clear.”

“How clear?”

“I told him he was just a fuck, yesterday’s fuck if I remember correctly. That I felt nothing for him.” Pop looked at Dad. “He ran off crying.”

“Shit!”

“I realized that I’d hurt us and had to do something to confirm that I was all yours. After that I tried to only trick when I was with you. It felt somehow safer and like we were doing it together.”

“Double shit!”

I got my food and sat down at the table. I was shocked by all the admissions I’d just heard. I’d wondered how this tricking thing worked, and listening to this, I wasn’t sure if it could ever work for me. I guess it did for my dads for a while, but not as well as they thought it worked.

I’m just glad they’re really together now, otherwise I don’t think I ever would have been allowed to live with them.

I was brought out of my reverie when Pop spoke to Dad again, “What about tonight, Brian? Do you still think it’s wise for Eric to come here?”

Dad stood up and held Pop tighter than before. “It’s more than right. We have nothing to hide.” Then Dad looked at me and held Pop’s face and looked directly at him. “We ARE a loving family AND a very loving couple. Don’t regret the past. We both learned from it. Look where we are today.”

Pop put his hand behind Dad’s head and pulled him in for a kiss that rivaled a tongue-tonsillectomy. When they finally pulled apart Pop whispered to Dad, “I love you so much, Brian Kinney. You do make my world complete. And tonight we’ll make sure that anyone in this house knows that.”

Dad smiled one of the nicest smiles I’d ever seen. It rivaled Pop’s.

I have to admit, I was kind of curious about meeting this guy. I wondered what it would be like to have a former trick from my dads’ past in the house.

One thing for sure, this wouldn’t be dinner as usual.

[TBC]
 

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