All About Justin
 

Chapter 11

 

“It doesn’t look like much,” Justin said as they stood at one of the entrances to the old mine.

“It shouldn’t. The mining company decided to collapse the tunnels when they closed the mine for safety reasons. It looks like Mother Nature has just reclaimed the land,” John explained.

“I guess that’s a good thing,” Justin commented as they wandered around what would have been the entrance to the old mine. “John, are you sure we’re in the right place?”

“According to the survey map and the landmarks, we are,” John answered with confidence.

Justin merely shrugged his shoulders.

“What were you thinking it would look like, Sunshine?” Brian asked as he handed Justin a thermos. Claire had filled several thermoses with coffee.

“I guess I was thinking it would look like in those old movies with a big sign No Trespassing! And wood beams around the entrance.”

“Disappointed?”

“Maybe a little but this is much safer,” Justin said with conviction.

“John, we should go to the other entrance,” Bobby suggested. “That’s deeper into the woods.” They all agreed. Gathering up their stuff, the men hiked back to the SUV to drive to the other entrance to the mine.

“This is more like it!” Justin exclaimed as he sprinted up to the mine entrance. The wooden No Trespassing sign had long disintegrated into dust but the wood beams of the entrance were still visible. The opening was packed with huge boulders.

“Justin, be careful!” Brian shouted. “I swear he thinks he’s still seventeen,” Brian grumbled as he stepped up his pace. “With my luck he’ll fall down the shaft,” Brian spat.

“Brian, they closed off this side too. It’s not as overgrown because this side is more rocky,” John explained.

“My brother, the rock man. I wish my partner would make like a rock and stand still for a minute. JUSTIN! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Justin asked as he poked his head in between a couple of large boulders that were blocking the entranceway.

“It looks like you’re trying to give me a heart attack.”

“Does anyone have a flashlight?” Justin asked ignoring his spouse’s curses and laments. Justin was waving his hand in the air. John placed a tiny flashlight that he always carried in his pocket into Justin’s hand.

Brian glared at his brother.

“I’m always poking around old buildings, a flashlight comes in handy,” John said with a smirk.

“So does my foot up your ass,” Brian retorted. John merely shrugged his shoulders. “What do you see?” Brian asked Justin with a sigh.

“Not much, just more rocks but there’s a cold draft coming through.”

“Justin, it’s March, it’s cold. You’re going to feel a draft,” Brian growled.

“That’s not what I mean,” Justin said as he withdrew his head from the boulders then glared back at Brian.

Bobby silently chuckled at the Brian and Justin show. Brian and Justin loved hard and fought hard. It was one of the reasons Bobby loved them so much.

“Guys,” John began, stepping up between them. “There’s probably a small opening that leads deeper into the mine. That’s where the draft is coming from. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. This opening is too small for a man; however, a child might be able to get through it. I’ll have it sealed up properly.”

“Fine. Can we go home now?” Brian grumbled.

“Someone has no sense of adventure,” Justin snarked as they turned to walk back to the Navigator.

“And someone has no common sense,” Brian growled as he grabbed Justin’s wrist then quickly drew the younger man to his chest. Brian held Justin tight with Justin safely tucked under Brian's chin. As Brian hung on, Justin whispered his assurances of love and well being to his overly protective partner.

John and Bobby held hands as they patiently waited.

 

*****
 

Justin’s arm moved with abandon. He felt so alive, so elated, as his creativity poured out of him onto the canvas. He dabbed his brush in a mound of brilliant orange and made the long bending swirl that would be the crowning color on his latest masterpiece. He let the brush run out of paint as he drew the bristles across the canvas.

“Yeess!” he murmured as he studied the effect.

It was perfect. Unlike his previous portrait, he knew this one was just the way he wanted it. He glanced over at the table beside himself and looked at the sketch of Brian lying with his dick hanging out, the one that Brian had bought at the GLC that night so long ago. It made him smile. He loved that sketch, and even more he loved that Brian had loved the sketch, and had actually purchased it.

Finally tearing his eyes away from the sketch, he focused back on his painting. The fleshy tones of Brian’s body mixed with the blue from the lights above the bed in the loft glistened from the canvas.

“Perfect,” Justin whispered to himself. The colors were just the way he remembered them from back then, but they were also so much more. They radiated with life and purpose and … joy. Yes, it was joy that Justin had experienced, no matter how briefly, with Brian. There had been moments of pure joy, but there had been so much more as well. There had also been hurt and heartache and sorrow, but all of that was forgotten now. This was the way Brian should be captured.

Justin stared at the last swath of paint he had added. He almost giggled out loud. Brian’s dick! So much of his life revolved around Brian’s dick. But in the overall scheme of things, there were a lot more important things about Brian than his dick. However, this painting was his “Ode to the Dick”. Maybe that’s what he should title it. A casual observer would have trouble recognizing it as a dick, unless they could see the sketch alongside it. They would see a powerful line of color, a dominant area of pigment set off from the rest of the more earthy tones. But Justin knew it symbolized the power that was Brian Kinney. He loved what he had created. With a happy smile he dropped his brush into the cleaning fluid.

“Watcha doin’, Sunshine?” Brian asked from the balcony of his office. He had been observing Justin for a few minutes. It seemed that Justin had finished his latest masterpiece in record time.

“Why don’t you come down here and see?” Justin asked suggestively.

“Anything you desire, O great and mighty artiste!”

“You are so full of bullshit,” Justin laughed, shaking his head at Brian’s antics.

“You never did know how to take a compliment,” Brian said as he came down the spiral stairs.

“Unlike you who expects them all the time.”

“Only when they are deserved,” Brian corrected his husband.

“I wanted you to see what I did with the ‘now’ of your sketch,” Justin said changing the subject.

“I can hardly wait,” Brian smirked as he started across the sun porch.

“Um, don’t be too shocked when you see it,” Justin cautioned, as it suddenly dawned on him that Brian might not like this abstract version of himself.

“As long as you made my dick big enough, I’ll be happy,” Brian joked. He stepped up to the canvas and studied the painting.

Justin watched Brian’s face. It revealed little. “You don’t like it, do you?” Justin asked after a moment, realizing that his worst fears seemed to have been realized.

Brian chuckled. “I love it. That’s the biggest dick I could ever hope for,” Brian replied, as he let his hand follow the large sweep of the orange paint across the canvas.

“You recognized it,” Justin laughed in response and in relief.

“How could I not … although, I might have expected it to be purple instead of orange.”

“I thought about purple, but orange is a more powerful color, and it’s a good contrast to the blue tones.”

“Then by all means use the orange,” Brian chuckled.

“Do you like the blue tones?”

“In memory of the blue lights above our bed?”

“I think by the time it was actually our bed, the lights were orange,” Justin reminded him.

“Role reversal,” Brian speculated making Justin raise his eyebrows in surprise.

“How so?” Justin asked.

“By the time you moved into the loft, you owned me heart and soul. You were the powerful one.”

“Are you serious?” Justin asked with a frown.

“I never let you know, and I would never have admitted it, but I probably would have done anything for you.”

“God, I love you,” Justin whispered as he walked into Brian’s waiting arms.

“You better,” Brian laughed.

“You have to be the loveliest man who ever lived,” Justin said burying his face into Brian’s chest.

“You might get some argument about that claim.”

“They’d be wrong,” Justin averred.

“As long as you think I am, I’m happy,” Brian replied, lifting Justin’s chin so he could kiss those full, luscious lips. “I love you, Justin Taylor.”

 

*****

 

“Come in, Susanna,” Justin greeted Ashley’s mother cordially. Brian had picked up the girls after school so they could play with each and do homework. It was also a good excuse to invite Susanna over so they could break their news about her property to her.

“Thank you. And thanks for picking up Ashley. Since I’ll be single again soon, I really need to get a good job. I’ve been going on interviews. It’s a lot easier to make appointments when I know I don’t have to rush.”

“We’re happy to help,” Justin said. “We love Ashley and it’s no problem to have her stay with Bree, anytime. I, um, hope you can stay for dinner. We have something to talk to you about.”

“What?” Susanna asked suspiciously as she followed Justin into the sun porch where the other men of Edna’s Treasures awaited her along with someone else. “Carol? What are you doing here? What’s going on?”

“Susanna, don’t be upset. These men have extraordinary news for you. I can hardly believe it myself.”

“I don’t understand; you’re my divorce attorney. How did they find you?”

“That was me,” Bobby spoke up. “Carol and I had a few classes together in law school but in wasn’t difficult to figure which lawyer you’d choose. Besides, there aren’t that many lawyers in our neck of the woods.”

“Okay, that seems plausible but it still doesn’t answer my other question, and where is Ashley?”

“She’s fine,” Justin quickly said. “She and Bree are with Patrick in his room. He’s supervising at the moment.”

“And loving every minute of it,” John said with a serene smile. “He’s growing up.”

“Can I sit down?” Susanna asked. Justin led her to a chair. “Okay, can someone explain what’s going on here?” Susanna asked again as she looked at her attorney.

“I think Bobby ought to explain. I still don’t understand all of it myself,” Carol said as she took a seat. They all sat around one of the small wicker tables where Brian and Justin had prepared a tray of tea, coffee and small snacks. When they were all settled, Bobby went into lawyer mode.

“Susanna, the Kinney ledger that you discovered was more valuable than any of us originally thought.”

“How so?”

“As you found out, in hopes of keeping his neighbors and the neighborhood around the Kinney lands intact, Kinney made loans and grants to his neighbors. Most of the loans were repaid. Kinney was rather meticulous in his record keeping,” Bobby explained.

Justin snorted. He knew another Kinney with those same meticulous tendencies. Brian glared at his spouse who merely smiled and shrugged.

Bobby ignored them and carried on. “The land adjacent to the school and to the camp turns out to be Kinney property.”

“I remember my mother saying something about the town trying to expand the school or build a new high school but it never happened,” Susanna said.

“That’s because they couldn’t figure out the true ownership of the land. It wasn't state or county land. We also discovered that an old mine toward the other side of Bridgeton is actually on Kinney land.”

“An old coal mine?” Carol asked.

“Yes, it’s been sealed but I’m having an environmental protection group come out to make sure it’s been properly sealed, and that there’s no risk of contamination to the ground water,” John added.

“But there’s one last property that hasn’t been reconciled,” Bobby went on.

“Who’s?” Susanna asked. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest.

“I need to ask you some questions first and that’s why I asked Carol to join us. We all want to assure you that we’ll do everything to ensure your and Ashley’s comfort and safety.”

Susanna nodded. “All right.”

“How did you come to live in your present house?” Bobby asked hoping for the best of all possible answers.

“It was my parents’ house. Actually the house belonged to my mother’s family. When she married it just seemed logical that my father should move in, and then when they retired, they left the house to me. When I married Donald, he moved in.”

“And he had no objections to moving out?”

“Not really. He makes good money so he found a nice place to live closer to Harrisburg. That’s where he works. I asked nothing for myself, just child support and a little something to help me maintain the house for Ashley.”

“She’s been overly generous. I should have pushed for more. The house is falling down around them,” Carol said bitterly.

“Carol, all I want is my freedom and a quiet loving home for Ashley. Money isn’t everything.”

“You’re right, but maybe we can help with that,” Bobby continued.

“What do you mean?”

“Apparently your ancestor had borrowed against his property. Kinney loaned him a considerable amount,” Bobby started to explain.

“Oh no, does that mean my house isn’t mine?” Susanna asked in fear.

“NO!” all four men said at once as Justin wrapped a supportive arm around her.

“No,” Justin repeated as he picked up the explanation. “Your ancestor repaid the loan but the property lines got all screwed up over time. You legitimately own so much more!”

“I do?” Susanna asked as she wiped a tear from her eye.

“Yes, you do,” John stated as he handed her a tissue. “The lot directly behind your house and the land up to the corner is all yours. From what little I saw of your house, it looks incomplete. Like a larger part of it was torn away leaving the smaller section that’s left.”

“But how does this help me?”

“You can sell some of the land then use the proceeds to renovate your house,” Brian suggested. “Or just borrow against it like your ancestor did to fix up your house if you don’t want neighbors encroaching too close.”

“No bank will loan to me. I don’t have a job.”

“Yet,” the men of Edna’s Treasures said in unison making Susanna laugh in spite of all the drama.

“Look, we plan on deeding the land back to the school and camp. We’ve already contacted them about it. The camp is already making plans to follow through with their idea to make a sleep-away camp and to buddy up with The Farm for horseback riding. The school wants to finally build that bigger campus. They’re going to need more teachers and soon,” Bobby let her in on the proposed plans.

“But how can you know that they’ll hire me?”

Several heads turned toward Brian who held his hands up with an expression of complete innocence.

“Go on, tell her,” Justin urged. “No more secrets about your contributions.” Brian arched a brow. “At least about this one,” Justin added. “If you won’t, I will,” Justin stated with determination.

Brian sighed. He had no power over a very determined Justin Taylor. The assembled masses understood this and smiled.

Brian cleared his throat then took up the gauntlet. “As a representative of the Kinney family, John and I spoke with the school board. As you can well imagine they were overjoyed to be able to finally clean up that plot of land and expand the school. John also suggested some renovations of the current school.”

“We’re not a very affluent school district. They can’t possibly afford what you’re proposing,” Carol stated. Her own children went to the same schools.

“They can if the school only has to pay for the materials and not the labor,” John elaborated. “Many of my men have grown up in Bridgeton and the surrounding towns. They’ve all gone to the same schools or have their own kids going there. This is a labor of love for them. And since this is going to be a rather large project, we’ll be arranging some local housing for the men that we’ll bring in from Pittsburgh.”

“Hunter’s kids?” Justin asked. John nodded. “It’ll be a great experience for them. John, can you set up those temporary buildings so that the grade school can be fixed up at the same time? And the old high school, when that comes down, what if we can use the land to build an athletic center. That soccer field can really use some work, and...and...”

“Justin! Breathe!” Brian bellowed stopping the PSA in midstream. “I bet he has soccer matches all lined up for the next twenty years.”

“The bottom line,” Justin began as he got himself under control then giggled as Brian leered at Justin’s bottom. “The bottom line is that if John can use several of his crews, the work can be done all at the same time and over the summer. Maybe by the next school year the kids will have a new school.”

“Justin, I’m good but not that good. More likely next spring. My partner and I will have to work out the planning,” John said rationally. “But we can certainly do it with as little disruption to the children as possible.”

“But how does this get me a job?” Susanna was getting caught up in Justin’s enthusiasm but couldn’t see how it would help her current situation.

“They’ve asked Brian and John as the representatives of the Kinney estate to be members of the school board,” Justin explained.

“And as such I suggested they consider closing some of the smaller schools around the area as they expand the main school. They’ll be sending out a formal proposal. No teacher will be out of a job. As a matter of fact they’ll be sending out letters to all licensed teachers within a fifty mile radius. We still have some bugs to work out but it’s coming together,” Brian expounded.

“What about kids who can only afford to walk to school? You’re asking a lot, if parents can’t afford to drive their kids to school,” Susanna said reasonably.

“Ah, that’s where my little Mary Sunshine comes in.” Brian teased and got a swat in the gut for his trouble. “Ooof! It was your idea, Sunshine. So explain it to the nice ladies.”

“I know bussing students in for school has always been met with resistance, but out here it does make a lot of sense. The smaller schools are not really very economical and they just don’t get the latest equipment that the bigger schools get. So we’re seriously talking about setting up our own school bus system. The camp uses it but now it’ll be on a bigger scale.”

“The problem is money. Justin, I understand what you’re saying and it does make a lot of sense. Our school is centrally located so it makes sense to expand it, but there are some kids from the outer parts of the district that will have trouble making it here,” Susanna said.

“Not if we expand the bus system.”

“And where is the money going to come from?”

Three sets of male eyes turned toward one. Justin slowly raised his hand.

“This is something I want to do. Susanna, you told me that a lot of stuff has been written about us but it’s always been Brian. Sometimes I don’t know how he keeps all that stuff straight in his head. I know I certainly can’t and I’d like to think I’m a pretty smart man.”

“You’re the smartest man I know,” Brian murmured as he stepped closer to his partner. That garnered one of Justin’s sunny smiles aimed at Brian.

“I’ve learned a lot about giving back and the importance of family and community. Brian gives all the time but we just don’t know about it. With everyone’s help, I’m going to set up the bus system. Not only for the students but for the teachers who may not have a way of getting to the school. Not one child will be left behind, and I think it’ll be good for the kids to know their teachers as part of their community. I’m determined to make this work.

“You told me that one of the problems between you and your husband was that he didn’t embrace diversity. Having a bigger school will have a lot of diversity and it’ll make having an agricultural school make sense now. The kids that want to remain farmers will be exposed to the latest technology.”

“You’ve thought a lot about this, haven’t you?” Susanna asked Justin.

“Yes, I have. I love painting, it fulfills me in so many ways and I’ve been very fortunate that there are people all over the world that want my paintings. I have the resources to do this and to do it right. This is our home, our community. Bree and Patrick go to this school, and will go to the new high school. I’m also doing it for their benefit because I can. Because I really want to.

“I hope you’re not angry that we’ve butted into your business. We wanted your lawyer here to make sure that whatever we did your house would be protected. We didn’t want you and Ashley to be homeless.”

“Never homeless, Sunshine. We’d just build them a cottage,” Brian said with a straight face, as he waved his hand out toward the land beyond their sun porch and garden. "I’m told we have room for several more cottages,” Brian said as he gave John a poignant look. John smirked and Susanna laughed.

“You know, I really believe you’d do that,” she said.

“Nothing has to be decided right this minute,” Carol said. “Bobby, can you have the papers sent to me? I’ll look them over and then I’ll know how to advise my client.”

“You’ll have them in the morning,” Bobby assured her.

“In the meantime, why don’t you ladies stay while we whip up some dinner,” Brian offered.

“He cooks too?” Carol asked Susanna.

“Yes, and makes a mean breakfast,” Susanna said.

“Then I guess I’ll stay,” Carol said as they made themselves comfortable. Carol then inquired about JAB Kinney. While Brian and Justin worked on dinner, John, Bobby and Susanna discussed what they had learned.

 

*****
 

“I’m proud of you,” Brian said as he took out several steaks and set them to defrost in the microwave. He was planning to use their indoor grill to cook them. Justin was taking out the fixings for salads and potatoes for roasting.

“Yeah?” Justin said with a smile that just about took Brian’s breath away.

“Yeah. You have a good heart. And you make me want to be a good man.”

“You are a good man.”

“If I am it’s because of you. You always find a way of giving. You always try to find the good in a situation and make it better.”

“Brian, that’s not always true. You’ve done some pretty important things for this family. Michael wouldn’t have his store, Ted wouldn’t be as successful as he is, and Emm, he’d still be stuck trying to make his canapes out of his apartment. You’ve helped all of them.”

“This is not about me, Sunshine.”

“Maybe not but it’s not all about me either.”

“Then what is it about?” Brian asked as he turned to take out a roasting pan. He didn’t have to see Justin’s face, Brian could feel a PSA coming on. Brian smiled to himself. He never really minded Justin’s PSA’s.

“It’s about family and community. It’s about being able to help without someone asking for help. It’s about being the best person you can be,” Justin said as he rinsed off a head of lettuce.

“Is that so?” Brian snarked.

“Yes, it is,” Justin said as he grabbed Brian to look into the hazel eyes he loved so much. “You taught me that. A long time ago and I never forgot it,” Justin whispered as his blue eyes sparkled with love.

The lovers stood there for a moment, staring into each others eyes. Brian tilted his head forward so that foreheads touched. No words were necessary.

The timer on the microwave dinged signaling that the steaks were ready to be grilled. The lovers sighed as they broke apart but not before Brian kissed Justin’s nose. They silently resumed preparing dinner.

As dinner was about to begin in the sun porch, Brian’s cell began to vibrate in his pocket.

“Kinney. Hey, Emm. Yes, we’re a go for the sleepover.” Brian winked at Bree and Ashley. The girls were wearing ear to ear grins. “Yes, I know, a pink princess cake,” Brian said rolling his eyes. “You wanted what!? Jugglers? Renaissance acrobats?! Oh no, we are not turning this into another three ring circus. NO! What part of no, don’t you understand? Honeycutt, I will skin you alive!"

Justin jumped up to stop Brian from spewing forth a string of inevitable expletives in front of the children and their guests. Brian waved him away then walked to the other end of the porch.

“Listen to me, you nelly ass bottom queen,” Brian growled low into the phone. “Don’t you ‘your majesty’ me. We are having a nice quiet sleepover with lots of pink whatever the fuck material you’re using to make princess beds and a large pink cake and that’s it. No jugglers, no acrobats. Or I will have your ass in a sling!” Brian held the phone away from his ear as Emmett squealed with delight at the unintended proposition.

Brian snapped his phone shut then threw it over the screen that hid the brass bed. It landed on the bed with a dull thud. He took a deep breath, steeled his back then turned to face the music.

“So who’s for steak?”

–TBC–

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