All About Brian

Chapter 10

“Hello?”

“Raph? Brian Kinney, here. Sorry to call so early.”

“It’s not that early. Curtis is just about to leave for school.”

“Good, I was hoping to catch him. May I speak to him, please?”

“Sure, hold on,” Raph said, curious, but he wasn’t going to pry. Curtis had on his coat and his backpack slung across one shoulder. He was ready to walk out the door. “Curtis, Brian Kinney is on the phone. He’s asking for you,” Raph told Curtis as he held out the phone.

Curtis’ pensive looking face took on a worried expression as he took the phone.

“Good morning, Mr. Brian,” Curtis said formally.

“Good morning, Curtis. I apologize for not getting back to you last night. I did receive your email and I read your paper.”

“What did you think about it?”

“What I think is irrelevant. What do you think about it?”

Curtis wasn’t sure what Brian wanted to know. But he didn’t think that Brian sounded angry. He carefully considered his next words. “I think I presented the facts as I saw them.”

“You think?” Brian quickly replied.

“No, I don’t have to think about it, I know I did.”

“And are you pleased with your paper?”

“Yes sir, I am. I fulfilled my assignment.”

“Then I say, present your paper and I hope you get a great score.”

“Thank you, Mr. Brian!” Curtis said with so much enthusiasm he was practically shouting.

“No, Curtis, thank you,” Brian said just before he hung up the phone.

“Son, is everything all right?” Raph asked Curtis.

“Yes, Dad, everything is great! Mr. Brian gave me permission to submit my paper,” Curtis said as he gave his father a hug then hurried off to school before he became late.

 

*****
 

“Bree!” Ashley called out as her class entered the lunch room. She was sporting a smile that rivaled Bree’s. The best of friends sat next to each other as they took out their lunches.

“Did you give your report yet?” Briana asked.

“Yes and I got an ‘A’!”

“Yay!” Bree cried out as she flung her arms around her best friend. “I knew you could do it. You’re so smart.”

“Thank you for helping,” Ashley said as she bit into her apple.

The girls laid out all their extra goodies in their lunchboxes in rows in front of them and then carefully divided them up for each to share.

 

*****
 

“So do I get to interview some of your gay boys or do I write my article now with what little I know is true?” Dennis Hawk threatened.

“I’m not sure you know anything, true or otherwise, but yes, you may have your interviews. We’re having a reunion with some of our graduates. Come to the clinic Saturday afternoon around one. But, Mr. Hawk, let me make this clear, our graduates are all of legal age; they have the right to tell you to get lost.”

“I understand. All I’m after is the truth.”

“That’s what they all say. I’ll see you Saturday,” Hunter resisted slamming down the phone as he hung up on Dennis Hawk.

Hunter sat for a while. The clinic was quiet at the moment. The winter months were usually very busy for the clinic. Homeless and desperate street kids, hookers and hustlers, Hunter wished he could help them all. Sometimes he couldn’t. Then there were the older ones, the ones beyond Hunter’s help, the ones that ran from the system. It pained him to know that they were out there, and he also knew that he could have been one of them or one of the nameless dead.

Hunter shook himself out of his temporary melancholy. He had work to do. He could concentrate on the ones that were in his care and on his streets. If he did his best with them, then there wouldn’t be any older ones. Hunter sought satisfaction with that. He checked his watch then picked up the phone.

“Vanessa, this is Hunter, is Judge Schultz free?”

 

*****
 

“Brian,” John said softly as he walked into Brian’s office. Brian had made one of his spectacular breakfasts for the family, then feigning work, he sequestered himself up in his office.

“John?”

“It’s time to go.”

“Kids?”

“They’ll spend the day with Rachel. Bobby’s parents and my mother and Steve will be coming over later tonight. Rach wants to do a family dinner.”

“The kids will be happy to spend the day with Rachel and the family,” Brian said with a wistful tone.

“Rachel’s girls are coming home for the day too. Bree’ll be happy,” John added. Brian nodded.

Brian sighed, shut down his computer then followed his brother down the stairs.

 

*****
 

“Justin?” Brian called into the bedroom.

“On the phone. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Brian shrugged his coat on. John had gone back to his side of Edna’s Treasures to get his own coat, and Bobby. Brian sat at the kitchen table while he waited for everyone to appear. They were his support system, he thought, and he was glad to have them coming with him. But he’d rather not be doing this at all.

Why did so many things turn out to be all about him? This had started as a simple newspaper article about the Jason Kemp Center and now it was a goddamned intervention to defend his fucking reputation. Like it was ever going to change anything anyway. There would always be someone with a grudge or a supposed slight who was ready to take on the infamous Brian Kinney. That seemed to be his lot in life.

Brian remembered the days when he didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought of him. He wondered what had happened to those days. He supposed Justin had happened, and then Gus, and later Bree. Things had changed so much over the years. He actually had a fucking good reputation to defend. And he had people who were ready and willing to defend it. How times had changed!

“Brian,” Justin said as he came out of the bedroom. “You ready to go?”

“Just waiting for the denizens of the other side of this habitation to put in an appearance. Maybe they’ve changed their minds and decided not to come.”

“No way!” Justin replied quickly. “You know they’d defend you to the death.”

“Yeah,” Brian sighed, “just like someone else I know.” He looked into Justin’s eyes.

“You know I’ll always defend you, you big smoosh.”

“I used to be the Big Asshole,” Brian replied.

“That was a long time ago.”

“I just realized that.”

“About time,” Justin said setting down a folder so he could put his own coat on.

“What’s this?” Brian asked indicating the folder.

“Um … nothing,” Justin said quickly. When Brian raised an eyebrow, Justin added, “Just some notes that I made.”

“You wrote down things to defend me?” Brian asked in surprise.

Justin shrugged. “I don’t think Dennis Hawk is going to be interested in my opinion. But I’m prepared in case he asks me anything.”

“Thanks,” Brian said simply as he kissed Justin’s temple.

“Let’s get going,” John said as he hurried in from his side of the cottage. Bobby followed right behind him. “We want to get there before Hawk does.”

“Shouldn’t I make a grand entrance,” Brian asked, tongue in cheek.

“Just behave yourself, and let the rest of us do the talking,” Bobby admonished.

“Why the fuck am I even going?” Brian griped.

“Because Hawk has some ulterior motive where you’re concerned, and we’re going to find out what it is, and put it to rest once and for all.”

“If you say so, boss,” Brian snarked.

They made their way out to the car.

 

*****
 

John’s big Lincoln Navigator entered the suburbs of Pittsburgh. In another few minutes they would be at Liberty Avenue and then the Jason Kemp Center.

“Brian, you okay?” John asked.

“Yeah.”

“You’ve been so quiet all the way here.”

Brian looked down at his hand. It rested on the seat beside him, Justin’s fingers woven into his. “What’s to say?”

“It’s going to be all right,” Bobby said trying to be reassuring.

“I fucking hate this,” Brian retorted. “Why the fuck do I care what that asshole writes about me.”

“It isn’t just you,” Bobby reminded him. “He’ll be writing about the Center too. Hunter doesn’t need bad publicity.”

Brian sighed. He knew Bobby was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. He had always refused to defend himself and his actions. His mantra had been to let the assholes think what they wanted. He never cared. Now it seemed he did care, and that fucking made everything a big mess.

Justin squeezed Brian’s hand. “It’s going to be fine,” he whispered.

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do,” Justin said firmly. “I refuse to let anything bad happen to you or the Center.”

“Sure, All Powerful One,” Brian said sarcastically.

“I’m JT, remember. I make things right for Rage.”

Brian snorted. “You and Mikey and your fucking comic book heroes.”

“You’re my hero, always have been, always will be,” Justin whispered as he leaned over and kissed Brian’s cheek.

Brian turned his head and kissed his husband in earnest. “I hate bringing all this on … everyone.”

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t want to be,” John assured him.

“I know, but…”

“There is no but, little bro’. We’re family; we stick together. And nobody gets away with threatening anyone that we love,” John said adamantly.

“Got that right,” Bobby agreed.

“Jeez, it’s embarrassing being around you fucking pair of Pollyannas,” Brian said, although the sarcasm didn’t quite come across.

John and Bobby kept their faces pointed forward, so Brian couldn’t see the smiles that Brian’s statement brought to their visages. They both knew the old Brian Kinney was back when he talked like that.

“I love you,” Justin whispered. “We’ll get through this with flying colors.”

“Yeah,” Brian said, and there was an edge of steel in his voice.

John pulled into a parking space outside the Jason Kemp Center.

“Showtime!” Bobby said as he got out of the SUV.

 

*****
 

“Here you go, Mr. Hawk,” said a thin androgynous looking person who handed Hawk a plate of surprisingly appetizing looking hors d’oeuvres.

“Thank you,” Hawk replied politely. “Um?” Hawk had a confused look on his face.

“Lacy, and don’t worry, I get that a lot,” Lacy said with an amused smirk.

“How do you know Hunter?” Hawk asked as he took a cautious nibble on a Swedish meatball. Hunter had asked Lacy to do the catering, since she was one of the center’s most accomplished graduates and one who decided to give back to the center and the neighborhood.

“Everyone on Liberty Avenue knows of the Hunter-man.”

“But do you know what they do here?” Hawk leaned in to speak to Lacy confidentially.

“Yes, I do,” Lacy answered seriously. “If it wasn’t for Hunter and Brian Kinney I probably wouldn’t be alive. Or if I was, I’d probably be dying of AIDS or some other disease and most likely coked up. You see, Mr. Hawk, I’m one of the grads,” Lacy announced proudly.

“But you’re a girl!” Hawk declared the obvious.

“And you didn’t know that until I began to talk to you. No one knew and I kept it that way while I was on the street. It kept me alive while I hustled.”

“You mean hooked.”

“No. I was good working in the shadows, not letting my tricks cop too much of a feel and I have a great ass. That’s all they wanted, so I hustled, until Hunter, Brian and Justin helped me. And now I help them, whenever I can.”

“How?” Hawk set his plate on a nearby table to take out his pad. “Do you mind if I write?”

“No, but before I go on, what are you really doing here?” Lacy asked as she narrowed her gaze on Hawk’s face.

“I’m doing a story on the kids that Hunter and the clinic helped,” Hawk said with as much conviction as he could muster.

“Mr. Hawk, it may be years since I turned my last trick but I know when I’m being hustled. Brian Kinney and Hunter have saved countless lives via this clinic, mine included. And they’ve raised the economic status of this area. This street was once lower than pond scum, but now it’s beautiful and full of life. And that’s because of Brian and Hunter.” Lacy picked up Hawk’s plate then walked away.

“Trust a fag to insult a lesbian,” Melanie growled at Hawk. She had come into the clinic just in time to witness Hawk’s exchange with Lacy.

“Do I know you?” Hawk asked Mel.

“Yes, we’ve met at a few GLC functions and at the local GLBT business association. Melanie Marcus, attorney,” Mel said as she extended her hand.

“Yes, Ms. Marcus, I remember,” Hawk replied as he shook her hand firmly. “You’ve been a member of the GLC for...”

“Longer than I care to admit. I hear you’re doing an exposé on Brian Kinney.”

“Who told you that?”

“I like to keep tabs on Kinney’s dealings.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t like him. I’ve never liked him, but unfortunately I’m related to him. And other than him being an asshole, he’s been a model citizen and an asset to our community for a lot of years now.”

“How are you related?”

“He fathered my son.”

“You had Kinney’s son?”

“Fuck no! My partner is the biological mother. I wouldn’t touch that cocksucker’s sperm with a ten foot pole.”

“You don’t like him, but you’re defending him?”

“I’d defend anyone who was being railroaded for no good reason,” Mel said honestly.

“And you believe that Kinney started up this clinic for the simple reason that he wanted to clean up the streets.”

“Nothing is simple with Brian. He’s the most complicated person I have ever met. But for lack of a better explanation, yes. Brian’s one of those kinds of people one would call a visionary. He literally had a dream and it frightened him. Instead of ignoring it like most of us would, he did something about it. As a result not only did he create this clinic, but he made it possible to educate and employ the kids that graduated out of here.”

“And how are these kids employed? Just what do they have to do for Kinney?”

“For Kinney? What the hell are you talking about? Brian has sunk his money into the clinic and that’s it. He networks in the community and provides pro bono PR.”

“What does he ask in return?”

“You see that poster over there, the one under Jason Kemp’s picture?”

“Yes.”

“Read it. It’s the mission of this place. That’s what Brian asks in return.”

Mel joined Lacy who was serving lunch to the guests, as Hawk went to read the poster.

“Do you think he’ll get it?” Lacy asked Mel as she handed her a salad.

“I’m not sure. He’s gunning for Brian and I don’t know why.”

“Could he have been one of Brian’s tricks?”

“You know about them? It was a very long time ago.”

“I know but some people have long memories on the avenue. The kids don’t give a crap; it’s only your generation that sometimes gets obsessed with the past. At the diner when the night shift gets off, the older guys will come in for dinner or a cup of coffee before they drive home. They talk, they remember the good old days when Brian Kinney would fuck his way through Babylon.”

“And they’re nostalgic about it?”

“They’re men,” Lacy answered shaking her head and then giving a shrug of her shoulders.

“Hmph, men,” Mel grumbled, shaking hers as well.

Brian, Justin, John and Bobby entered the clinic as Dennis Hawk was reading the rules.

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