All About Brian

Chapter 11

“Hey, guys,” Hunter said as he approached the Edna’s Treasures family. “Glad you got here.”

“We thought we’d arrive before Hawk got here,” John said.

“Too late. That’s him over there,” Hunter replied cocking his head towards the reporter who was stuffing finger foods in his mouth, as he read the mission statement for the Center.

“Lovely,” Brian said sarcastically.

“Do you recognize him by any chance?” Hunter asked.

“No, should I?”

“Just wondered if maybe you had, you know…”

“Fucked him?” Brian asked with a derisive grin. “Not that I remember, but that doesn’t mean anything. If he’s gay, there’s a good chance…”

“Brian,” Justin interrupted slipping his hand into Brian’s. “You don’t need to… What’s done is done.”

“Yeah,” Brian conceded. He glanced at Hawk who seemed to be giving them the once over. Brian wasn’t sure what he saw in Hawk’s expression. “Who are all these kids?” he asked looking at the young people.

Hunter chuckled. “The graduates of the Center.”

“I don’t recognize any of them,” Brian said looking around.

“Yes, you do. Lacy, and of course Frankie.”

“Frankie’s here?”

“Yes, he is.”

“How’s he doing?” Brian asked.

“Just great. Why don’t you go talk to him?”

“I could use a drink,” Brian said.

“We don’t have any alcohol.”

“A fucking soda! Or coffee,” Brian reacted.

“Here you go, your majesty,” Bobby said sticking a can of Diet Coke in Brian’s hand. “If your throat dries up take a sip.”

“You’re just full of good advice, Red.”

“That’s me,” Bobby laughed. Brian felt some of the tension ease out of him. Bobby grinned at him and then squeezed his arm reassuringly.

“Mr. Kinney,” a young man said rather tentatively.

“Frankie, right?” Brian asked, as the rest of Brian’s support group moved away, leaving Brian and Frankie to talk alone.

“Yeah, I wanted to thank you for starting the Center and helping me find a life.”

“Then it all worked out properly,” Brian said with a small grin. He remembered how seeing Frankie on the street that day so long ago had affected him. He didn’t want any young person to have to live like that.

Justin moved over toward Hawk, while Brian was occupied with Frankie. “Hello,” he said to the reporter, when the person he had been talking to moved away.

“Yes?” Hawk asked imperiously. He liked letting people know they were beneath him. Then he realized that he was talking to Justin Taylor, Kinney’s partner and a world renowned artist.

“I’m Justin Taylor.”

“Yes, I recognized you. Still with Kinney?”

“Yes, and will be for as long as we live.”

Hawk snorted. “I doubt that.”

“I don’t know what you think of Brian, but obviously it isn’t very much. I want you to know that Brian Kinney has changed over the years. He’s my partner, my husband, father to our children and a very successful businessman. He’s not the philandering asshole that some people remember.” Justin looked pointedly at Hawk, clearly placing Hawk in that latter category.

“I get it, okay?” Hawk said. “You’ve done your job as faithful spouse and lap dog.”

“I beg your pardon,” Justin reacted.

“You heard me. You’ve done the required job of praising your spouse.”

“It’s good to know that I’ve met the expected criteria,” Justin said sarcastically. “Here’s something unexpected. Read this!” Justin pulled a paper out of the folder he had brought from home. He shoved it towards Hawk knowing that the man probably wouldn’t bother to read it.

“What is this?” Hawk asked scanning the page.

“It’s a paper written by a 16 year old kid whose life was saved by the Center and by Brian Kinney. Not that you want to hear anything good about the Center … or about Brian.”

“How do I know you didn’t write this?”

“I wouldn’t waste my time on you, Mr. Hawk. It just so happens that Curtis had to write this paper for school. He sent Brian a copy. I thought you might be interested in what he had to say, but I guess it was a waste of time bringing it. Read the last couple of paragraphs if nothing else. They’re very enlightening.”

Justin turned abruptly and made his way over to Lacy. He was afraid if he said anything more, he’d call Hawk the pompous asshole that he found him to be.

 

*****
 

“Hey, Sunshine, whatcha doin’?”

“Jesus, Brian, do you have to sneak up on me?”

“It’s one of my foolish pleasures.”

Justin chuckled. “Asshole,” he said affectionately.

“Ah, I see you’ve been converted to the dark side,” Brian said looking over at Hawk.

“Never.”

“So what were you giving Hawk – a bribe, your number…?”

Justin shook his head, but couldn’t help smiling. There would always be some of the old Brian Kinney inside the new Brian Kinney. “Neither,” Justin said emphatically.

“What was it?” Brian asked.

“I thought you were talking to Frankie.”

“I was. He’s doing … good. So, what were you slipping to Hawk?”

“I wasn’t slipping him anything. If you must know, I gave him a copy of Curtis’ paper.”

“Someone’s been snooping,” Brian said acerbically.

“Sometimes someone has to.”

“Does Curtis know?”

“I have his permission. That’s who I was on the phone with just before we left home.”

“Ah, home, can we go there now?”

“Not yet,” Justin said bluntly.

“I was afraid you were going to say that.”

“You know me so well.”

 

*****
 

“Judge Schultz, fancy meeting you here,” Hawk said as the family court judge entered the room.

“Mr. Hawk, I heard you were here trying to cause trouble for these good people. Don’t you have other more deserving organizations to harass?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Why are you here?”

“Just making sure the whore of Liberty Avenue isn’t taking any liberties with these kids. But apparently even if something illegal was going on around here these ‘good’ people wouldn’t tell me about it.”

“That’s because there’s nothing to tell other than this center has saved a lot lives and has significantly lowered the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STDs in teenagers in this community. Mr. Hawk, be straight with me...”

Hawk chuckled.

Ignoring it, the judge continued. “What exactly is your beef with the Center and with Brian Kinney?”

“Last summer I got a tip that a teenage boy came through the Center and was turned down for services. I tried to track down the kid but was informed that all records are confidential. The caller also implied that the reason he was turned down was because he wouldn’t put out for Kinney.”

“The records are confidential especially if the child is under age. The counselors consult with me or my colleagues at family court and a guardian is appointed.”

“So why would a kid be turned down?”

“I don’t know. Did you bother to ask Hunter or Karen?”

“Would they tell me the truth?”

“Depends on how you ask the question. Why don’t we ask now? Karen, would you mind joining us,” Judge Schultz called over Hunter’s right hand woman and co-counselor. Karen had been with the Center almost from its conception.

“Judge Schultz, so good to see you. What can I do for you?” Karen asked trying to be cordial in spite of Hawk’s scrutiny.

“Karen, did a boy come through here last summer and get turned down for services?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, there was. Although that’s not quite how it happened.”

“And I’m sure you have a plausible explanation,” Hawk said as sarcastically as he could.

“Yes, I do, the young man was lying,” Karen stated plainly.

“Lying? Why would anyone lie about being homeless or hustling for lunch money,” Hawk asked incredulously.

“Several reasons, but let me give you a little background on how we work around here,” Karen said as she led Hawk and Judge Schultz toward the poster with the rules and mission of the clinic. “Our kids come to us desperate, battered, hungry, without hope, with little self respect or confidence. Sometimes they’re runaways, sometimes they’ve been kicked out because they’re gay or perceived as gay. And sometimes they just fall into a bad crowd and don’t know how to get out. They’re hungry, dirty and more often than not, sick. We clean them up, feed them, get them medical attention and counseling. We offer whatever services that are appropriate to the individual. You’ve met Frankie, he was our first. He was a runaway. He thought he couldn’t go back to his family because he was gay and was hustling. Ultimately, with help from some of our supporters, we were able to reunite him with his father. He’s doing very well.”

“That’s nice to hear but what does this have to do with the other kid? Does he have a name?”

“Of course he does, but he’s underage and even though he never was officially one of our kids, I must protect him.”

“Great, so it’s your word against his,” Hawk said as he turned to walk away.

“Mr. Hawk, I wasn’t done,” Karen said in a tone that brooked no argument. She had dealt with much tougher than Dennis Hawk. He didn’t intimidate her.

“Get to the point,” Hawk demanded.

“The young man in question knew enough of how we operate to try faking being homeless to get employment placement and temporary housing. He was neither homeless nor in need of one of our jobs.”

“How did you know?”

“Mr. Hawk, I’ve been a family counselor for a very long time. I’m not that easy to fool. He wasn’t underweight, dirty enough or desperate enough. And I recognized his picture from the society pages of your newspaper.”

“What?”

“Junior prom king, I believe at St. James Academy.”

“Shit! So I was scammed?”

“Apparently. I put an end to the sham pretty quickly and escorted the young man to the door.”

“But what does this have to do with Mr. Kinney?” Judge Schultz asked.

“From what I remember Brian was spending a lot of time at Kinnetik which is not too far from here. He has a habit of coming here, checking things out and making donations,” Karen explained fondly with a smile. “Most people on Liberty know about Brian Kinney and his association with the clinic, perhaps the young man was angry at me and decided to hurt us through Brian.”

“You’re smiling,” Hawk stated the obvious.

“I can’t help it. You have to know Brian to understand.”

“I know Brian Kinney,” Hawk grumbled. “What type of donations does he make?” Hawk asked clearly.

“It depends. Sometimes it’s food for the pantry or new bedding for the dorms or toiletries for the bathroom. One time we got a delivery of computers and a variety of music CDs. He just pops in and things show up within a day or two.”

“And he never asks for anything in return?”

“Just that the kids work hard to abide by the rules,” Karen replied.

“Mr. Hawk, I’m curious, why now? You say you got this alleged tip last summer. What took you so long to investigate?” the judge asked.

“Timing, lack of information and although I did try to find the kid, he seemed to have disappeared. When he didn’t pester me to follow up, it got pushed aside. I just recently found my notes. I thought I’d poke around and shake things up a bit.”

“Got a little bit more than you bargained for, didn’t you?” the judge asked.

“Kinney was a bastard,” Hawk sneered. “I never believed he could change.”

“Mr. Hawk, change is what this center is all about,” Karen said. “Our kids come here to turn their lives around. Perhaps the Brian Kinney you knew, no longer exists.”

“So I’ve been told,” Hawk said as he shook each lady’s hand then walked away.

“Think he got it?” Karen asked with a sigh.

“Maybe,” Judge Schultz replied.

 

*****
 

“Hawk! I want a word with you,” John growled as he stepped up to Dennis Hawk. John had waited until Hawk was alone. Hawk had had a brief but eye opening interview with Frankie. He took one large step back, as the angry Brian lookalike stepped into his personal space.

“And you are?” Hawk asked softly.

“John Anderson, Brian Kinney is my brother and I’m warning you, we will sue you for slander if you print anything...”

“Mr. Anderson, let me assure you, my article will be a positive one and only about the Center itself. If I do mention Brian Kinney, it will only be to give him credit for having the forethought of thinking up the idea for the clinic,” Hawk said quickly.

“What changed your mind?” John asked, his anger all but dispelled.

“The Jason Kemp alumni and the Center’s supporters. No matter what I may personally think about Brian Kinney, I can not dispute the facts. But mainly, I can read the writing on the wall,” Hawk said as he cocked his head toward the poster under picture of the clinic’s namesake.

John nodded his head then rejoined his family.

 

*****
 

After a few hours, the reunion was winding down. Before leaving, the graduates each gave their heartfelt thanks to Hunter, Karen and to Brian and his family. Dennis Hawk had his interviews and was preparing to leave as well. He cornered Brian who was speaking with Lacy.

“You still want to take a shot at me?” Brian asked Hawk.

“No. It would serve no purpose other than get me in a hell of a lot of trouble with several prominent people, including a family court judge and a lawyer known for advocating for the underdog. I just want to know one thing.”

“And that is?” Brian could only surmise what that one thing was.

“Is it true you gave up tricking?”

“Yes.”

“I was a pretty good fuck, back then, still am,” Hawk said as a come-on but with a tone of defiance.

“I don’t doubt it,” Brian said in a dolce voice. He had had thousands of nameless fucks. Some better than others, some downright pathetic.

“So why were you such an asshole with that one time only rule?” Hawk asked as Justin walked over to them to stand at Brian’s side. Brian smiled softly at Justin.

“Because, why settle for pretty good, when I already have the best,” Brian replied as he bussed Justin’s temple. Draping his arm over Justin’s shoulder Brian led his family out of the clinic and on to home.

–end--
 

Return to All About Brian