Before the Fall

Chapter 12
 

“I think we have much the same ideas about things,” Brian observed as he and Todd walked out of the garden center.

“Who would have thought…?” Todd joked.

“The ultimate bottom and the total top,” Brian chuckled.

“Total?” Todd asked with a quizzical look.

“Well, nobody’s total anything,” Brian admitted.

“Yeah, I know.”

“You mean…?”

“Occasionally, but not for a long time.”

“No one new in your life?” Brian asked.

“I was getting heavy into the bar scene again in Chicago, before I took the trip back to Pittsburgh. I think I’m getting a little old for that, but…”

“It’s hard to meet someone,” Brian supplied.

“You could say that,” Todd admitted as they got into Justin’s SUV.

“Maybe the new scenery out here will provide someone.”

“I don’t know where I could meet anyone around here.”

“It is kind of the middle of nowhere,” Brian laughed. “But there’s a little gay bar that I know of called the Honey Bear.”

“I like the name,” Todd said with a grin.

“I’ll give you directions.”

“I thought you might like to go with me.”

“Justin might not approve of that,” Brian said with a shake of his head and a sheepish grin. That sounded so hetero.

“You could bring Justin.”

“We don’t really do the bar scene much anymore.”

“I understand,” Todd replied.

“What do you understand?” Brian asked with a frown.

“You’ve settled down.”

“I haven’t settled for anything!” Brian said vehemently. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Todd said quickly.

“You didn’t, but get this straight. I’m not the Brian Kinney you used to know.”

“I kind of figured that out,” Todd said. He watched Brian out of the corner of his eye. This definitely was a new and different Brian Kinney. Todd was pretty sure it was a Brian Kinney that he could work with, and one that he might even grow to like.

They rode in silence to Camp Little Flowers.

 

*****
 

“Dada!” Bree screeched as the SUV pulled into the parking lot at the camp.

“Hey, Squirt,” Brian smiled as Bree barreled over to him and threw her arms around him. “Miss me?”

“Yep, did you miss me?” Bree asked with a grin.

“It was awfully quiet around Edna’s Treasures without you.”

“Did Riley finish my piano?”

“Nope, but he said it should be done in a few days.”

“’Kay,” Bree said with a sigh.

“Bree, this is Todd. We’re going to work together on landscaping.”

“I love gar-gar,” Bree said with a giggle. Then she held out her hand, which Todd was smart enough to take and shake genteelly.

“It’s very nice to see you again, Miss Bree,” Todd replied. He remembered her from the parade in Pittsburgh, walking proudly with her daddies. “Have you done much gar-gar?”

“All my life,” Bree said emphatically.

Todd chuckled. “That must be why your Dada said you consulted with him on some of his gardens.”

Bree bobbed her head. “I like to help. Dada needs me sometimes.”

“You got that right, Squirt.”

Bree smiled broadly, just as Patrick ran up to them.

“Hi, Uncle Bri. I’m ready to go home.”

“Before we leave, Patrick, I’d like you to meet Todd. This is my brother’s son, Patrick. You may remember him from the PRIDE parade too.”

“Hello, Patrick,” Todd replied.

“Hi.”

“Let’s get cracking,” Brian said. So far they hadn’t seen Winona or her mother. If they left immediately, maybe they wouldn’t.

“Mr. Kinney, how are you?” Mrs. Vanderbrot called as she hustled across the parking lot. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“Thanks,” Brian said and left it at that.

“And, Bree, you’re looking lovely as always,” she added giving Bree a cursory glance. “Have you seen Winona?”

“She’s coming out of the main building over there,” Patrick informed the woman. He pointed to Winona who was standing on the porch apparently looking for her mother. “Don’t we need to get going, Uncle Bri?” he asked.

“Right! We do,” Brian said quickly as they all climbed into the SUV.

“Winona, dear!”

They could all hear Mrs. Vanderbrot shouting, as Brian gunned the vehicle out of the lot.

 

*****
 

“So, how was your first day at Part Deux?” Brian asked as the family was all seated around the table in the sun porch.

“Piece of cake,” Gus said with a grin. “Having interned at Kinnetik, I knew all the stuff we did today. I’m going to have a great month there.”

“Is that so?” Brian asked with a frown. He had hoped Gus would like working at Part Deux, but this seemed like Gus found it all too easy, that he might not get anything out of working there.

“I remember when I interned at Vangard,” Justin said with a soft smile.

“Orange is the new blue,” Brian whispered. Justin smiled at him.

“Um, what does that mean?” Todd asked. They had invited Todd to stay for dinner.

“That was a very profound statement by a very inexperienced young intern,” Brian said pointedly.

Justin laughed. “I was inexperienced, but when the Eyeconics woman…”

“Eyeconics bitch!” Brian corrected.

“When the Eyeconics executive,” Justin said giving Brian the look that meant for him to shut up, “…didn’t like the colors in her latest ad campaign, I merely observed that orange was the new blue.”

“And nearly cost me the fucking account,” Brian added.

“I beg to differ,” Justin retorted. “I got that account for you. She loved the ads with orange as the dominant color. They really stood out.”

“Wow!” Gus said. “Maybe I can contribute something like that at Part Deux.”

“Don’t count on it, Sonny Boy,” Brian reminded him.

“What? Can’t I give input?”

“When it’s asked for.”

“But Justin just said that…”

“What Justin did nearly got his internship ended,” Brian snarked.

“Except that he had an ‘in’ with the boss,” Gus replied with a big grin.

“And you don’t,” Brian reminded him.

“Not with Scott, but I do with you.”

“And I’ll fire your ass if you do anything out of line.”

“You wouldn’t…” Gus said with shock on his face.

“Gus, I expect you to be on your best behavior…”

“So, Ray, how was your first day working with Bobby?” Justin asked, changing the subject. He could see a fight, or at the least, hurt feelings looming if he allowed things to keep going the way they were.

“It was great!” Ray replied. “I did filing and read some stuff for Bobby.”

“That’s called research,” Bobby laughed.

“Oh, okay,” Ray laughed. “I think I’m going to really like it.”

“And how was camp?” John asked the children.

“Good,” Patrick replied.

“Okay,” Bree added.

“Just okay?” John questioned.

“It was okay, but I’d rather play my piano,” Bree said, giving Riley her best longing look.

“A few days more, Miss Bree,” Riley said. “A few days more.”

“Okay,” Bree said with a smile.

Everyone looked at the impatient little girl, and then got back to eating their dinner.

 

*****
 

“Isn’t that Moonlight Sonata,” Drew asked as he came through the front door. He was delivering a fresh batch of popovers to the family as per Emmett’s express instructions.

“Yes, it is. It was my partner’s favorite,” Riley explained without looking up.

“It’s beautiful, although A flat sounds a little flatter to me.”

“You have a good ear. I have a little more fine tuning to do but this old girl is almost ready for the princess.”

“I’m sure Bree will be happy to hear that.”

“You play?”

“Yes, but no way near as good as you.”

“Why aren’t you giving Bree her lessons?”

“I’m not that good with little girls,” Drew said with a chuckle then explained to Riley all about the Christmas tree incident.

“Can I buy you a cup of coffee? It’s time for a break and those popovers smell heavenly. Brian keeps a fresh pot on for me.”

“I could go for a cup. And they taste just as good as they smell. Emmett has a way with flour.”

“I bet he does. You two been together long?” Riley asked as he poured two mugs and got a couple of plates for the popovers.

“Yes and no. I met him on the night of my engagement party.”

“Engagement party? Oh yes, I do seem to recall you made quite a stir when you came out.”

“Emmett was partially responsible for that. He insisted on honesty and I had some trouble giving it to him. He was also ready to settle down.”

“And you weren’t.”

“Not by a long shot. But after a few years of sowing my wild oats and with a little help from Brian, we met up again. This time it was for keeps.”

“And you have a son.”

“Foster son, but he feels like ours. He was caught cross-dressing by his parents and they threw him out.”

“Shit!”

“I know. It’s taken him a while to learn how to trust again. But he’s getting there.”

“He’s got a great set of examples to learn from. From what I saw at the barbecue, your family is very loving.”

“Yeah, it is. Anyway, I don’t want to keep you from your work,” Drew said. Break time was over.

“Before you leave, play something for me. It helps me to hear someone else play.” Drew nodded then sat on the piano bench. He gently caressed the keys before positioning his hands to play. Drew then regaled him with the Fur Elise. Riley closed his eyes, listening with his heart as well as his ears.

“You should play more often, you’re very talented,” Riley commented when Drew finished.

“Thank you. It never dawned on me to take up playing again when I retired from the game. I’ll think about it,” Drew said as he got up from the bench. “We’ll see you guys later at dinner,” he said as he left Riley to his fine tuning.

 

*****
 

“Ashley, do you think your mommy will let you sleep over this weekend?” Bree asked her best friend while they were eating lunch.

“I don’t know. She was mad when we tried to make the play date the last time.”

“When my daddies pick me up I’ll ask them if it’s okay, and then they can call your mommy,” Bree said upon reflection. She didn’t like it when her daddies got mad at her.

“Okay, that sounds good,” Ashley said. The girls finished their lunch then got back to their groups.

 

*****
 

“Hi, Justin,” Susanna St. John waved as Justin pulled up to the camp.

“Hi! It’s been ages since I’ve seen you,” Justin said with a smile.

“I know and I’m sorry. Between the work I’ve been doing on the house and the refresher courses that I’ve been taking, I’ve been rather anti-social lately.”

“Refresher courses?”

“I’ve been hired for the new school!” Susanna said with a big smile. “I’ve been out of work for so long that I thought I should take a few refresher courses to help me get back in the swing of things.’

“Makes sense. I’m so happy for you,” Justin said as he gave Susanna a hug. Just then the girls came running over.

“Hi, Daddy! Hi, Mrs. Susanna.”

“Hi, Mr. Justin,” Ashley said then gave Bree a poignant look.

“Daddy, Mrs. Susanna, can Ashley sleep over at my house this weekend. I’d really like to show Ashley my new piano. PLEASSSSE!”

“Pleassse,” Ashley echoed.

The girls looked up at their parents with longing.

“It’s fine with me; we don’t have any plans and they did ask,” Susanna said.

“Let me check it out with Brian but I have no objections,” Justin agreed.

“Yay!” the girls shouted as they jumped up and down. “Thank you!”

Justin and Susanna smiled then took their excited daughters home.

 

*****
 

“Dad,” Gus said as he helped his father carry dirty dishes into the kitchen after dinner.

“Yes, son,” Brian said with a smirk.

Gus shook his head and had to smile. “Have you heard anything from Mom?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“She hasn’t called me to see how my first few days at Part Deux were going. That’s … not like her.”

Brian frowned. “No, it isn’t.”

“JR says they haven’t been calling her at Uncle Michael’s either. Do you think something could have happened to them?”

“You mean like … they killed each other?” Brian asked.

“It’s not funny, Pop. I’m worried.”

“I know. But phones work both ways.”

“You mean I should call them?” Gus asked.

Brian nodded. “If you want to know, make the call.”

“Yeah, I guess I should.”

“On the other hand, if you don’t want to know, you don’t have to call,” Brian reminded him.

“I’ll call,” Gus said taking his phone out of his pocket. “Tell Ray I’m in my room if he’s looking for me.”

Brian nodded and watched his son open his phone as he walked down the hall towards his bedroom. He hoped the news Gus received wouldn’t be too upsetting to Gus or his sister.

“Mom?” Gus said into the phone as someone picked up.

“Yes, lambskin, how are you?” Lindsay asked. Her voice sounded almost normal but not quite. He could feel the tension radiating over the miles.

“I’m fine, but I’m kind of worried about you and Mama.”

“You shouldn’t worry,” Lindsay said with a sigh.

“So, you guys are okay?”

“As good as can be expected.”

“What … does that mean?”

“We … hardly speak, but physically she’s fine.”

“And you?”

“Physically fine,” Lindsay repeated.

“Can I speak to Mama?” Gus asked.

“She’s not here right now.”

“Is she there at all?” Gus asked dreading an affirmative answer to that question.

“Sometimes.”

“But … she sleeps there, right?”

“Yes, in JR’s room.”

“Mom, I’m really sorry. Do you want me to talk to her?”

“And say what?” Lindsay demanded. “Sorry, but this is such bullshit. She’ll never change.”

“You’ve known what she’s like, Mom.”

“Yeah, and I always hoped for change. Sometimes it seemed like we were moving in the right direction, but now…”

“Don’t give up, Mom.”

“I’ll try.”

“If I can do anything, or you want to talk to me, you know where I am.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

“Bye, Mom.”

“Bye,” Lindsay said wearily and cut the connection.

Gus realized he didn’t get an ‘I love you’ or even one comment about his job. Things must be really bad at home.

 

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