Blasts From the Past

Chapter 4

“I’m sorry you’re not happy about me inviting Leda to dinner, but I couldn’t be rude,” Melanie said, as they set the table in preparation for dinner.

“Since when?” Lindsay retorted, folding the napkins.

“She’s an old friend. And where do you get off inviting Brian without telling me?’

“We had a meeting about Gus.”

“Gus? What about?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Lindsay replied.

Melanie frowned. “Is there enough food or do I need to make something else?” Dinner was almost ready.

“It’s fine. We have plenty,” Lindsay said with a sigh, checking on what was in the oven. “Let’s try to be gracious with both of our guests.”

“I will if you will,” Melanie responded.

“Great!” Lindsay snarked.

The doorbell rang at that moment. “I’ll get it,” Melanie said as she headed out of the kitchen.

“If it’s Brian, be nice,” Lindsay called to Melanie. “And if it’s Leda, lock the door,” she muttered to herself.

“Leedz, come in,” Melanie said as she opened the front door.

Leda pulled her old flame into a warm hug. Melanie couldn’t help but respond in kind. After a minute they pushed back looking each other up and down appraisingly.

“Leda, how nice to see you again,” Lindsay said as she came up behind the pair. “You’re looking … good.”

“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself.” Leda leaned over and kissed Lindsay’s cheek.

“It sure was a surprise when Melanie said you were in town.”

“Business,” Leda replied.

“You were going to tell me all about that,” Melanie said.

“After I see Gus. He must be what…? Twelve?” Leda asked.

“Try almost eighteen,” Lindsay laughed. “Gus, JR, come down here,” she called up the stairs.

The two children came slowly down the steps to meet the woman who had arrived. They shook Leda’s hand and made nice with the stranger.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” Leda asked Gus. Gus shook his head. “You were just a little baby the last time I saw you.” Gus smiled not knowing what to say. “And you’re growing into quite the young lady,” she told JR, eliciting a smile from the girl. “You look a lot like your mother.”

JR grinned. She knew her mother was beautiful.

The doorbell rang again and Gus said he would get it knowing it was his father. The others were ushered into the living room.

“Pop,” Gus said as he gave his father a hug. “Did you talk to her?”

“I’ll tell you later, Sonny Boy.”

“Okay, um, there’s someone else here,” Gus said uncertainly.

“Oh?” Brian replied as he stepped from the entry hall into the living room. “We meet again,” he said tongue in cheek. “What’s it been, a few hours since I saw you?”

Melanie and Lindsay looked from Brian to Leda and back again. They couldn’t figure out what was going on with the two.

“Brian is the business I was talking about,” Leda said being deliberately obtuse about the situation.

“What kind of business?” Lindsay asked with ice in her voice. She knew there had been some kind of attraction, and sparring, between these two when they had first met.

“I’ve hired Brian to do the new ad campaign for the revolutionary motorcycle that my company will be launching soon.”

Mouths dropped, no one said anything, nobody seemed to breathe, as they tried to digest what Leda had just said.

“Are we eating … or what?” Brian asked after a minute. “I have places to go, things to do.”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Lindsay said as she headed for the kitchen. “If I can digest anything I eat after that bombshell,” she muttered as she started pulling things out of the stove and the refrigerator.

The dinner went by much more smoothly than anyone could have predicted. Leda explained about her motorcycle business and her new project. Brian tossed in some bon mots about how his incredible advertising skills would make sure Leda’s new motorcycle was a big fat fucking success. The children talked about their schooling and plans for next year. Melanie and Lindsay filled Leda in on what they were doing with their jobs.

“We’re all successful and beautiful,” Brian declared as he drank his coffee. “Now that we’ve established that, I have to go. I have a little princess at home who’s waiting for me to tuck her in.”

“I didn’t know Justin still needed tucking in,” Leda said with a grin, “although, he is so much younger than you.”

Brian glared at her, as Gus spit out his milk, some coming out his nose.

“Sorry,” Gus laughed as he wiped his face.

“Seriously, I’d love to meet your daughter and see Justin again,” Leda proclaimed.

“Hm,” Brian replied as he stood up. He wasn’t making any promises.

“I guess I should be going too,” Leda said.

They made their way to the front door.

“Thanks for dinner,” Brian said hugging Gus and JR. “Talk to you soon, Sonny Boy.”

Leda hugged Melanie and gave her a big smooch. Lindsay did not look pleased. Melanie merely smiled.

“I can drop you at your hotel,” Brian offered.

“Thanks,” Leda said with a smile. They walked out together. “I think we blew them away with our news,” Leda laughed.

“I always blow them away,” Brian said tongue in cheek as they got into his Corvette.

 

*****
 

Leda smiled when Brian pulled up to the Plaza; it was the finest hotel in town. Brian correctly assumed that Leda was staying there.

“Would you like to come up for a drink?” Leda asked suggestively.

“As tempting as that sounds, I have two very special blonds waiting for me at home,” Brian countered.

“Brian Kinney, gay Pittsburgh’s premiere stud, a husband and father. You’ve shaken my belief system to the core.”

“How so?” Brian asked as he turned in his seat to face Leda.

“There are certain constants in my life.”

“Which are?”

“My motorcycles are the best in their class. Mel stubbornly hangs on to the notion that she belongs in that so-called monogamous relationship, and Brian Kinney would always be a slut until his dick fell off.” Brian burst out laughing, much to Leda’s surprise. She had expected a verbal assault.

“Well, two out of three ain’t bad. Leda, believe it or not, somewhere along the way I found that I actually enjoy my monogamous life with Justin. And that finding a way for him to father a child only enhanced our lives. Look, I’m not preaching. I’d be the first to say that if I was still the Brian Kinney you knew, I would have never considered having the life I have now. At risk of sounding like a cliché, I grew up. Justin was a big part of that happening.”

“Wow. You just blew me away. But I still don’t believe that you’re not led around by your dick. You’re still one hot fucker. I’m sure there are a lot of men...”

“And women.”

“And women, who would sell their soul for a night with Brian Kinney.”

“Maybe, but then if I did that it would be at risk to my soul.”

“I still don’t believe it.”

“Then why don’t you come to dinner Friday night. We’ll make it a working weekend.”

“You’re inviting me to your home?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Aren’t you afraid I may crawl into your bed?”

“Nah, you may find your path barred by a very big dog or the princess. So you better be on your best behavior.”

“She’s that special?”

“Just like her Daddy.”

“Good night, Brian,” Leda said as she got out of the 'Vette.

“Night.” Brian watched Leda as she entered the hotel. He drove around the block then pulled over to take out his cell.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself. Is the Squirt still awake?”

“Yes, and she’s waiting for you.”

“There shouldn’t be too much traffic on the road now.”

“Good, it’s not too late; I’ll let her wait up. But no speeding, safety first.”

“A day without your PSA’s is like a day without my Sunshine.”

“Oh that’s bad, Brian,” Justin said as he giggled.

“Yeah, I know,” Brian agreed, also laughing. “Later.”

“Later.”

 

*****
 

Michael walked into the restaurant. It was late to be eating, but he had promised to be there. He had hoped to convince Ben to come with him, but Ben had declined saying that it was Michael’s business and he needed to take care of it himself.

Glancing around the restaurant, he saw Hank sitting in a booth near the back. Lots of privacy, Michael thought. He drew in a breath and headed towards Hank, before the hostess had returned from seating other customers.

“Hello,” Michael said as he slid into the booth across from Hank.

“Hi, I’m glad you decided to come. I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind.” He looked at his watch to make Michael aware that he was late.

Michael almost grinned. Hank had undoubtedly learned that from his father. If you could put people on the defensive, you had the power. He wasn’t going to play that game … anymore.

“Would you care for a drink, sir?” their waitress asked as she approached the table.

“Um…” Michael looked at the glass of wine Hank had almost finished. “I’ll have a beer, whatever’s on draft,” Michael said, deciding he wasn’t going to have wine like Hank had. He never had taken to wine, even though he had pretended he enjoyed it and understood all that David had tried to teach him about it. Beer was still his drink, and that’s what he would have.

“I’ll have another glass of wine,” Hank said, “then we’ll order.”

The waitress disappeared to get their drinks.

“Hank…”

“I know, Michael. You think I’m nuts coming back here and trying to connect with you again.”

“I just don’t understand what you want.”

“I’ll tell you about that, but first I need to tell you something else.”

“Oh, what’s that?” Michael asked as his beer was set down in front of him. “I’ll have the sirloin, medium rare,” he said deciding it might be easier to talk, or not talk, if they had food in front of them.

Hank placed his order for a steak too and took a sip of his wine. “I want to tell you that I’ve always remembered that day we spent together when I came to visit my father in Pittsburgh. It was one of the best days of my life.”

Michael frowned. Hank had hinted at that before. “That was a long time ago.”

“Yeah, and the fact that I remember it so fondly should tell you something.”

“I guess…” Michael replied uncertainly.

“I’m a chiropractor like Dad,” Hank supplied. “I’m thinking of opening a practice here.”

“In Pittsburgh?”

Hank nodded. “My father wanted me to join his practice in Portland, and I did for a while. But…”

“But you were under his thumb,” Michael offered.

“Yeah, see, I knew you’d understand,” Hank said with a smile.

“Your father is a bit of a control freak,” Michael admitted with a little chuckle.

“Why did you and he break up?”

Michael thought for a minute. There were a lot of answers to that question. “When I moved to Portland with David, I left everything I knew and everyone I cared about behind.”

“Except for Dad.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t really want me to work once we got there. He would have been happy for me to be a stay-at-home wife.”

“But that wasn’t for you.”

“I felt pretty useless. I didn’t really fit in with David’s friends, and I had none of my own. If I complained, I got an ultimatum about how I should do something about what was bothering me. I finally did something. I moved back here.”

“Do you ever regret that decision?”

“No, no I don’t.”

“Have you got a partner?”

“Yes, Ben, he’s a wonderful man,” Michael said with a big smile.

“I can see that you love him. Did you ever feel like that with my father?”

Michael frowned deeply. He had tried to tell himself that he loved David, and he had thought he did. “No,” Michael said slowly, “I never felt for your father what I feel for Ben.”

Hank nodded knowingly as he dug into his steak. They ate in silence for awhile.

“Hank, why Pittsburgh?” Michael asked after a bit.

“I don’t know. You’re here. It’s away from my father.”

“But it’s where he used to be,” Michael said gently. “Wouldn’t you be better going somewhere completely new?”

Hank shrugged as he pushed his partly eaten dinner away. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve taken two months holiday so I can make some decisions.”

“What does your father think about that?”

“He’s not happy, but I told him I’m not coming back to his practice,” Hank said firmly.

“He would have loved hearing that.”

“Oh yeah!”

“What does your mother think?”

“She’s on her fourth husband. She barely remembers I’m alive. Lucky if I get a birthday card.”

Michael shook his head. “That’s too bad. Are you … involved with anyone?”

Hank grinned, but it held no humor. “No, and I don’t even know what sex I would choose, that is, if I had a choice.”

Michael looked up in surprise. He pushed his plate aside too. “You’re a nice looking guy, Hank. It shouldn’t be that hard.”

“I … how did you know you were gay?”

“I … just knew.”

“Well, I don’t,” Hank said shaking his head.

“You could be bi,” Michael suggested. “Or maybe you haven’t met the right guy or gal.”

“Yeah, I’m sure my future is out there just waiting to find me,” Hank said sarcastically.

“It probably is,” Michael said trying to be reassuring.

“My father knows he’s gay. Why don’t I?” Hank asked, the worry evident in his voice.

“Your father pretended to be straight for years. He told me that,” Michael informed the young man.

“Yeah, that was when he was with my mother. I don’t want to do that to some poor woman.”

“But they produced you, and that’s a good thing,” Michael said reaching across the table and squeezing Hank’s wrist.

“Thanks, thank you for saying that, Michael,” Hank said obviously choked up.

“Don’t make any hasty decisions about taking a practice here in Pittsburgh … or about your sexuality,” Michael advised.

The waitress brought the bill at that moment. Hank cleared his throat and grabbed the paper. “This is on me.”

“Really, you don’t have to,” Michael protested, reaching for the check. He remembered all those times he had tried to pay for things and David wouldn’t let him.

Hank pulled the check out of Michael’s reach. “It’s my treat. I’m paying. And I do appreciate everything you’ve told me tonight.”

“I … I didn’t do anything,” Michael protested.

“You talked to me like a man, and you didn’t try to tell me what to do. I appreciate that.”

Michael nodded. “Okay,” he said feeling quite proud of himself for having elicited that comment from his young companion.

“Michael, I’ve been alerted to a practice that’s for sale in Philadelphia. I’m going there tomorrow to have a look.”

“I think a place other than Pittsburgh might be better for you,” Michael counseled.

“Who knows? Maybe it will be everything I ever wanted.”

The waitress brought back Hank’s credit card and he signed for their dinners.

“Thanks for dinner,” Michael said as they made their way out of the restaurant.

“Would … would it be okay if I stayed in touch with you?” Hank asked.

“Sure. I want to hear about what you decide to do.”

“At least you’re interested,” Hank replied sarcastically.

“Hank…”

“Sorry, but it’s the truth. I’ll stop by your store when I get back from Philadelphia,” Hank said.

“Okay, you’re one of my best customers.”

Hank laughed and Michael watched him walk away down the street. He suddenly felt very good about himself and what he had said to Hank.

 

*****
 

“Dada, is camp really almost over?” Bree asked her father as he was tucking her into her bed. It was almost mid August and although camp still had a couple more weeks to go, the parents of Edna’s Treasures decided to spend the last two weeks together as a family. Gus was scheduled for another orientation. This time Brian, et al, wanted to accompany him.

“Yes, Squirt, it’s almost over. Gus is going away to school soon, and your Daddy and I want to see the college with Gus. We’re all going to go. Uncle John has never seen Penn State, so he and Uncle Bobby...”

“And Patrick?”

“And Patrick, are coming too.”

“Yee Haw!” Bree cried out, sounding so much like her blond father. Brian grinned from ear to ear.

“So you see, Squirt, if you and Patrick stayed in camp, we wouldn’t all be able to go.” Brian hoped the logic of the situation would be evident to his very perceptive and logical daughter.

“Oh, okay, Dada.” Brian kissed his very logical daughter good night. “Dada, can Daddy read me a story?”

“Sure, Squirt. I’ll send him in. Night, Bree.”

“Night, Dada.”

“She’s waiting for her story,” Brian remarked as he went into the kitchen for a beer. Justin was at the refrigerator getting himself a glass of juice.

“Do you know which one she wants tonight?”

“Not a clue. But listen, when you’re done, come up to the office. I want to update you on a new campaign I’m working on.”

“You don’t normally discuss your campaigns with me. What’s up?”

“Later. The princess wants her Daddy first.”

Curious, but knowing he’d learn about it soon enough, Justin acknowledged the summons to the inner sanctum with a nod, finished his juice then went to do the princess’ bidding.

“I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Kinney,” Brian’s conscience mumbled a warning as Brian took his beer up to the attic office.
 

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