Little Cabin on the Lane

Chapter 8



 

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Justin replied. “Where are you?”

“I haven’t a fucking clue,” came a very tired reply. Justin giggled. “It’s true!” Brian protested. “I don’t even know what day it is or the time.”

“It’s eleven in the morning here,” Justin informed his spouse.

“That’s helpful. Where is here?”

“I’m at the gallery, helping, sort of. Lindsay has it all under control. She really doesn’t need me. So I’ve been hanging out with Sidney, staying out of the way and reminiscing.”

“Do tell.”

“It’s kind of a turning point for the gallery. The Emerging Artist’s show is celebrating an anniversary of sorts; Emmett’s catering the affair like he did the first time with a French theme. Will you be back in time for it?’

“When is it?”

“The beginning of October.”

“I’ll be home way before then. Probably a lot sooner if I can only figure out what day it is,” Brian whined. Justin laughed outright.

“It can’t be that bad.”

“Sure it can. I got off the plane and it was mid-morning. Shane picked me up at the airport and the man’s been a slave driver ever since. He wouldn’t even let me check into my hotel first. He brought me to the office and allowed me to wash up a little. I barely changed clothes when he handed me the worst cup of coffee ever then shoved me back into the car and drove me to a meeting. You do remember that they drive on the wrong side of the road here.”

Justin broke out into gales of laughter. Brian ignored him and went on with his story.

“Whatever happened during our meeting must have been good because Shane was smiling and the client insisted on buying us tea at Harrods. That’s the last time I ever eat cucumber sandwiches.”

“You’ve had some adventure, haven’t you? How much longer are you staying?”

“Not much longer. Did Lindsay tell you that I’ll be seeing Chaaarles?”

“Yes, she did. She’s sending him a few more canvases and some of my sketches.”

“Did she also tell you that he and Shane are hosting a small party in the gallery for the Isles clients?”

“She mentioned it.”

“Don’t you want to be here to explain your masterpieces?”

“Not particularly.” Brian said nothing, waiting for Justin to continue. “Brian, this is for Kinnetik Isles, the gallery is just the venue. Besides, you know my masterpieces, as you call them, almost better than I do. If anything requires explaining, I’m sure you can handle it.”

“Justin, you know I’ll put you on the next plane, just say the word.”

“I know but I think I’m needed here.”

“What’s going on?” Brian said with a bit of concern.

“Nothing much at the moment but I have a feeling it’s the calm before the storm.”

“Waxing poetic, eh, Sunshine?” Justin grumbled something a bit off color. “Language, Sunshine,” Brian chuckled. Someone speaking in the background was trying to get Brian’s attention. “Hold on, Justin,” Brian said as he covered the phone for a second. “My slave driver is cracking his whip.”

“Kinky. Just don’t get used to it.”

“You’re the only one that can crack that particular whip,” Brian purred softly.

“Call me later tonight,” Justin quickly begged.

“It might be late,” Brian warned.

“I don’t care. I miss you. I want to hear your voice.”

“You got it, Sunshine. I love you,” Brian whispered.

“I love you. Later.”

“Later.”

 

*****
 

Michael paced back and forth behind the sofa. He had been home for about a half hour, waiting for Ben to come home too. He left JR running the store. He didn’t want her to hear what he was going to have to say to his husband. He kept running things through his head trying to decide how to present the problem to Ben. No matter what Michael came up with he knew Ben wasn’t going to like it. He would go into denial and get all defensive. Michael knew he had to get through to his husband before it was too late for their family.

Suddenly Michael heard the sound of a key in the front door of the house. Ben was home. He drew in a deep breath as the door opened. Deliberately he smiled even though he didn’t feel much like smiling.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Ben replied. “What’s going on?”

“Can’t I ask my handsome husband to come home early once in a while?” Michael asked. He kissed Ben’s cheek, deliberately trying to keep things light. It would get heavy soon enough.

“Your phone call didn’t sound like a request for a tryst,” Ben said.

“Oh?”

“It was a command performance. So what’s this all about?”

“Let’s sit down,” Michael replied. He knew he was delaying the inevitable, but he had to find the right words, and so far they seemed to be escaping him.

Ben stared at his husband but followed him to the sofa. Michael turned to face him but no words were forthcoming.

“This is about JR, isn’t it?” Ben asked stepping right into the can of worms that he knew was probably coming.

“Yes,” Michael simply said.

“What’s happened now? Is she taking a job at the Big Q?” Ben’s derisive tone really pissed him off. That comment was uncalled for.

Michael’s mouth dropped open. “I used to work at the fucking Big Q, Ben. There’s nothing wrong with an honest day’s work whatever it might be.”

Ben blanched. He knew he should have chosen his words more carefully, but his feelings had been so raw lately that things came out before he could think about their effect. “I … I’m sorry,” he said, and he truly was sorry. He shouldn’t have said any such thing.

“You should be sorry,” Michael contended. “If you feel as you do about JR and the Big Q, then how the fuck do you feel about me? I’m associated with both of them.” Michael crossed his arms on his chest and glared at Ben. This was not going at all the way he wanted it to.

“Michael…” Ben began. “I can’t help the way I feel about JR’s decision to work and not go to college. It’s just the way I am.”

“You know, Ben, sometimes you are so full of shit!”

“Wha…What?” Ben asked taken aback. He had never heard Michael speak to him like that.

“People can change if they want. It happens every day. Look at Brian. He’s changed so fucking much since he met Justin. If he can change, anyone can. You can.”

“But…”

“I know you don’t like that JR isn’t going to college. We’re all fully aware of that fact, since you feel the necessity of reminding us at every opportunity how you feel about it. You don’t have to do that, you know. You don’t have to keep showing your disappointment every time you look at her. It’s too much, Ben. It’s too fucking much.”

“What am I supposed to do – pretend that I’m happy she’s throwing her life away?”

“She’s not fucking throwing her life away. That’s the first fallacy of what you’re saying. She’s working at a good job, she’s a responsible member of society and she’s happy. Can’t you give her that?” Michael demanded.

“I want more for her,” Ben said lamely.

“I want the world for her,” Michael declared, “but I don’t tell her every day that she’s going about getting that in the wrong way. These are her decisions. She has a right to make them, and she has the right to be respected for her decisions.”

“But…”

“There is no BUT, Ben. There just isn’t. If things don’t change, we’re going to lose her altogether.”

“What do you mean?”

“JR had lunch with Maw today. She asked if she could go live with Maw. She said she can’t stand it here any longer.”

“She did?” Ben’s face fell. It finally hit him how much his words and looks might be hurting his daughter.

“She did, and she meant it.”

“Did Debbie say she could?”

“No,” Michael conceded. “Maw tried to redirect her into a better approach. You have to know how bad JR feels when she wants to move out. Something has to change.”

“Me, you mean.”

“Yes, you.” The time for sugar coating things was long past. “And there’s more.”

“Jesus! More?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, tell me,” Ben said with a sigh. He might as well hear it all.

“You remember the Rage story I brought up at breakfast?”

“Yes, what about it?”

“She told me that she thought the homophobic builder should be overeducated, not undereducated. He wanted to be an architect, but he wasn’t any good at it. Nobody liked his designs, so he was forced to work in construction. That’s why he’s so bitter and has no tolerance for anyone else.”

“Is she saying what I think she’s saying?” Ben asked. His face was angry at first, but then something that could be shame seemed to creep across it.

“What do you think she’s saying?” Michael asked. He needed to hear Ben say it.

“It … It sounds like she’s describing me. I wanted to be a writer, but nobody liked my stories all that much. Does she think I’m bitter and intolerant?”

“You have been bitter and intolerant with her,” Michael said softly.

Ben shook his head as that truth finally hit him too. “I guess I have been,” he said in a whisper. “And she figured that out all by herself?”

Michael nodded. “Our daughter is very smart, even without a college education.”

“How am I ever going to make this up to her?” Ben asked. He was truly at a loss as to what he could do.

Michael breathed a silent sigh of relief. It looked like his husband finally understood. “Maybe you can come up with an idea for Rage that would show her that you understand. That’s what she did with you.”

“Yeah,” Ben agreed. He was already trying to think of a way to make the homophobic builder with too much education and not enough compassion into a more sympathetic character.

“Any ideas?”

“I’m thinking,” Ben said.

Michael waited. He had some ideas about how this edition of Rage might play out, but this was Ben’s problem, and Michael wanted him to own it. The idea had to come from Ben. Michael went into the kitchen to start dinner. That would give Ben some time to think.

Michael had everything just about ready for dinner when JR came home. Ben had not moved from the sofa. He had been apparently lost in thought. Michael hoped he had come up with some brilliant idea about how to fix this mess.

“Hi, honeybun,” Michael said. “Everything all right at the store?”

“Yep, no problems. We did well today.”

“Great,” Michael responded. “Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes.”

“JR, will you join me for a minute?” Ben asked patting the sofa cushion next to him, indicating that JR should sit down. “I’d like to talk to you.”

“I’m not going to college, at least not right now,” JR said defiantly.

Ben shook his head. JR seemed to think that was all he could talk to her about. Michael was right. Things had to change. “That’s not what I want to talk about,” Ben replied gently. He was stung by the vehemence in JR’s tone.

JR threw him a disdainful look, but then walked over and sat down at the far end of the sofa as far away from Ben as she could be when they were both sitting on the same piece of furniture. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I had an idea about the Rage issue that we were discussing this morning.”

“So did I.”

“I know,” Ben said. “Michael told me.”

JR made a little face, but then asked, “What did you think of my idea?” She figured he was about to tell her how stupid it would be to make the builder overeducated. A person with education would never behave like that. She steeled her back, ready to tell him off.

“I … I thought it had great merit,” Ben said.

“You did?” JR asked, surprised that Ben would think anything she did was good.

“I thought maybe we could take it even further.”

“Really?” JR smiled for the first time since she came through the door of the house.

Ben smiled back. “Since this builder has a lot of education, maybe he could notice that the cement footings for the house are being made of inferior concrete. At first he doesn’t say anything thinking that Ken and Zephyr deserve to have their house fall down.” JR waited listening intently to what Ben had cooked up. “Soon he realizes that the person overseeing the building of the house is totally ripping off his clients. Everything he is doing involves cutting corners and using sub par materials. He tries to confront the boss. The boss has his goons beat him up, and he’s kicked off the job.”

“But, how does that solve anything?” JR asked.

“He realizes that he has a responsibility to stop his boss from doing the kind of things he’s doing. He goes to Zephyr, and Zephyr and Rage punish the boss with Rage’s mind control. The boss is forced to give them back their money and storms off, hopefully to build no more. Zephyr asks the homophobic builder if he will take over the project. It’s a new beginning for this guy, and he changes his ways. He can go on to build other houses.”

JR smiled. “I like it, but I think Zephyr should also realize that something’s wrong. After all, he’s not dumb. When he gets the visit from the homophobe, they can work together. He sees how great gay guys can be in bringing justice to the world. What do you think?”

“Brilliant,” Ben said with a huge smile. “You’re just brilliant!”

“I am?”

“Always have been,” Ben said meaning every word of it. “I’m so sorry I’ve been moping around making you feel bad about not going to college. I realize you’re doing exactly what you want to do, need to do. You’re great just the way you are.”

“Oh Ben!” JR sobbed as tears sprang to her eyes. “I’ve wanted you to say that to me for so long.”

“I know it’s been far too long in coming,” Ben said as he pulled JR into a warm hug. “I love you and I respect and I think you’re very smart. Never doubt any of that.”

“I won’t … from now on.” She kissed Ben’s cheek.

Michael watched them, feeling better than he had in weeks, months. “Dinner’s ready,” he said with a happy grin.

 

*****
 

John sent the last of the construction crew home with a wave as the last truck made its way to the gate. John smiled; his crew had had a very productive day. Once John put his foot down and followed his instincts, the work began in earnest. He had made the executive decision to stick with his original, if modified, plans for the cabin. A spacious living area with a stone fireplace as the major feature; a modest kitchen area with room for a dinette and an ensuite bedroom in the back for Ben and Michael. There would be two loft bedrooms with a full bathroom between them on the upper level. He planned the main level to incline down so that the whole structure looked like one level. The stone foundation rose up half way around the walls, meeting the logs that would construct the rest of the cabin.

John was pleased with the final design. And if anyone complained, to hell with them! Not that anyone would ever dare to complain. The family knew that John had the final word regarding the construction on the lane. Even Brian wouldn’t dare to contradict his brother. The brothers had similar tastes and vision when it came to their little piece of the world; Edna’s Treasures was their sanctuary. When the final plan was tacked to the special notice table set up in the front of the staging area, a cheer went up and the crew got to work. John even got a wink and a nod from Gordon. Yes, it was a very good day, John thought as he locked up the security fence.

“Phew, I stink!” John murmured as caught a whiff of himself. He was also covered in mortar. John had begun to instruct his young interns in the fine art of cementing stones together and of pointing. The irregular shape of the large stone presented a challenge but it was a good learning experience. Work was going well until one of the interns accidentally splattered one of John’s men with mortar. For the next fifteen minutes silliness ensued which left most of the men covered in dust and globs of cement. Considering the stress the men had suffered due to the constant changes in the design, John let the guys blow off steam. But before it got out of hand, John and Gordon put a halt to the battle. The men laughed, hosed themselves off then got back to work.

John looked down at his filthy clothes and then decided he’d take advantage of the shower in the greenhouse; this was exactly why he had the bathroom-mudroom built. He always kept a spare pair of jeans and a t-shirt in the mudroom, just in case. John didn’t want to risk tracking the difficult to clean up mortar and dust into his cottage.

“Much better,” John said to himself as he stepped out of the shower and dried off. He wrapped a towel around his slim hips then grabbed a second one to throw onto his head. He was rubbing the towel through his hair as he walked out of the mud room into the main greenhouse.

“Whoa!” John jumped, holding the towel around his waist in place. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting anyone to be in here,” John stammered. Todd and Tom were sitting on one of the stone benches that surrounded one of the flowerbeds. Todd quickly stood up.

“Um,” Todd mumbled, not knowing what to say as he admired the view.

“I’m sorry we startled you,” Tom calmly stated. “Todd has been educating me on the wonderful plants and flowers here in the greenhouse,” Tom stated nonchalantly. He was desperately trying not to notice John’s muscular upper body and toned abs.

“I’m sorry, I was covered in muck and decided to wash it off before I trailed it into the house,” John said by way of explanation. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

“No need to apologize, this is your home. We’re the guests,” Tom said.

“I wondered why you built a full bath in here,” Todd said half to himself.

“It was an afterthought, but one I easily incorporated into the plans. Brian loves to garden but it can be messy work. Plus, the full bathroom comes in handy with the amount of guests we have staying here on occasion. And considering the current expansion,” John said with a shrug. Tom and Todd nodded in agreement.

“It makes sense,” Tom said. “This building is not just a greenhouse. It’s almost an extension of your home,” he said as he stood up and slowly paced. “The way the arbor leads to the side doors from your garden and the front facade is similar to your cottage. It all fits,” Tom observed. John smiled; he liked when his designs were understood and appreciated.

“It’s time for me to get back to the house,” John announced. “Please stay as long as you like. Brian made this a special place, a peaceful place where someone can rest and reflect. He’d be happy to know that it was being enjoyed,” John said as he returned to the bathroom to dress.

“John,” Todd said before John disappeared into the bathroom. John stopped and turned. “Do you mind that I’ve been spending time here?” Todd asked almost hesitantly.

“Not at all. You’re welcome to spend as much time here as you’d like,” John responded sincerely before entering the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

“John’s a good man,” Tom stated.

“Yes, he is,” Todd agreed.

“They’re all very special people here, on this lane. Very special,” Tom repeated as he sat back down on the bench. “Todd…” Tom began as he turned to face the younger man.

“Tom, we’re acquaintances discovering that we have a few things in common. I’d like to think we’re becoming friends,” Todd wisely declared.

“Yes, we do have some things in common and I am enjoying your company. I’d be proud to consider you a friend,” Tom said with a warm smile.

“Then let’s leave it at that. I’m getting hungry,” Todd announced. “Are you hungry?” Tom nodded. “Then how about I buy you dinner?”

“Sure, where should we go?” Tom asked as he stood and began to follow Todd out of the greenhouse.

“It’s a bit of a drive, right outside of Bridgeton, a place called the Honey Bear. They have great food, good music, if you’re in the mood to dance, and it’s very gay friendly.”

“Sounds like heaven,” Tom quipped. “No pun intended,” he quickly added when he realized what he said. They both laughed, lightening up the mood.
 

*****
 

“What’s up with you? You’ve been distracted all evening,” Bobby said as he snuggled close to John. They had spent most of the evening helping Justin crate up some of his larger canvases for pick up. It was past ten before they crawled into bed.

“This thing with Tom and Todd has got me worried,” John replied.

“I wasn’t aware there was a thing between Todd and Tom.”

“Maybe I’m reading more into it than there is.”

“Maybe, but you usually are a good judge of character,” Bobby said.

“Except for this instance. I like both men very much. They both seem to be carrying a lot of pain and uncertainty. I don’t think it’s a good time for either of them to form a relationship.”

“Perhaps the only relationship that’s forming is just friendship,” Bobby said wisely.

“I hope so,” John murmured as he drew Bobby closer then kissed his lips. “Make love to me,” John whispered.

“Always,” Bobby whispered back against John’s inviting lips as Bobby began to make love to his spouse.
 

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