Fractalized

Chapter 8
 

“Dada,” Bree said, as she pulled the pot of mums over to her father where he was making a hole for it in the garden.

“Yes, Squirt.”

“Where’s Daddy?”

“He’s in Pittsburgh putting the finishing touches on his project.” Justin had left for Pittsburgh again that morning and wouldn’t be back until later that night. He said that he and the twins were getting close to being finished with the fractal project. Brian wished.

“I like it better when he’s here,” Bree said. Even though she had been enjoying doing gar-gar with her Dada after school, she still liked having both her fathers around.

“Me too, Squirt.”

“I want him to be finished now,” Bree declared.

“I wouldn’t mind that myself.”

Brian stuck the plant into the ground and tamped the soil down around it. He stood up and surveyed his handiwork. The new row of mums looked great, he thought. He liked the colorful kale that he had used strategically through the garden as well. The autumn colors were brilliant.

“So, what d’ya think, Squirt? Did we do a good job?”

“Pretty, Dada,” Bree said giving her father a big smile of approval.

Brian always felt his heart jump when his daughter smiled like that. It reminded him so much of his lover, his husband, his friend, his missing mate. Brian gave himself a shake. “Let’s water these puppies and then we can go get cleaned up for dinner.”

“’Kay, Dada,” Bree agreed. “Hungry.”

“Yeah, I think I could eat too. We’ll go see what Uncle Bobby is making for dinner right after we water the new plants.”

“Yum,” Bree said with a giggle. She liked Uncle Bobby’s cooking, almost as much as her Daddy’s. Then she frowned. “Dada, are you going to get Gus a car for his birthday?”

“What?” Brian asked in surprise. The hose he had been directing into the newly planted mums shot up as he turned. He doused one of the windows of the sun porch. “Shit!”

Bree giggled. “Gus told me he hoped you were going to get him a car for his birthday.”

Brian opened his eyes wide. He had remembered that Gus’ birthday was coming … soon, but it would be there sooner than he had thought, in a little over a week. “A car?” Brian repeated. “He can’t even fucking drive yet.”

Bree giggled again. “What can I get Gus for his birthday?” Bree asked. “I don’t think I can get him a car,” she added seriously.

“No, Squirt, I don’t think a car’s in the cards for Gus right now.” He finished his watering and turned off the hose, cranking it back onto its reel.

“What can I give him then?” Bree asked again. “He really wants a car.”

“Maybe we can come up with something,” Brian said thoughtfully. “In the meantime, why don’t you make him one of your fabulous cards?”

Bree smiled. She liked that idea. “’Kay, Dada.”

“Let’s go get some dinner.”

Bree slid her hand into her father’s and they headed inside to clean up for dinner.

 

*****
 

Curtis and his new fathers were cleaning up from their first homemade dinner as a legal and official family. They had enjoyed their celebratory dinner at Pappagano’s after the petition for adoption had been approved the day before, but there was something very peaceful and warm about having dinner in their own home … together. Curtis was enjoying going around calling Raph and Hector “dad” at every opportunity. Everything was very rosy in the Angles/Sanchez/Samuels household.

Raph had never been happier and he had been thinking all day about how he might share that happiness with others. “I’ve been thinking,” Raph began.

“Ooh, Dad,” Curtis joked, “you’ll give yourself a headache.”

“Smart ass!” Raph laughed. “I was thinking of doing something nice for you, but maybe I better rethink my plan.”

“Something nice for me?” Curtis asked, no longer the smart aleck.

“That’s what I said,” Raph smiled.

“But adopting me was enough. Really!” Curtis said.

“That was something nice for all of us, and I think we should do something more to celebrate.”

“Like what?”

“A ‘Welcome to the Family Adoption Party’!” Raph said proudly.

“A party?” Hector asked in surprise. They had always kept pretty much to themselves. They had only a few close friends. “Who would you invite?”

“I thought we’d let Curtis make that decision. And of course, we’d ask Melanie and her partner, and Hunter and Karen,” Raph explained.

“Could … could I invite Gus and JR?” Curtis asked unsure about having a party. He’d never done this before.

“You can invite anyone you want,” Raph told him.

“And maybe Briana,” Curtis added.

“Isn’t she a little young for your party?” Hector asked.

“Yeah, she is, but she’s pretty mature for her age. And … she invited me to the first big party I’d ever been too. I’d like to repay her.”

“That’s … lovely, Curtis,” Hector said giving his son a hug.

“Thanks, but…”

“But what, Curtis?” Hector asked.

“Can we not have a party like the one Ms. Marcus had at her house? It was kinda … awful.”

“We’ll have whatever kind of party you want, Curtis. Pizza and sodas or shrimp and caviar,” Raph laughed. “It’s your call.”

“Definitely not shrimp and caviar. Yuck!” Curtis said.

Hector laughed. “How about a week Saturday for this party?” he asked. “I think that will give us enough time to notify everybody and arrange things.”

“Sounds good,” Raph agreed. “I’ll call Melanie. She can tell her whole family about the party.”

“I’ll contact Hunter. He can let Karen know,” Hector volunteered.

“I’ll call Bree’s parents,” Curtis offered.

The two men took out their cell phones and Curtis picked up the land line in the house.

 

*****
 

“I’m sorry, Curtis, but that’s the last night of the opening of Justin’s art show. We have to be at the gallery most of the day, and then we were going to have a little party of our own afterwards…but congratulations to you all. Be sure to tell Raph and Hector that.”

Brian hung up the phone as Justin walked into the sun porch. “Hey,” he grinned at his husband.

“Hey, yourself. Long time no see.”

“It hasn’t been that long, has it?” Justin asked screwing up his face.

“Seems like forever,” Brian replied pulling Justin into a warm hug.

“Forgive me?”

“If you make it worth my while.”

“Oh, I’d be happy to, right after you feed me.”

“You didn’t eat?” Brian asked. “You need to take care of yourself.”

“I will when you make me some of your delicious scrambled eggs … or something.”

“They do have restaurants in Pittsburgh, you know. I have that on good authority.”

“From a lady with a red wig and a loud mouth?” Justin laughed.

Brian nodded, as he pulled Justin into the kitchen and started beating some eggs. “Are you done?” Brian asked referring to the infamous project.

“Almost,” Justin said sheepishly.

Brian groaned. “How many times have I heard that lately?”

“We just want it to be perfect.”

“It seemed pretty perfect to me when I saw it last night.”

“There’s still some fine tuning we want to do,” Justin insisted. “Um … is Bree asleep?”

“Probably, she went to bed a while ago.”

“I’m going to kiss her good night.”

“Your eggs will be ready when you return, sire,” Brian joked as he dumped the bowl of eggs into the frying pan and put two slices of bread in the toaster.

Justin giggled and headed down the hall. When he returned Brian had his dinner set out at the kitchen table. He sat down and dug in.

“I was hungry,” Justin said after he had eaten several forkfuls.

“No kidding,” Brian snorted.

“Who were you on the phone with when I came in?”

“Curtis Samuels.”

“Curt…Curtis? The kid who mugged you?” Justin asked in disbelief.

“You would remind me,” Brian replied making a face at the memory. “Not one of my finer moments.”

“What did he want?”

“He’s been adopted by Raph and Hector. They had the hearing yesterday,” Brian informed him as he poured coffee for them both.

“That’s good. I’m happy for them,” Justin said finishing his eggs. “But why is he calling you?”

“They want to have a party to celebrate.”

“And he’s inviting you?” Justin asked in surprise.

“Well, I did forego charges against him. He’s a good kid. Gus likes him.”

“And he’s inviting you?” Justin repeated.

“Am I that unlikable?” Brian asked sarcastically.

“No, of course not, but why is he inviting you?”

Brian sighed. “He was inviting all of us, but especially Bree, since she invited him to her birthday party.”

“Oh, right, when is this party?”

“A week Saturday.”

“But that’s…”

“I told him we couldn’t attend.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Yeah, I was thinking we could include Gus’ birthday as part of our party for you,” Brian said looking up at Justin from under his eyelashes. “If that’s all right with you?” He sipped his coffee while he waited for Justin’s reaction.

“That’s a great idea,” Justin said with a smile. “Then it won’t all be about me.”

“I have news for you; it will be all about your new project when people see it.”

“You think so?” Justin asked, his smile beaming throughout the kitchen.

“I know so.”

“What are we going to get for Gus for his birthday?” Justin asked. He doctored the cup of coffee Brian had poured for him.

“Bree informed me this afternoon that Gus told her he wants a car.”

“A car? A fucking car?”

“But Bree didn’t think she could swing that.”

Justin spewed his coffee and almost choked. When he recovered, he looked at Brian. “You…You’re not thinking of getting him one, are you?”

Brian shook his head. “I don’t think he’s ready. He doesn’t even have a fucking license yet. Maybe next year.”

Justin breathed a sigh of relief. “So, what can we get him?”

“I was hoping you could think of something good.”

 

*****
 

“Hunter can’t come on Saturday,” Hector said as he came back into the kitchen, snapping his cell phone shut. “And Karen’s on duty at the clinic that day.”

Raph came in from the living room, carrying his cell phone. “Melanie is going to a closing of an art show at Lindsay’s gallery. They won’t be able to come.”

“It’s Justin Taylor’s art show,” Curtis informed them sadly. “So Mr. Kinney and Bree and Mr. Taylor won’t be able to come.” Curtis sighed. He had liked the idea of having a party.

“Then Gus probably won’t be available to either,” Raph said. “We’ll just have to try for another day.”

“How about the next Saturday?” Hector asked.

“We have to attend that conference we signed up for,” Raph reminded him.

“The next week?”

“I’ll be into midterms,” Curtis sighed.

“We’ll figure something out,” Raph said gently. The phone rang at that moment. Raph picked it up. “Hello?”

“Dr. Raph, I presume,” a familiar voice said.

Raph smiled. “Brian Kinney, nice to hear from you. I understand you can’t come to our party. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Congratulations to all of you. I think Curtis has found a good home.”

“Well, as long as we have your approval, I’m happy,” Raph laughed.

“Actually, it’s about the party that I’m calling.”

“Oh? Will you be able to make it after all?”

“No, I … I was hoping you hadn’t made too many plans because I have a proposal for you.”

“A proposal?” Raph frowned.

“I’m having a get-together at Emmett’s Place Too that night … for the closing night of the opening of Justin’s new art show. Don’t ask!” Brian laughed before Raph could say anything.

“Okay,” Raph said. “But I don’t understand.”

“Justin and I were just talking, and we’re going to make Gus’ birthday celebration that night too. He’ll be seventeen. Gus would want Curtis there. And well, we thought maybe you could combine your celebration of your new son as part of it too.”

“Really? But we wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t be intruding. Most of the people who were trapped here at the cottage at Christmas will be there, so you’ll know people. And the kids, JR, Bree and Gus will all be at the party. I hated having to turn Curtis down earlier, but we have most of this already arranged. I’d really like you to come and be part of it with us. We would like to celebrate Curtis’ new life too.”

“Let me talk to Curtis and Hector. I’ll get back to you.”

“Please do,” Brian said as he hung up.

Justin squeezed Brian’s hand. “You’re a good man, Brian Kinney.”

“Thanks to you, Mr. Taylor.”

 

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