London Calling

Chapter 16

“Dada where are we going today?” Bree asked her father. The whole family was at the table enjoying another one of Cook’s filling breakfasts. It was Saturday; Justin and Lindsay weren’t required at the gallery for the weekend.

“Well, Squirt, I thought we’d all enjoy going to Bath and Stonehenge for the day,” Brian answered as he nibbled on his toast.

“But I already took a bath, Dada!” Bree grumbled as she was eating her bowl of porridge. The adults chuckled softly.

“Baby girl, Bath is a place,” Bree’s other father explained.

“It is?”

“Yes, a very old place,” John added. “The ancient Romans went there because they thought the water had healing powers and then as time passed the English nobles went there too for the water.”

“Oh. But do we have to spend the whole day looking at a bathtub?”

“No, princess, we’re going to Salisbury first then Stonehenge where your Daddy got his idea to make his henge,” Bobby said.

“Salisbury? Can we have lunch there?”

“Lunch?” Brian asked. They weren’t even through breakfast.

“Yes, Salisbury steaks!”

“I don’t think they have Salisbury steak there but I’m sure we can find something you’ll like, Bree,” Raymond assured the little girl whom he thought of almost as his own sister.

“Okay,” Bree said, smiling around her toast and jam.

 

*****
 

“Are we all ready?” Brian asked as he scanned the faces of his family getting nods and smiles in reply.

Gus and Ray were the official photographers for the family, each with their cameras and plenty of batteries and memory cards in their messenger bags. Justin had his own ever present messenger bag packed with sketch pads and pencils, as did Lindsay. Justin was encouraging Lindsay to ease her way back into creating art rather than just procuring and displaying it as she did for the Bloom gallery.

John had his own camera, hoping to take pictures of the English countryside with all its diverse architecture. He was also keeping a folder of pamphlets and other materials he was accumulating regarding the ancient buildings they were visiting. Bobby was hoping to take a tour of London to see Parliament but he was thrilled to be spending this time with his spouse and son touring the countryside.

“Then let’s get this show on the road!” Brian declared as he shepherded his family out of their temporary home and to the waiting cars.

A couple of hours later the drivers Stuart and Nathan had successfully navigated out of London to the village of Salisbury where the main feature, the cathedral stood in all of its majesty. The family got out of the cars to assemble on the green before entering the cathedral.

“Big, Dada!” Bree exclaimed as the large structure loomed in from of her. “Can we go in?”

“I think so but we should be quiet just in case there’s a mass going on,” John said as he pulled out his travel book with facts about England. “The oldest clock in Europe is inside,” John read to the family.

Brian and Justin extended out their hands to Bree who happily took them as she walked between her fathers toward the cathedral, while John read facts from his book out loud. Gus and Ray began to chronicle the day in pictures.

“That’s a big clock, Poppa!” Patrick said, stating the obvious.

The glass enclosed mechanism didn’t look much like a clock but apparently it was. And it held little interest for Bree. She was much more interested in the stained glass windows and the patterns they made on the floor when the sun shone through them. As the family slowly walked around, they noticed the tombs imbedded in the floor.

“More dead people,” Bree grumbled, deciding that visiting old churches in England wasn’t that much fun. She liked her Gamma Joan’s church where there was singing and no risk of stepping on graves.

“Hey, Squirt, why don’t you, me and Uncle Bobby explore the village? Your daddy and Auntie Lindsay want to sketch. Uncle John and Patrick seemed to be fascinated by the cathedral spire and the boys are...”

“Just being boys, Dada?” Bree said with a smirk.

“Yeah,” Brian replied with a similar smirk. “Let’s see what the shops have to offer,” Brian suggested. He, Bree and Bobby slowly strolled through the cobbled stone streets of the village for some window shopping.

 

*****
 

“What’s the matter?” Justin asked as he sat next to Lindsay on a pew. She was looking very frustrated at her sketch pad.

“I’ve been trying to sketch that window but it’s not right,” Lindsay said sadly as she compared her drawing to one of the large stained glass windows.

“I think it looks fine,” Justin said sincerely. “But can I make a suggestion?” he asked as he studied Lindsay’s sketch then gazed up at the window.

“Sure,” Lindsay said expecting the worst.

“Instead of drawing the whole window, why don’t you just sketch a small portion of it?”

“But shouldn’t the subject of what you’re drawing be complete?” she asked a bit confused by Justin’s suggestion.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why must it be the whole thing?”

“So you can remember it,” Lindsay said logically.

“If I wanted a picture to remember, I’d take one. As it is, Gus must have taken dozens of each window. How does the window make you feel?”

“Feel?”

“Yes, Lindz. Look at the panel with the angel. See the colors of the wings. Look at the floor, see how the patterns of light recreate the picture on the floor. It’s January and the sun isn’t that strong but hold your hand out. Can you feel the difference in the air temperature in the sunlight?”

Lindsay held out her hand. Gold, red and blues reflected warmly off her skin. She looked up again at the angel.

“Just feel and then draw maybe the angel’s foot or his face. Don’t worry about the whole piece, that’s what cameras are for.” Justin smiled softly at the unsure woman.

“I’ll try.”

Justin nodded then got up to give Lindsay some privacy. He walked over to where John and Patrick were standing, studying the altar area and the high vaulted ceilings.

“It’s beautiful; I could spend the whole day here,” John whispered reverently. Patrick wasn’t sure he wanted to spend the whole day in a church but he did like the ornately carved pews, the stone columns and the altar.

After a while Lindsay rejoined the boys to show Justin her sketch. She concentrated on the upper portion of the angel’s face and the halo. Justin smiled brightly.

“It’s beautiful, Lindsay!” John said. Justin and Patrick agreed.

“You really think so?”

“Yes, I think you’ve made a great start on your way back to your own creativity.”

“Thank you,” Lindsay said blushing then carefully closed her book to put it in her bag. “Maybe we should find the rest of the family.” The boys agreed and they all left to find Brian, Bobby and Bree.

 

*****
 

“That was very tasty,” John said as he pushed his dish away from him.

“English hot pot, real pub fare,” Bobby added. “I almost feel like I should be serving it.”

“It’s been a long time since you had to serve in a bar, Red,” Brian reminded him.

Bobby looked around the old pub where they were having lunch. It reminded him in some weird way of the Honey Bear where he used to be a server while he was putting himself through school.

“Missing all the butt pinches you used to get?” Justin asked with a grin.

“Not one bit!” Bobby reacted. “The tips weren’t bad though.”

“But they’re better at home?” John asked.

“One hundred percent. No going back for me.”

John smiled. “That’s what I like to hear.”

“You know we have a great life together, and a great son,” Bobby continued. Patrick beamed. “And an okay brother-in-law.”

“Don’t get too carried away with your praise,” Brian snarked.

“Just giving you a taste of your own medicine.”

“I never did like medicine,” Brian admitted.

“What about me, Unca Bobby?” Bree asked.

“Ah, yes, the best little niece in the whole wide world.”

“Thank you,” Bree said with one of those Taylor smiles that took your breath away.

Brian felt his heart melt as he looked at his perfect daughter. How had he got so lucky?

“Dada, you’re squishing me,” Bree said.

Brian realized he had pulled Bree into a hug and was literally crushing her against his chest.

“You okay, Bri?” Justin asked with a look of concern on his face.

Brian drew in a breath. “I’m fine,” he replied giving a quick swipe to his suddenly wet eyes. “Red just made me realize how fucking lucky I am … to have all of you and a great life, and … everything.”

“And a lot of that great life is due to you,” John said squeezing the back of Brian’s hand when he laid it on the table.

“This trip is great too,” Gus said, feeling like he needed to contribute something to this heartfelt discussion. “I really appreciate it, Pop, and having Ray with me just makes it that much better.”

“Enough, all of you,” Brian said trying not to bellow too loud. “This has gotten really sickening. It’s time we went to see Stonehenge.”

“Yay, I’ve wanted to see Stonehenge ever since you first talked about this trip,” Gus said enthusiastically.

“Why, Gus?” Bree asked. “Is it like Daddy’s henge?”

“Kind of, short stuff, but it’s the original.”

“Are you saying my henge isn’t original?” Justin asked with mock horror on his face.

“No, no, not at all, Justin,” Gus said trying to dig himself out of the hole in which he now found himself. “But your work was based on this henge, wasn’t it?”

“I think anything that’s called a henge is based on this one,” Justin agreed. “I was just yanking your chain, Gus.”

“Actually there’s lots of henges of varying sizes all over England,” John said, “but the one we’re going to see is the most famous of all.”

“Magical and mythical,” Ray said softly.

“It has been called both those things, and they say it could have been erected by Merlin and King Arthur. Of course, there’s no proof of that.”

Brian finished signing the credit card receipt. “Let’s go see this thing before it falls down or we know so much about it that there’s no magic left to it at all.”

“Let’s go,” everyone said almost in unison. They made their way out to the cars.

“Brian,” Justin said as they exited the pub. “Is everything really okay?”

“I … just had a moment in there. I’m really fine.”

“Good, because I love you, and you mean that much to me too.”

“I know, Sunshine, we are two fucking lucky gai boiz.”

“I like the sound of that,” Justin said as he looped his arm around Brian’s waist and they walked towards the cars.

“Let’s go see this Stonehenge. I bet it can’t hold a candle to yours,” Brian added as he squeezed Justin against him.

 

*****
 

“Daddy,” Bree whined softly as the family was halfway around the circle of Stonehenge. Briana was getting tired and bored. To the almost seven year old, a bunch of ancient rocks were not very exciting. Patrick, on the other hand was fascinated. He and his fathers were huddled together, pointing at the massive henge and discussing its known facts.

“What’s the matter, Baby Girl?” Justin could sense Bree’s fatigue.

“Tired, Daddy,” she said as Bree leaned into her father. Justin picked up the petite child to finish the circle.

“What’s so special about some old rocks?” Bree mumbled as she laid her head on her daddy’s shoulder.

“It’s not really about the rocks,” Justin tried to explain. “It’s about the people who cut them out of the ground and somehow transported them from hundreds of miles away and assembled the henge and all without any modern tools.”

“Oh,” Bree said with a yawn. “Are we going to take a bath now?” she said sleepily.

Justin chuckled. “Yes baby, we’re going to Bath then we’ll go home.”

“Okay,” Bree said as she fell asleep in her daddy’s arms.

“Hey,” Brian said as he approached his spouse and daughter.

“Hey,” Justin replied.

“Let me take her back to the car,” Brian said as he held out his arms.

“I don’t mind holding her.”

“I know but I know you’re itching to sketch a rock or two,” Brian said with a smirk. Justin smiled; Brian knew him too well. He gently transferred their sleeping princess to his husband.

“Go on, go plant yourself somewhere and draw. The Squirt and I will be fine,” Brian said as he leaned down to give Justin a chaste kiss. Justin smiled then moved off to find the right ‘rock’ to draw.

“Can I see it?” Lindsay asked Justin about a half an hour later. She had noticed Justin sitting on the grass, his hand moving rapidly across his sketch pad. He held up his pad for Lindsay’s inspection.

“Not the whole thing,” Lindsay stated.

“No,” Justin said as he cocked his head toward Gus and Ray. The boys were taking pictures of the henge from as many angles as possible. “I wanted to draw the Heelstone.”

“Why?”

“I haven’t a clue but I find it interesting.”

“So you don’t always have a plan?”

“You mean a grand plan or a check list of what to draw? No, not always, I just keep an open mind and draw what I see.”

“What do you see now?”

“I see...I see everyone standing by the cars waiting for us,” Justin laughed as he stood up.

Lindsay giggled. “I can take a hint,” she said.

“Me too,” Justin agreed as they strolled to the cars.

 

*****
 

“Is this a bathtub?” Bree asked as they all stood at the edge of the famous Roman bath. They could feel the heat rising off the water.

“It was. Now it’s just for show,” Brian explained.

“Oh.” Bree wasn’t very impressed. The green tinted water looked nasty and didn’t smell all that clean. The water in their stream looked cleaner.

“Hey, Pop, it says here in the brochure that there’s a fudge shop in the village. Can Ray and I take the kids to find it?”

“Fine by me as long as John and Bobby don’t mind, but Gus, not too much. Real fudge is too strong,” Brian cautioned.

“No problem,” Gus said as he took Bree’s hand then they went to find Patrick, leaving Brian and Justin still standing at the edge of the bath.

“Can you imagine what this bathhouse was once like?” Brian whispered into Justin’s ear. “All those men.”

“Do you miss the baths and all those men?”

“Yes and no.”

“What?” Justin was a little stunned at Brian’s answer.

“I don’t miss the men but sometimes I miss us, just the two of us, together at the baths. I miss the looks I got from all those men who were jealous because I got to fuck the most beautiful man I had ever known in Pittsburgh,” Brian purred in Justin’s ear. “They all wanted you but I had you. You were all mine.”

“I’m still yours, Brian,” Justin whispered as he looked up into Brian’s eyes. Brian gently swiped his thumb across Justin’s cheek then kissed the tiny scar over his temple.

“And you’re still the most beautiful man I have ever known.” Justin gave Brian his sunniest smile.

“Let’s go find the family,” Justin suggested. “I think I’m ready to go back.”

Brian smiled as he slung his arm over Justin’s shoulder and they walked out of the bath together.

 

*****
 

The family managed to arrive home and assemble for dinner at the usual time. Bree had slept most of the way home in the car, so there hadn’t been a lot of opportunity to talk about what they’d seen.

“I loved Stonehenge,” Patrick said when asked what was the best part of the day for him.

“It’s just old rocks,” Bree said with a frown. She just didn’t get why everyone was so fascinated with the big pile of rocks.

“Yeah, but they’re huge rocks, and somebody had to lift them on top of each other like that.”

“Somebody? One person?” Bree asked her eyes getting very large.

Patrick sighed. Sometimes girls were so dumb, even Bree. “No, not one person, but somebody had to figure out how to lift the rocks. They weigh tons, more than a car,” Patrick explained trying to use terms his cousin could understand.

“More than a big car?”

“Way more. I bet there was an architect just like my dad who figured it all out.” Patrick looked at his father with awe.

“I’m sure it was a series of levers and pulleys and lots of man power that accomplished the task,” John replied modestly, but everyone could see how proud he was that Patrick thought someone like him had created Stonehenge.

“What about woman power?” Bree asked.

Lindsay almost choked on her dinner. “Good question, Bree,” she said.

“I think women could make better stuff than a pile of rocks,” Bree declared.

Everyone chuckled before Bobby said, “So what did you like best, Brian?” He thought it prudent to change the subject.

“I was kind of partial to the baths,” Brian said with a smirk.

“Ah, memories,” Lindsay chuckled.

Brian gave her the appropriate glare, but everyone could see that he didn’t mean it.

“I wouldn’t bath in that awful place,” Bree stated. “It smelled bad and the water was gross.”

“And there we have the definitive answer,” Brian said looking at his daughter. “Someday you’ll learn to appreciate old things,” he told her.

“I don’t think so,” was Bree’s reply.
 

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