London Calling

Chapter 5

“Do I have to go to school today?” Bree asked the following morning. She had been up late and was so excited about the concert that she had trouble getting to sleep. She was still in her pajamas picking at her Cheerios and looking less than wide awake.

“Yes, sweetheart,” Justin said.

“But I don’t want to,” Bree said with a big yawn.

“Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to,” Justin reminded her.

Bree looked like she was about to argue the point when she remembered the discussion they had in the car after the concert. “Are the cupcakes ready?” she asked.

“Yep, all two dozen,” Justin said as he finished icing the last one and placed it in the big box he had got from Emmett.

“Thank you for making them for me, Daddy. I love your cupcakes and so does Ashley. Winona likes them too.”

“Then I guess you better finish your breakfast, so you and Dada can take them to school.”

“Why aren’t you bringing them?”

“Because I’m going into Pittsburgh. I have some last minute things to do. Auntie Lindsay is meeting you and Dada at school.”

“She’s going to teach me when we’re away?” Bree asked.

“Yes, she’s coming with us. She’ll teach you and Patrick.”

“Is JR coming too?”

“No, she’s going to be spending time with her other mother.”

“Does she mind that she’s not going with us? I’ll miss her.”

“I’m sure she’ll miss you too, but Melanie really wants some time with JR. They’ll have fun while we’re gone.”

“’Kay, Daddy.”

“Are you done eating?”

“Yep.”

“Then go get dressed and find all the books that have to be returned to the school library.”

“’Kay,” Bree said before sliding down off her chair and running to her bedroom.

“Brian!” Justin called.

“Yes, oh mighty pastry chef,” Brian called back as he descended the stairs from his office.

“Emmett would not take kindly to that reference unless it’s being made about him,” Justin laughed.

“Point taken. How did the cupcakes turn out?”

“Perfect! They’re some of my best. Want one?”

“Save me one for later,” Brian requested.

Justin smiled and took one of the cupcakes out of the box, placing it in the fridge. “We may need this for sustenance later tonight.”

“Ooh, I like the sound of that,” Brian chuckled lifting his eyebrows up and down in a most suggestive manner.

“Stop that,” Justin ordered. “You’re making me hard.”

Brian merely smiled. “You’re so easy.”

Justin gave him a little smack, before saying, “Bree’s almost ready. Is Lindsay on her way?”

Brian nodded. “I just talked to her on her cell phone. She’ll meet me at the principal’s office in about a half hour.”

“Jeez, the logistics of this trip are starting to fry my brain.”

“I know the feeling, but remember that everything we do now means less we’ll have to do later. I think we’ve just about got all the loose ends tied up.”

“From your lips to Sidney’s ears.”

“Is he giving you a hard time?” Brian asked pulling Justin into a warm hug.

“No, not really, but he’s almost as anal as you.”

“Not in quite the same way I hope,” Brian said with a chuckle. He rubbed his groin against Justin’s.

“Hardly!”

“Ready, Dada,” Bree said interrupting. “Is Gus still sleeping?”

“Yeah, you’ll see him when you get home.”

“How come he gets to sleep and I have to go to school?” Bree wanted to know.

Brian looked at Justin for another profound answer like the one he had given the previous evening.

“Sometimes them’s the breaks, kiddo,” Justin said as he helped Bree on with her coat. Brian couldn’t help the snort that escaped his lips.

 

*****
 

“Brian, am I late? It took me longer to get here than I thought?” Lindsay said as she rushed into the outer office of the school and saw Brian sitting on a bench.

“No, the principal’s in with some other poor schmo. We’re next.”

Lindsay took off her coat and folded it into her lap as she sat down beside Brian. She looked around taking in the neatly kept office with a staff who seemed to be working very efficiently. After a minute she let out a little chuckle.

“What?” Brian asked.

“Remember the last time we were sitting in a school like this?”

“Yeah, when you were trying to get Gus into that preschool.”

“Right, and we pretended to be married.”

“Yeah.”

“What a fiasco! They turned him down in favor of a child from a same sex couple.”

“Irony, thy name is Lindsay Peterson.”

“What does that mean?” Lindsay asked with a frown.

Brian shrugged. “I think you can figure it out.”

Lindsay swallowed. She remembered asking Brian that day if he had ever imagined them as a real couple with their son waiting at the school, and Brian had emphatically said no. It was a memory that she didn’t much like. But they had both moved on long ago. This was no time for such thoughts.

“Remember when you found the fireman’s hat and pretended that you were hosing down a building?”

“I did a lot of hosing back in those days,” Brian stated.

“And I asked you not to say dick.”

“And pre-dick-tably I did.”

Lindsay laughed. “You are so bad.”

“Mr. Kinney, the principal will see you now,” the secretary said.

Brian stood up and waited for Lindsay to do the same. He let her precede him into the office, hoping this little trip down memory lane wouldn’t put a damper on their plans for the trip to England.

 

*****
 

“Justin, my lad, why the long face? Not many young artists can boast about having an exhibit at the London National Gallery,” Sidney expounded. Justin and Sidney were taking a short break in Sidney’s office.

“I know that, Sidney, and I am very grateful. I realize how lucky I’ve been, but Christmas is less than a week away and all I’ve been doing is supervising the wrapping and packing of my work. Not the wrapping and packing of Christmas presents. If it wasn’t for the fact that Brian is an expert at online purchases, we wouldn’t have any presents to give. He even has them coming wrapped and labeled. All we have to do is take them out of the box and shove them under our tree. Only we haven’t bought a tree. Sidney, the whole family is coming for Christmas and nothing’s done,” Justin sighed as he plopped himself down on a chair in Sidney’s office.

“Justin, this is a very big opportunity. I’m sure your family will understand.”

“I know and I’m sure you’re right.” The artist and mentor were quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

“Justin, have you given any thought in regards to your next project?” Sidney asked hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if Justin was in any frame of mind to consider a next project.

“Funny you should mention it, but yeah, I have.”

Sidney perked up. “May I ask what you have in mind?”

“I’d like to get back to my roots. I’ve been painting and working in metal and there was the fractal movie. I’d like to get back to sketching,”

“Really?”

“Yes. When I asked Brian’s opinion about which paintings I should take, he naturally picked out several of his nudes. I chided him about it but he’s right. I have never grown tired of drawing him or painting him. He grows more beautiful every day. Sometimes, when I think I’ve hit a brick wall, I take out my sketch pad and draw him. I’ve done studies on his hands and feet. He doesn’t have to sit for me; I can draw all of him from memory. Same goes for Bree and Patrick. And I must have dozens of sketches of Gus through the years. Boring, huh?”

“Never boring, my boy. You love and adore your family. You express your love in your renderings; it’s the most natural thing in the world. Justin, you are at an interesting point in your career; you’re about to burst forth in Europe. But they don’t know you like we do. Why don’t you educate them?”

“How?”

“Chronicle Justin Taylor.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You say you can draw Brian from memory. Can you picture him when you first met?”

“Definitely. And I have hundreds of sketches of him from that time.”

“Then use them and the other sketches of your family to tell your story. Start before your attack.”

“But I was a kid.”

“A kid with such potential talent. And then things changed, didn’t it? The bashing changed the way you saw the world and it was reflected in your work, wasn’t it?”

Justin nodded. “I couldn’t work for a long time. Brian changed that.”

“Then use that. Justin, you’ve always produced your art from your heart, let your heart teach the world about Justin Taylor.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Fair enough. Now let’s finish up around here so you can get back to your family.”

“Okay, Sidney.”

Break time over, the artist and his mentor got back to work.

 

*****
 

“Mr. Kinney!” Principal Johnson greeted Brian enthusiastically. “Didn’t we just see each other a few hours ago?”

“It’s Brian, and it seems like it. May I introduce Ms. Lindsay Peterson. Lindsay is Gus’ mother.”

“Very nice to meet you, Ms. Peterson. You have a very talented son and he was a life saver last night.”

“Oh?”

“Forgive me, Mr. Johnson. I haven’t had the chance to fill Lindsay in.”

“Then please allow me,” the principal said as he offered Brian and Lindsay a seat. “Our Winter Festival was last night and there was a record turnout. Our photographer came down with the flu, so we had no one to film the performance until your son stepped in. The children loved him. Apparently, he was very popular with some of the young ladies.”

Brian snorted. “Excuse me,” he mumbled. “Mr. Johnson, Gus asked me to deliver this to you.” Brian handed the principal a DVD and the memory card.

“It’s completed, already?”

“Gus was up most of the night working on it. He wanted to make sure you had it before we left for England. We plan to leave right after the New Year.”

“You do have a copy for your family?”

“Yes, and one for Albert Harmon, his son is Sheldon Harmon.”

“Yes, of course. The young man on the triangle. Well, after I preview this, I’ll share it with our teachers and at our last assembly before the winter break. Which leads us to why we’re meeting today. I understand Mr. Taylor is planning to go to London.”

“Yes,” Lindsay replied. “He has been invited by the London National Gallery to exhibit a variety of his work. This is a wonderful opportunity. Not many living artists are invited to display their work there.”

“I do understand what a great honor this is. As I explained to Brian last night, I was an art teacher before becoming a principal. I still keep up with the art news and I’ve visited the Bloom Gallery many times. However, I am concerned that Briana and Patrick will fall behind if they accompany their fathers on this trip.”

Brian bristled but Lindsay spoke up before he could say anything.

“Mr. Johnson, I too am a teacher,” Lindsay said as she produced a copy of her Pennsylvania teaching credentials for the principal. “Under normal circumstances I would agree with you, taking children out of school for an extended period of time can be detrimental. They lose continuity that they may never regain; however, Briana and Patrick are not your typical children. They’re both very bright and gifted. I believe if we follow a precise curriculum, they can be successfully home schooled for the time we’re in London. And you must admit London itself will be an education for them.”

“Are you saying that you will be going on this trip with the family and you will be in charge of their lessons?”

“Yes. Sidney Bloom has a lot invested in Justin and this exhibit. I will be the Bloom Gallery’s representative in London. The London gallery expressly requested to meet Justin. Justin won’t go without Brian and neither one wants to leave Bree behind. Gus will be going as well as Patrick’s fathers. Brian has arranged to rent a home for the time we’re there so we will have a quiet place to hold our lessons. Mr. Johnson, Bree and Patrick are very special children. They’ve grown up with very special fathers who have exposed their minds to many of the wonders this world has to offer and tempered that with a quiet, simple life out in the country. I am confident Briana and Patrick will not fall behind. I will test them regularly. I’m sure we can fax over their homework, reports, and tests to you.”

“That will be helpful. Brian, I haven’t heard much from you.”

“I couldn’t have stated my position any better than Lindsay has. As Brian Kinney, owner and CEO of Kinnetik, I know Justin Taylor is an incredible talent on the verge of breaking into the European market. But I’m also Brian, Justin’s life partner. I know him better than anyone else. He needs his family’s support, including his daughter. I’m not taking anything for granted. As smart as Briana is, I recognize the risks we’re taking. But Lindsay knows that when I make up my mind, it’s difficult to change it. I’ll make you a promise that the children will stick to a schedule that you and Lindsay agree to. And I never lie.”

 

*****
 

“What are we going to do about a tree?” Justin asked as he stood in the sun porch. It didn’t look very festive, just the way it always looked. Justin had to wonder what had happened to Christmas this year. They had been so busy getting ready for their trip to London that Christmas had really been put on the back burner.

Justin had arrived home only a few minutes before. Brian had returned from his meeting with the principal where he and Lindsay had discussed textbooks and syllabuses for all the courses that Patrick and Bree would be responsible for while they were absent. Gus was currently in the shower, having only gotten up a while before. He had slept most of the day following his marathon editing session of the video he had taken of the Winter Festival.

“Do we need a tree?” Brian asked, as he stood beside Justin. They both stared at the empty spot where their huge Christmas trees of years past had always stood.

“What’s Christmas without a tree?”

“I never much thought about it,” Brian admitted. “Christmas is just another day.”

“You are so full of shit!”

“What do you mean?” Brian asked. He had been trying to make things easier for Justin. Without a tree they wouldn’t have to worry about decorating and all the other Christmas crap that went with it.

“You know you’ve come to love Christmas.”

“Maybe … just a little bit,” Brian admitted.

Justin turned and pulled his husband into a hug. “We’re going to have a beautiful Christmas. We can get a tree on Saturday.”

“What about right now?”

“Bree will be very disappointed if we don’t take her with us. You need to pick her up from school soon.”

“We could stop by a tree lot on the way home.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Oh? What?”

“You promised to go to your mother’s for dinner, and then to her church Christmas concert.”

“Fuck!”

“You did forget,” Justin chuckled.

“I think it’s psychological.”

“You don’t really want to go,” Justin suggested.

“Church has never been one of my favorite places.”

“I know, but it’s Christmas, and Bree will love the music. And your mother will be very happy to have you with her.”

“Thanks for the pep talk. I better go get Bree. Make sure you and Gus are ready to go when I get home. We’ll be on a tight schedule to get to my mother’s in time for dinner followed by the lovely concert at her church.”

“I guess that means no fooling around,” Justin said batting his eyes at Brian. He gave his husband a little squeeze before releasing him.

“Shit! I knew there was a reason I didn’t want to go to this fucking concert.”

“The fucking will come later.”

“It better,” Brian said with a leer, before he ran out the door to get their daughter.
 

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