Springtime for Justin

Chapter 8

The bull shit button went off in the outer office.

"I wonder who that is," Hector said as he finished settling the cat who had just had surgery into the recovery cage.

"We don't have anyone scheduled," Raph replied.

"I'll go check while you make sure our patient is fine."

Hector went out to the reception area to find Hunter leaning on the counter. "And what brings you here this fine day?" Hector asked cheerfully, and then his face fell. "Something's happened to Curtis?"

"No, nothing like that," Hunter reassured him. "I wanted to have a word with you and Raph."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly, but I'd like to talk to you both together."

"Okay," Hector said with a frown. "Come back to the office and I'll get Raph."

Hunter followed the man into the back. "I love that bullshit button," he grinned hoping to lighten the tone of what he had to say. He could feel Hector's anxiety, and that had not been his intention.

"What's going on?" Raph asked as he walked into the office with Hector right behind him.

"There's nothing wrong. I just wanted to give you a head's up about something that Curtis told me this morning."

"What's that?" Raph wanted to know.

"Curtis had trouble sleeping last night. I think he's really worried about making the decision to move in with you and Hector … or not."

"He doesn't want to live with us?" Hector asked. He laid his hand on Raph's shoulder so that they were connected when they got the full brunt of the bad news.

"No, he didn't say that. I won't sugar coat the fact that Curtis has some reservations about living with two gay men. However, I'm trying to do a few things to alleviate that situation."

"Like what?" Raph asked.

"I'm trying to arrange a meeting at the diner Saturday at lunch, so that Curtis can talk to Gus and Bree."

"Gus and Bree? How will that help anything?"

"Curtis was asking me about kids living with gay parents and having two moms and two dads. He wanted to know about my history too."

"He did?" Hector asked.

"Yeah, I told him enough to answer some of his questions, but it's not really my place to give my whole history." Hunter sighed. "I think Curtis is seriously considering your offer, but he has some reservations. I think you need to be careful for the next few weeks. Don't push. Don't force him to make a decision before he's ready."

"You think he could refuse, don't you?" Raph said.

"I think Saturday will answer a lot of his questions. Cross your fingers that things go well."

"We will," Hector and Raph both said at the same time.

Hunter got up and left the vet clinic. As he went through the front office, he couldn't resist pushing the bullshit button one more time. Raph and Hector were exchanging worried looks when they heard the button go off. They smiled before holding on tightly to each other.

 

*****
 

"Hi, Debbie," Jennifer said as she entered the diner.

"Take a load off and I'll be right with you," Debbie said as she delivered some plates of food to the only occupied table.

Jennifer sat down in a booth. She watched Debbie deliver the meals and top up the coffee cups before she brought the pot over to Jennifer and poured them each a cup of coffee. Debbie replaced the pot on the burner and then slid into the booth across from Jennifer.

"How do you keep doing this?" Jennifer asked the woman who was no longer young.

"Don't tell anybody but my fucking feet are killing me," Debbie laughed. "I don't know how I keep doing this either."

"Then why do you do it? You and Carl don't need the money, do you?"

"I like to have my own money. I'm an independent woman," Debbie chuckled.

"Don't we know," Jennifer laughed.

"And I like to be needed. A lot of the boys who hang out here need someone to talk to."

"And the buck or two that you slip them," Jennifer added.

"How do you know that?"

"You did it for Justin. I can't imagine you would do less for other boys."

"Justin was a very special case," Debbie said with a smile.

"Yes, he is."

"But I'm sure you're not here to reminisce," Debbie stated pulling them back to the here and now.

"No, I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

Jennifer chuckled. There was no beating around the bush with Debbie. "How did you and Carl decide where you were going to live?"

"Oh," Debbie laughed. "I thought the question was going to be about sex."

"Sex? I think we have that perfectly under control, thank you very much," Jennifer smiled.

"Hm, been getting some by the look of you." Jennifer just smiled more broadly. "Let's see, Carl and I tried living at his house for a while, but that was too inconvenient. I missed my house. So he agreed to move into my place."

"Did he mind?'

"I think he did at first. He'd had that house for a long time, but we were starting something new. He was willing to give it a try and it has worked out fine. It's our house now, not mine."

"I see," Jennifer said thoughtfully.

"Are you and Seth having trouble deciding where to live?"

"Truthfully, I hadn't even thought about it. We said we were going to wait and have a long engagement."

"What the fuck for?" Debbie demanded.

"Well, I … I, I don't really know," Jennifer sputtered.

"Are you sure you want to marry this guy?"

"Of course I am," Jennifer said indignantly. "I wouldn't have got engaged if I wasn't."

"Then what are you waiting for? Neither of you are spring chickens."

"Thanks a heap," Jennifer said with a sour face.

"You know what I mean," Debbie said gently. "You should be together, be happy, while you can. Who knows what the future holds?"

"I really don't think I'm ready for marriage just yet. I like my independence. I've made a good life for myself since Craig and I split."

"And does Seth fit into that life?" Debbie asked.

Jennifer looked thoughtful. She took a slow sip of her coffee before answering. "Yes, he does, much better than I ever thought he would."

Debbie smiled. "Then marry him when he's ready and the living arrangements will work themselves out. Personally, I'd go for a big house somewhere. He looks like he'd give you the world. You are one lucky lady," Debbie laughed.

"Yes, yes, I am. I don't know what I'm worrying about. I love Seth. He's wonderful."

"Then take your fucking time and do what feels right. You'll know when things are right because they'll feel that way."

"Thanks, Debbie. I guess I just needed to hear that."

"Then my work here is done, except for getting coffee and dessert for those boys over there," Debbie chuckled as she stood up. "Fucking feet!" she griped as she went to get the coffee pot.

Jennifer watched Debbie get back to work. She had some decisions to make, and she would talk to Seth about what Debbie had told her.

 

*****
 

Hunter was contemplating calling Brian's cell phone to persuade the man to bring his family into the Pitts on Saturday afternoon. He slowly paced the floor of the apartment he shared with Nick. Hunter knew that Brian would refuse him nothing, but just calling Brian was the easy way out. This meeting required as many same sex couples as Hunter could muster. If Hunter was successful he might need to rent the ballroom of the Plaza.

"Hello?"

"Hey, blondie, what's shaking?" Hunter teased.

"What do you want?" Justin grumbled then sneezed a series of five fast sneezes. "I think I'm allergic to you."

"You can't get rid of me that easily!"

"I can only wish," Justin snarked.

"Justin, I really need to ask a favor; it's important." The change in the tone of Hunter's voice signaled his sincerity. Justin quit his griping.

"What's up?"

"You know about Curtis?"

"Yes. He didn't break his promise, did he?"

"No. Curtis is in school and making up for the time he spent on the street. He's been working off his debt at the vet clinic. As a matter of fact, he earned enough to pay everyone back, including Brian. And he has an opportunity to be placed with a couple who really want him."

"That's fantastic, Hunter. He's come so far and in such a short time." Justin was genuinely pleased to hear that Curtis' life was turning around.

"It is. It could have ended up so differently and that leads me to the favor. The couple that wants Curtis is Raph and Hector."

"No shit! Really? I didn't know they wanted to have children."

"Neither did they until they saw you and Brian with Bree, and John and Bobby with Patrick. Even the girls and their family are impressive."

"So what's the problem?"

"Curtis is straight."

"He's not homophobic already?"

"No, but he's just not sure what to make of same sex couples."

"So how does it involve us?"

Hunter launched into his plan for Saturday. He was hoping that if Curtis met enough same sex but diverse couples, he would have some idea of what to expect with Raph and Hector.

"And he's already staying with Raph and Hector on the weekends?"

"Yes, but two days out of the week is not a fair representation of what family life would be like. It's homework, doing dishes, washing behind your ears, you know."

"Boy, do I! Briana, well..."

"No need to explain but, Justin, Bree is a very special little girl. You both are doing a wonderful job raising her."

"Even though she has us both by the balls?"

"Your little girl is one of the luckiest children on the face of the planet. You may think she's spoiled rotten but she's also compassionate. I still have that card she made me when I was sick. She's brave. She proved it at your sister's humongous wedding and when we thought Brian was sick. You've done everything right, Justin. I want Curtis to have a chance at what Bree has, what Patrick, Gus and JR all have. Curtis has been used for the money he brought to his foster parents and then abused by them too. It's time he was shown that there are good people in this world. Gay or straight, there are good people out there."

Justin silently counted his blessings. "John and Brian just pulled up, tell me where and when."

"Diner, this Saturday, around two."

"We'll be there. You should call Lindsay and Mel and all the 'grands'. You know Raph and Hector are on the verge of becoming full fledged members of our family."

"Gotcha. I guess I should call my dads too."

"You got that right. Bye, Hunter."

"Goodnight, blondie!" Before Justin could react to the blondie snipe, Hunter hung up and Bree came streaking out of her room to the front door.

"Dada!" Bree called out as Brian and John came through the door.

"Hey Squirt, miss me?" Brian asked as they exchanged kisses. Justin got some kisses of his own as Patrick and Bobby came in from the porch.

"How are my favorite men?" John greeted his boys with hugs and kisses.

"How did it go today?" Bobby asked John, referring to the proposed apartment house.

"I think it went well," John replied. "Let's all discuss it over dinner."

"I have something to discuss with you all too," Justin said as they all went to the porch to have dinner.

Over dinner the family discussed the neighborhood renewal plan and Hunter's scheme to introduce Curtis to the family.

"So Hunter wants us to be examples of what it could be like living with same sex parents." Bobby summed it up in one line.

Before anyone could comment, Bree had a question. "What's same sex?"

Before the grown ups could muster up the courage to answer, Patrick had no hesitation. "It means we have two daddies. Most kids have one daddy and one mommy, like Cindy and Michelle."

"Oh. Gus has two mommies," Bree stated.

"Becky at school has a dad but her mom died," Patrick said matter-of-factly as he popped a cucumber slice in his mouth.

"And David's parents are 'vorced.' What's vorced, Dada?"

"The word is divorced, Squirt. And it means that David's parents were married and then they became unmarried."

"Why?"

"Lots of reasons, but mainly I guess they stopped loving each other," Brian answered as honestly as he could.

"Dada, you could never stop loving Daddy, could you?" Bree's eyes were as large as the dinner plates. Brian got up from his chair to go to his daughter's side.

"Briana, I promise you I will never stop loving you or your Daddy." Bree threw her little arms around her Dada's neck.

"I love you, Dada."

"Love you to, baby." Bree finished her dinner from her Dada's lap.

"Curtis has no parents?" Patrick asked.

"No, little Red. His mother died when he was very young then his grandfather died a couple of years ago. He's had a rough life," Justin explained. "But Dr. Raph and his partner Hector want to be his parents," Justin added.

"Dr. Raph is a very nice man," Bree said and Patrick agreed with her assessment.

"They helped us shovel out of the house," Patrick said, remembering the great blizzard of Christmas.

"They certainly did," John said. "I think they deserve our help."

Dinner continued quietly with the family of Edna's Treasures trading pleasant conversation of the day and appreciating that they were all together.

 

*****
 

"Mel?"

"Hey, Hunter, how are you? And how's Curtis doing?"

"He's why I'm calling."

"Anything wrong?"

"Not really. Raph and Hector want to be Curtis' foster parents but Curtis is apprehensive about the two dad thing."

"I see. How can I help?"

"Can you bring your family to the diner on Saturday? I want him to learn that being raised by same sex parents really isn't all that different from traditional families. I called Justin and I let all the 'grands' know too."

"You think it'll persuade him to give Raph and Hector a chance?"

"Either that or he'll be living at the center until he turns legal."

"We'll be there, Hunter."

"Thanks, Mel, good night."

"Night."
 

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