Summer in the City

Chapter 2

“So when will you be leaving?” Joan asked her son.  Brian was up in his attic, wheeling, dealing and shoring up his plans.

“Probably the 17^th, we’re driving.  We’ll take Justin’s Cherokee,” Brian answered.

“And when do you intend to come back?”

“The end of July, that’s if it all goes according to plan.”

“I’m sure it will.  You have a knack for it.”

“Thank you, Mother, I never thought...”  Brian was about to say that he’d never thought he’d ever hear compliments coming from his mother’s mouth that were specifically directed at him.  Brian caught himself.  “I’m sorry.”

“No, son, no need for you to apologize.  I never once complimented you or praised you on all the awards and merits you received in school.  I stupidly believed it was wrong to praise someone for doing what I believe was expected of them.  Children need compliments and encouragement.”

“I-um...”

“Brian, why have you called?”  Joan quickly changed the subject, sensing Brian’s discomfort.

“A certain young lady wants to know if her Gamma Joan would accompany us to New York.”

“Bree asked for me?” Joan said letting emotions seep though.

“Yes, she did.  Mom, she remembers.”

“But she was only a baby!”

“She was three.  She doesn’t remember all of it but she remembers having fun with you, and the parade....”  Brian paused because Joan was laughing at the memory of the Greenwich Village Halloween extravaganza.  “And she remembers painting with Justin.  Mom, if you’re with us I can relax knowing she’s in good hands.  I’ll need Justin with me; he always comes up with such great ideas.  And I need an ally against Stacey, the pushy little bi...”

“Brian,” Joan said sternly but with little sting in her tone.

“Fine.  But you have to admit, Stacey is pushy.”

“I’ll give her that, but then she has to be able to stand up to you and to live in New York and be in your line of work.”

“True.  So will you come with us?” Brian asked Joan hopefully.

“Yes, Brian, I’d be honored and happy to accompany you to New York and to be Miss Briana’s escort.”

“Good.”  Brian sighed with relief.  “We’ll confirm things later, but can we plan on you spending that Friday with us, and we can leave Saturday morning from the cottage?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Thank you, Mom.  Bree will be very happy.”

“I’m happy to help.  May I make a suggestion?”

“Sure.”

“Gus.”

“Gus?”

“Yes, Gus, your son.  Tall, handsome young man, with hair coloring and eyes just like yours … Gus.”  Joan was on a roll.  Brian tried for a comeback but found himself upstaged by his mother.  All he could do was roll his eyes and laugh.

“What about him?” Brian asked when he stopped laughing.

“Has he ever been to New York?”

“Yes, briefly.  We had a long weekend together a few years ago.”

“Then why don’t you ask his mothers if he can join us?  Briana will love it and I wouldn’t mind spending more time with my grandson.

“I will.  He’ll love seeing Jeff and Raymond.”

“I’m sure he will.”

“Thanks, Mother.   I’ll see you soon.”

“Thank you, Brian.  I’m looking forward to it.”  Mother and son cut the connection.

Brian sat back in his chair and smiled, marveling on how well his world had turned out.

*****

“Johnny-boy, it’s time for our meeting,” Gordon shouted over the construction noises.  John glanced down at his watch then nodded.  It was only five; they still had a few more hours of light yet and then the night crew would take over.  But John and Gordon agreed to hold daily meetings with their ‘crew’. 

The crew consisted of their longtime experienced construction workers and their latest members, Hunter’s kids.  The kids that were hoping to make construction or architecture a career.  So every afternoon, the five o’clock whistle would blow and the formal class would begin.  Tonight’s class was being held in the shelter of the new car park that was constructed across from the apartment building. 

“Gentlemen,” Gordon said loudly to settle his ‘students’.  “And lady,” Gordon added as he looked at the only female member.  Samantha or Sammie, as she preferred, was more interested in the designing end of the construction business and was almost joined to John at the hip.  But like John, she wanted to be knowledgeable of the tools it took to create what she designed and Sammie wanted to be able to use them as well.  “What have we learned today?” Gordon continued.

“That this construction stuff is fucking hard!” one of the kids snarked out loud to snickers and chuckles from everyone else.

“You’re right; construction is not the easiest profession one can choose.  There are so many variables to consider in any job, from the most simple such as erecting a child’s playhouse.”  Gordon paused as he recalled the stories John had told him about the Wendy house.  “To some of the more complex.”  Gordon was reminded of the accident John and Justin had, falling through the stage floor at the theater.

“We have to take into consideration the weather, the types of materials we’re using and the expertise of our people.  Then there are the other influences such as deadlines and budgets.  And above all, safety.  John and I can’t stress this enough.  We have a motto in our company, we do it right and safely or WE don’t do it at all.  No cutting corners, no rushing and no using substandard material.” 

Gordon paused for effect then continued.

“Take out your books and turn to today’s lesson,” Gordon began.  As the formal part of the lesson was about to begin, Hunter’s kids took out their books and pens while the construction crew filed out to end their day.

*****

“John!” Danny called out.  He and Mikey were standing on the main street of the Village project.  John jogged over to greet his investors.

“What do you think?”  John asked as he indicated the surrounding site.  Danny and Michael had decided to open “The New Comic-BOOK Store” on the adjacent street next to the planned garden park.  The park would be the apartment’s ‘backyard’ and neighborhood garden with plenty of benches for people to rest and read.

“This is amazing,” Danny exclaimed as they toured the site.  The apartment was almost habitable, an old fashioned railway car type diner was already in place around the corner and small shops were popping up along both sides of the street, including Betsie’s flower shop with attached home.

“Yeah, I’m still surprised about all the interest we’ve gotten in the project.  It will boost the neighborhood’s economy but without congesting it with noise and pollution,” John said proudly.  “Come with me, I’ll show you the site for your store.”  John led Danny and Michael along one of the paths that would later be lined with solar powered street lamps.

“We’re trying to build ‘green’ here,” John commented as they stopped in front of the structure that would eventually become the bookstore.  It wasn’t going to be a large store, only two floors with the upper floor doubling as a reading room.  John had plans for a fireplace and a spiral staircase connecting the two floors.  The intent of the store was to cater to the mature reader and collector and to provide a quiet atmosphere to enjoy the books.  John appeared to have achieved his goal.

“When do you think the Village will be ready?” Michael asked as he looked around.

“We’re planning the grand opening for Labor Day; however, the shops should be up and running before then.  The diner is already opened for business,” John said with a smile.

“Already?” Michael asked.

“We gotta eat,” John quipped as he shrugged.  They all laughed.  “Come on, I’ll buy you guys a cup of coffee.”  John locked up the building then led the guys to the diner.

*****

“Kinney, what do you want now?” Melanie griped into the phone.

“I’m fine, thank you for asking, Mel.  How are you?” Brian said in a sickly sweet voice that could rot teeth.  Melanie snorted.  “Very lady-like,” Brian commented hearing the snort.  

“Brian, what do you want?  It’s getting late.  I want to go home and have dinner with my family,” Melanie said.  She was trying to keep her promises to Lindsay and the kids.

“Then I won’t keep you,” Brian said soberly.  Lindsay was very much in love with Mel and he wasn’t going to fuck any of that up for her.  “I only wanted to ask if it would be all right if Gus came to New York with us at the end of the school year.  Nrg’y is expanding; Justin and I will be going there in a couple of weeks.  Bree and Joan are coming.  If it all goes well, we should be back by the end of July.”

“I’ll talk it over with Lindsay tonight.  If it’s okay with her and Gus wants to go, it’s fine with me,” Melanie said sincerely.

“Thank you, Mel, have a good night,” Brian said as he ended his call.

“You too,” Melanie replied.

Brian sat back in his chair and again marveled at the day’s events.  He was planning a trip that included his mother and he just had a civil conversation with Melanie Marcus.  Would wonders never cease?

*****

“Hi, Brian, I just wanted to check a few details with you,” Stacey said over the phone.

“We’re planning on leaving on the 17^th, so we should be there on the 18^th,” Brian explained their tentative schedule.

“Okay.  Then I’ll start arranging meetings and assembling all the information you’ll need.”

“Good.  Is Ken there?”

“Yes, he just came in.  Would you like to talk to him?”

“Put him on.  Kenneth, how are you and Simon?”

“We’re good.  I hear we’re going to be graced with your presence soon,” Ken chuckled.

“I’ll be there with as much grace as I can muster,” Brian replied.

“I knew I could count on that.”

Brian laughed.  “I wanted to mention that I’m thinking of bringing Gus with me when I come to New York.”

“The boys will love that.”

“Will they be around?  They’re not away for the summer?”

“They’ll be here, although Raymond’s hoping to intern with an engineering company,” Ken informed Brian.

“Shouldn’t that be Jeffrey?” Brian chuckled.

“Raymond has a real aptitude for science.  It’s Jeffrey who’s into the arts.  He thinks he wants to be an actor.”

“An actor?”

“That’s today’s choice anyway,” Ken laughed.

“Haven’t they got their roles reversed?”

“You mean Raymond should be the straight one and Jeff the gay one.”

“Something like that.”

“We did our best to discourage stereotypes in this family.”

“Looks like you were very successful.”

Ken chuckled.  “Beyond anything we could have hoped for.  See you soon, Brian.”

*****

“Daddy, can I go to the Wendy house?” Bree asked.

“I can’t leave my painting at the moment, sweetheart.  I’m right in the middle of an important part.”  Justin continued to dab on the froth as the stream at the back of their property tumbled over the rocks he had just painted.  He had a clear vision of exactly what he wanted it to look like and he didn’t want to stop.  “Ask Dada.”

“He’s busy,” Bree sighed.  “I could take Beau.”

Beau raised his head at the sound of his name.  He looked over at the little girl and his tail gave a couple of thumps on the sun porch floor.

“Where’s Patrick?”

“He and his daddies have gone to town.”

“To town?”

“Harrisburg,” Bree supplied.

“Did they ask you to go too?”

“Yes, but I want to play in the Wendy house.”

“Can you wait a while?”

“No.”

Justin heaved a huge sigh.  “Okay, you and Beau can go out there, but no farther than the playhouse.  Hear that Beau?”

Beau thumped his tail before standing up and stretching.  He trotted over to Bree who patted him on the head.

“What are you going to do in the Wendy house?” Justin asked.

“I don’t know.  Play!”

“Okay,” Justin chuckled.  “You stay within sight of the sun porch and you mind Beau,” he instructed his daughter.

“I thought Beau was apposta mind me,” Bree said with a crinkle in her forehead.

“Not this time.”

Bree wanted to argue that point, but then she decided that she better take what she could get.  If she argued, her daddy might not let her go at all.  “’Kay, Daddy,” Bree said as she headed out the door with Beau right behind her.

Beau bounded around the yard getting some exercise.  Bree ran around with him for a few minutes.  Then she stopped and watched Beau as he continued to race back and forth.  He found a stick and carried it over to her so that she could throw it for him to chase.  She tossed the stick as far as she could and waited for Beau to fetch it back to her. 

Justin watched them from the porch for a minute before concentrating on his picture once again.  He also filed away a mental note to sketch out a painting that would show Bree and Beau playing in the yard just as they were doing now.

It didn’t take long for Bree and Beau to tire of the game of fetch.  Bree headed for the Wendy house.  Beau trailed along with her.  Bree checked the soil of the plants in the flowerboxes on the Wendy house.  They could use a drink.  She returned to the sun porch and ran some water into the watering can like she had seen her Dada do many times.  She filled it right full and found she couldn’t lift it.  She tipped it and it fell over spilling most of the water. 

“Shit!” she said using the word that she hadn’t had much use for in a long time.

She stood the watering can up and ran a bit more water into it, turning it off before it got too full.  She found she could carry it with that much water in it, but just barely.  She half dragged and half carried it over to the Wendy house slopping water all over her sneakers and the bottoms of her pink slacks.  By the time she got to the playhouse, she had spilled enough water so that she could raise the can and pour some water into the flowerboxes.  Wet soil and water ran down the front of the flowerboxes as well as down the front of her outfit.

“Done,” she said when the can was empty.  She set the can down and walked over to the door of the Wendy house.  She looked inside, but it didn’t seem very inviting without Patrick to play with.

Bree turned around and looked at the path to the stream.  There’d be lots of interesting things down there … like frogs.  She took a few steps in that direction before Beau planted himself in front of her.  When she tried to walk around him, he nosed her back.

“Let me go by, Beau,” she said in her best authoritative voice.  Beau merely stared at her.  She took a step to pass the dog who merely used his nose to push her back.  “Stop that,” she ordered.  “Let’s go get some frogs.”  She tried to step around Beau again. 

Beau gave her a push with his head and knocked her backwards onto her butt.  Bree landed in a little pool of mud and water from her watering.  She sat up and looked at her muddy hands.  She wiped them on the front of her already dirty T-shirt.

“Shit!  Bad Beau!” she scolded as she tried to stand up.  Beau knocked her back down, getting her covered with more mud.  “I’m going to tell Daddy on you,” she stated as she scrambled to her feet and headed for the sun porch.

Justin was almost finished with his painting when he heard Bree calling, “Daddy!”  She made sure he would hear her.  When Bree arrived at the sun porch, she had trouble getting the door open with her muddy hands, but finally she managed it.

“Daddy, Beau knocked me down,” she accused the dog who came in through his dog door and stood waiting for judgment to fall on both of them.

“Were you trying to go to the stream?” Justin asked still working on his painting and not bothering to look at his daughter.

“Um … no,” Bree lied.

“Briana Victoria!”

“Well … yes … maybe.”

“Then Beau was doing what I told him to do.  Good boy, Beau.”  Justin finished his last bit of foam on the water and turned to look at his daughter.  “What the…?”

“I got dirty, Daddy,” Bree said with her best pout and batting of eyelashes.

“I’ll say you did.  Brian!” Justin called.  “Bree needs you.” 

Brian appeared on the balcony of his office and let out a loud groan as he saw the muddy little waif standing just inside the sun porch door.

“Shit!  What have you been doing, Miss Briana?”

“I was playing … and I watered the plants at the Wendy house,” Bree said, adding the last part to make it seem like she had done something good.

“Don’t move,” Brian ordered as he headed down the stairs.  “I don’t want to have to clean the house as well as you.”  He opened the sun porch door and told Briana to come outside with him.  He stripped the little girl down to her underwear and left the pile of filthy clothes by the door.  He rinsed off Bree’s hands and face with the garden hose.  “You have gar-gar outfits, you know,” Brian reminded her.

“Sowwy, Dada,” Bree said.

“Yeah, aren’t you always?”

“Are you mad at me?” she asked staring at the ground and refusing to look at her father’s face in case he really was angry.

“I should be,” Brian said, “but I know kids get dirty.”

“Yes, we do, Dada.”

Brian chuckled.  “Come along, little miss.  You’re going in the bathtub.”

“’Kay, Dada,” Bree said sticking her still slightly grubby hand into her father’s.

Brian smiled.  How could he be mad at his little princess? 

Justin watched them walk by, heading for Bree’s bedroom.  He shook his head in wonder.  Here were the extremely anal Brian Kinney, former stud of Liberty Avenue, and the cute but grubby little blonde girl who owned his heart.  He loved them both beyond measure.

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