Summer in the City

Chapter 3

“Stacey, what’s wrong?” Kenny asked his partner at Kinnetik N’rgy.

“Not sure. I’ve gone over our expansion plans time and time again. I can practically recite our proposals to Brian in my sleep and yet I feel that I’m missing something,” Stacey replied, as she slapped the folder she was holding down onto her desk.

“Honey, you’re going to give yourself an attack of the vapors if you keep this up,” Kenneth said in his most queenie voice.

Stacey stared at him for a moment then burst out laughing. “I can’t believe you just said that!”

“Sometimes it pays to play the flaming queen card. But I am serious, Stace. Our proposals are sound. Brian knows this; he’s been all for it from the forefront.”

The partners were silent for a while then Kenneth had an idea.

“Maybe it’s not the plans, per se, that are bothering you.”

“What do you mean?”

“We intend to take on more ad execs and artists, right?”

“Right.”

“Well, where are they going to sit?”

“Sit?”

“Yes. The outer office is rather intimate.”

“You mean small,” Stacey, ever the pragmatist, commented.

“Well, yes. I use my studio upstairs to work and you’re down here. We need a bigger office.”

“I don’t think Brian would like to move us. Not after all the work he put into this place. John worked some miracles here and I love that my apartment’s next door.”

“Well, how do you think I feel! I live upstairs and Brian pays us a decent rent. Simon would hate to see N’rgy move out.”

“So then what do we do? I don’t think it would look very professional to have the ad execs share a desk. I know we’re out all the time drumming up business but we have to have some place to call home.”

Just then Simon slammed his way into Kinnetik mumbling and cursing under his breath.

“I’ve had enough!” Simon grumbled. “He complains about every little noise, he never pays his rent on time and he thinks his threats about moving out really scare me. Well, HA!” Simon stopped his tirade, looked around then blushed from his head to his toes. “Shit! I’m in the wrong office, again.” Simon sighed loudly then plopped himself down into a chair. “Am I interrupting?” he asked Stacey and Ken, getting bewildered looks in return.

“No, sweetie. Stacey and I were talking over the expansion plans. What’s happened, Si?” Kenny asked as Stacey brought her friend and landlord a cup of coffee.

“Thank you, Stacey. I’m sorry to barge in but the tenant in 202 is driving me nuts. I’m glad he didn’t renew his lease. He should be out by the first.”

“So what’s the problem?” Stacey asked.

“Well you see, his apartment is a double. In other words, when we bought this building some of the apartments were a single....”

“Like mine?”

“Right and then there’s his which is a combination of your apartment and this office. Simon and I took the third and fourth floors and, of course, the roof terrace. Not too many people can afford the rent on the larger apartment. I guess I can make it into two smaller ones.”

“Or...” Stacey and Kenny said in unison then broke out into laughter.

“What?” Simon asked as his eyes darted back and forth between them.

“We were just saying that we have no place to put the new artists and execs we want to hire,” Kenneth explained.

“What if N’rgy took over the lease?” Stacey asked hopefully.

“That would be a godsend. You’ve proven to be the best tenants I could ever hope for, in spite of our rocky beginning,” Simon said, recalling the many door slamming incidents that Brian made him go through. Simon smiled despite the memory of the ringing in his ears.

“Si, what if you move your office upstairs,” Ken suggested.

“Upstairs where?”

“To the apartment right above your current one. We’ve never been able to get a permanent tenant there. We have to heat it in the winter to prevent pipe damage and keep it clean. And for some reason your assistant has never liked being on the first floor. It’s a perfect solution. N’rgy can expand horizontally as well as vertically and then the whole building will be fully occupied!”

“But how would we utilize the space?” Stacey asked Ken.

“Let me show you,” Kenny answered as he took out some paper and a pencil. Seeing his spouse about to be in full artist mode, Simon made a discreet exit to return to his own office. He had some plans of his own to attend to.

 

*****
 

“Dada?”

“Yes, Squirt.”

Briana still had a few more days of school left in the semester. She was completing a book report she had written by making a cover to go with it. Her report was about families so she decided her cover needed her special rainbow to adorn it. She was at her own little desk in Brian’s office. Brian was looking over the latest Part Deux ads.

“Who’s going to take care of our plants while we’re at Nyork?”

“That’s New York, Squirt. And I have several ‘gardeners’ lined up to keep it in shape, but Patrick will be in charge.”

“Oh. He does gar-gar real good.”

“Yes, he does. Uncle John and Uncle Bobby will inspect the gardens once a week and Aunt Rachel and her girls have also volunteered. We have it covered.”

“Okay, Dada.” Bree appeared to be satisfied with her Dada’s answer and returned to her rainbow. Brian returned his attention to his computer.

“Dada?”

“Yes, Squirt?”

“Will the flowers miss us?” Bree looked up at her Dada, her violet blue eyes wide in anticipation of Brian’s words of wisdom. Brian inwardly cringed. How could he ever answer Bree’s question? He looked out over the balcony and onto the sun porch and gardens below. Brian got up from his desk to walk to the balcony rail. He then gestured for Bree. Picking up his daughter, they both looked out over the gardens.

“I honestly don’t know if the flowers will miss us, sweetheart,” Brian said in all sincerity. He gently nosed Bree’s soft cheek then kissed her. “But I do know that I’ll miss them.”

Bree sensed that even though her Dada was looking forward to going to New York, he really was going to miss their home and the gardens.

“Dada, can we do gar-gar before we go and say goodbye to all the flowers?”

“I think that’s an excellent idea. We’ll do just that this weekend, just you and me. We’ll say goodbye to all of our flowers.”

“Okay, Dada.” Bree wrapped her arms around Brian’s neck to give her Dada a hug. “I love you, Dada.”

“Love you too, Squirt,” Brian said as he buried his nose into Bree’s baby fine blond hair. “Love you with all my heart.”

 

*****
 

“Hey, Brian,” Michael’s voice came across the phone line the next day.

“Hey, Mikey, what’s up?”

“Nothing much. I’m working on the next edition of Rage.”

“Ah, is this where Sateeena really comes into her own?”

“Yep,” Michael grinned. “I think we have a great idea of how to present her.”

“How’s that?”

“If I tell you, I’d have to kill you,” Michael joked.

“Michael, I am Rage. You can tell me.”

”Okay, okay,” Michael giggled. “Lacy and I thought that we’d have Sateeena be a student in high school. You know, appeal to the younger crowd. She has a friend who is being harassed at school because she’s different. She’s a lot like Sateena. The bullies aren’t sure what to make of her, but because she’s different they make her life miserable. They only know her by the name Shawn. She is feeling really down after the school jocks shove her around and call her names. Sateeena meets up with her and imparts words of wisdom. Then she sucker punches the bullies after they try to do the same thing to her.”

“You are such a dork,” Brian laughed.

“What do you mean?” Michael asked indignantly.

“It sounds just like you in high school, only you didn’t have Sateeena to rescue you.”

“No, but I had you.”

Brian frowned. “Is that how you remember it?”

“I just know that after you became my friend, I had a much easier time in school.”

“That’s because I did your homework for you,” Brian chuckled.

“That too,” Michael said with a grin. “But you did protect me. That was the beginning of Rage.”

“If you say so, Mikey.” Brian couldn’t believe that he was Michael’s rescuer way back then. He had been pretty much scared shitless every day of high school, just like all the other kids were. The secret was to never let the jocks and bullies know that.

“Is Justin around?” Michael asked, deciding the trip down memory lane had gone on long enough.

“He’s painting.”

“Can I talk to him for a few minutes?”

“Okay, but remember that we’re leaving for New York and he has to get as much painting done as he can,” Brian warned.

“I just need a few minutes of his time.”

“Okay,” Brian said carrying the portable phone out to the sun porch. “Michael,” he said to his husband indicating the phone.

Justin took the phone and put his hand over the mouthpiece. “What does he want?”

“To get your take on the new Sateeena story line,” Brian said. “I told him you don’t have long to talk. I’m going to pick up Bree and Patrick from school.”

Justin nodded. “Hello, Michael…”

 

*****
 

Brian pulled up in front of the school. Patrick came running from the playground when he saw the car. Brian waved to the monitor who supervised the students waiting for their parents.

“Where’s Bree?” Brian asked with a frown as he didn’t see her anywhere.

Patrick got into the back seat of the Cherokee. “She’s over there with Ashley,” Patrick said pointing to the two girls who were sitting close together under a tree.

“I didn’t think she played with Ashley anymore,” Brian observed.

“She usually doesn’t. She has friends in her own class, but sometimes she and Ashley play together,” Patrick explained. “They had fun together at Bree’s birthday party.”

Brian thought back to Bree’s birthday bash. He did remember seeing Bree and Ashley together a couple of times. Ashley was kind of a nondescript little girl, easily missed or forgotten in a crowd.

“What is she doing?” Brian muttered when Bree made no indication that she was going to come to the car. He stepped out of the car and shouted, “Briana!”

Bree looked up at her father. She gave Ashley a hug and then ran over to the car. “Hi, Dada.”

“Hello, Squirt. Didn’t you see us here waiting for you?” Brian asked.

“Sorry, Dada,” Bree said while Brian buckled her in.

Brian got back into the driver’s seat and they headed for home.

“Dada, can Ashley come to New York with us?” Bree asked as soon as the car was moving.

“New York? Ashley? Why would you want her to come to New York?”

“She was crying.”

“Why was she crying?” Brian asked.

“She’s sad.”

Brian sighed. “And what made her sad?”

“The boys were mean to her.”

“What boys?”

Bree looked over at Patrick. “Mean boys,” she stated.

“I didn’t do anything to her,” Patrick said hastily.

“I know,” Bree replied. “But you know those mean boys.”

“Yeah, I do,” Patrick admitted. “I stay away from them.”

“I’m going to kick their asses,” Bree declared.

“Briana Victoria, what are you talking about?” Brian asked almost driving off the road when he heard Bree’s statement.

“They called Ashley ugly,” Bree said defiantly. “Ashley’s not ugly.”

“No, Ashley’s not ugly,” Brian agreed. “Why are they picking on Ashley?”

“Ashley’s too nice,” Bree explained as only a five year old could. “She tries to be nice to everybody and they … they don’t treat her nice at all. They call her names.”

“What names?” Brian asked, fascinated by this look into kindergarten mentality.

“Wimp and ugly and … sissy.”

“Sissy?” Brian had heard that one used before, but not to describe a sweet little girl.

“Yeah, they’re mean,” Bree continued. “I hate them.”

“I don’t like them either,” Patrick added.

“Then you should help me kick their asses,” Bree informed him.

“Bree, you’re not kicking any asses,” Brian said gently.

“Yes, I will. If they hurt Ashley I really will.”

Brian tried not to laugh out loud. “It’s not good to go around kicking boys’ asses. Do they pick on you?”

“No,” Bree replied emphatically.

“How come?” Brian asked.

“I won’t let them,” his daughter stated.

“I see.”

“Can’t Ashley tell the teacher that these boys are being mean to her?” Brian asked reasonably.

“They’re in a older class.”

“They’re in my class, Uncle Bri,” Patrick said.

“They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this kind of thing.”

“I stop them, Dada.”

“I don’t think that’s your job, Squirt. You tell Ashley to go to her teacher if this happens again.”

Bree frowned. “’Kay, Dada, but I don’t know if that will work.”

“Hold off on the ass kicking until you find out, okay?” Brian asked.

“Okay. But can Ashley come to New York with us?” Bree asked again.

Brian sighed. “I don’t think we have room for Ashley, especially if Gus is coming with us.”

“Gus?” Bree shrieked her eyes lighting up.

Brian and Justin hadn’t said anything to Bree about her brother accompanying them until arrangements were finalized with all concerned. They were almost at that point. Besides, Brian couldn’t think of a better reason for not taking Ashley with them.

“Looks like Gus will be going to New York with you, Squirt,” Brian laughed.

“Yay!”

“So, it will be you, me, Daddy, Gus and Gamma Joan.”

“That’s good, Dada,” Bree said nodding her head.

“Great,” Brian replied, thinking they had put the ‘Ashley coming to New York issue’ to rest.

Bree looked thoughtful for a couple of seconds. Brian could see the wheels turning in her little head when he glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Dada, I could sit on Gamma Joan’s lap and then there would be room for Ashley. Gamma Joan likes me to sit on her lap.”

Brian groaned inwardly. He had to think of something to contradict this idea. “You and Ashley will have to be strapped in your seats. That’s the law. You can’t sit on Gamma Joan’s lap for the trip.”

“Oh.”

“So let’s not hear any more about Ashley,” Brian said trying to sound authoritative without seeming to be mean.

“But she needs me to help her,” Bree protested.

Brian wracked his brain trying to think of a way out of this. Nothing was coming to him.

“Uncle Bri,” Patrick spoke up.

“Yes.”

“Maybe Ashley could come with us when we go to the farm for our riding lessons,” Patrick said. It was arranged that the kids would have their first riding lesson with John as soon as school was out.

“Oh, I don’t see why she couldn’t do that,” Brian said, playing the scenario through in his head. “We can talk to Uncle John about it. How does that sound, Squirt. You and Ashley can ride together.”

Bree thought for a moment. “’Kay, Dada,” she said. Brian breathed a sigh of relief. “But are you really, really, really sure that Ashley can’t come to New York with us?”

“I’m really, really, really sure,” Brian replied.

“Okay,” Bree said giving in on that topic. “I’ll ask her to come riding instead.”

“Good girl,” Brian said as they drove up to Edna’s Treasures. He unbuckled Bree, and Patrick hopped out.

“Thanks for the ride, Uncle Bri,” Patrick said.

“Thanks for saving my bacon,” Brian said to the boy, and he really, really, really meant it.

Patrick smiled knowingly at Brian and then ran to the house. Brian realized that Patrick was very different from his daughter, but he was every bit as smart in his own way.

 

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