Summer in the City

Chapter 4

“Hey, handsome, where are you off to?” Justin asked as Brian came into the kitchen dressed to impress with his briefcase in hand. Justin was cleaning up the breakfast dishes. Bobby had taken the kids to school and John had left earlier for Pittsburgh. “I didn’t know you had a meeting today.”

Brian gave Justin a kiss then poured a small cup of coffee to down quickly before leaving.

“Sorry, Sunshine, neither did I. One of Scott’s execs caught a virus. He was going to do a presentation today, so Scott will do it instead. He’s been working on the ad as well.”

“So why are you going?”

“Scott originally was going to interview a new adman and a couple of artists. I’ll do that. And I want to check up on Harmon. Besides, it’s time for my monthly shake up of Part Deux,” Brian stated with an evil grin.

“Behave,” Justin admonished Brian. “You know they’re doing a great job.”

“I know but they expect me to stir the pot every once in a while. I won’t get the chance until we get back from New York.”

“You won’t be late, will you? We can’t put off talking about our New York itinerary for much longer. We’re leaving in a week and I don’t want to leave anything for the last minute.” Justin had also learned from his experiences from the last time too. Now that Bree was older, they could do some sightseeing and she’d be able to appreciate it more. But Justin didn’t trust himself with too much empty time on his hands, no more Henry Higgins’ for Justin. Justin blushed with embarrassment at the memory. Brian seemed to understand.

“Justin,” Brian began softly as he drew the younger man to him. “You can’t help being attractive and desirable.” Brian kissed his spouse.

“But that’s no excuse for irresponsibility. I want to be a good example for Bree. Flirting with strange men has no place in my life.”

“We all flirt, Justin. It’s what we do,” Brian said with an arch of his brow.

“How can you say that!?”

“Justin, think about it. I flirt, cajole, and seduce to get my clients. You do it all the time with John, not intentionally but you do. And you always flirt with me. You even flirt with Michael when you think it will get him to see things your way with Rage. Where do you think Bree gets it from? And when you’re at one of your meet and greets, you not only seduce them with your art but with yourself too. It’s not a bad thing. It just is.”

“But Brian...”

“Justin,” Brian smirked then turned his most sensual, flirtatious look onto Justin. It was that look that made half the men in Pittsburgh cream their jeans. “It is what it is. Now I have to go but we’ll continue this later.”

“Okay. I love you,” Justin said as he shook himself out the influence of his husband’s seductive look. He knew Brian was right which only reaffirmed his convictions. They were going to New York as a family to support Brian and Kinnetik N’rgy, and that’s just what Justin was going to do. “And I don’t flirt,” Justin added with a grin.

“Oh yes you do, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Brian smirked as he kissed Justin senseless then left for Harrisburg.

“Smartass,” Justin murmured then finished up in the kitchen.

 

*****
 

“Curtis!” Gus called out as he walked down the high school steps.

“Hi, Gus.” Curtis returned the older boy’s greeting with a smile. Ever since Bree’s birthday bash, the teens had become friends. Gus would walk Curtis back to the center where they would do homework together for a while before Gus had to go home. Sometimes, JR would go with them too.

“So you’re going with your Dad to New York soon,” Curtis confirmed.

“Yeah, I went a couple of summers ago for a few days. It was cool but we didn’t stay long. The Moms worried a lot. This time I get to stay a month. What about you? You make up your mind about Dr. Raph and Hector?”

“Yeah, I have. I’m gonna do it. I really like them a lot. And Dr. Raph reminds me of my granddad. I wish I had a picture of him. They took away everything I had at the Hardigans,” Curtis said sadly. “I had a picture of me and my mom and granddad.” Curtis had a tear in his eye.

They were quiet for a while as they were passing the Liberty Diner.

“Wait, I have an idea,” Gus said with enthusiasm.

“What?”

“Maybe Grandpa Carl can help,” Gus said as he opened the diner door. Carl was sitting at the counter just finishing up his late lunch or early dinner. He was going to Babylon later.

“Hi, boys!” Carl greeted the teens cheerfully. “Isn’t school done for the summer?”

“A few more days,” Gus explained. “Grandpaw Carl, we need your help with something,” Gus said to Carl as he turned on the Kinney charm. Carl fell for it hook, line and sinker.

“What can I do for you?”

“Curtis said that the Hardigans took everything he owned, you know, pictures and stuff. He doesn’t have anything to remember his grandfather or his mom. Do you know if the cops found anything over there when they cleaned out their house?”

There was a huge scandal when the authorities finally busted the Hardigans for abuse and fraud. All of Pittsburgh was made aware of it. Carl thought about it for a minute.

“Gus, go call your moms to let them know you’re with me. And call Hunter to tell him about Curtis. We’re going to the station.”

“All right!” Gus called out as he touched fists with Curtis. Gus made his calls as they followed Carl out to his car.

 

*****
 

“Look at all this stuff!” Curtis exclaimed as several officers brought in boxloads of personal effects that were found in the basement and attic of the Hardigan house.

“They were very organized,” Sergeant McGinty quipped.

“Yeah, so was Hitler,” Gus murmured as he noted that each box was dated. He and Curtis stepped up to the box that was dated the year the Hardigans took him in. Curtis gasped as he lifted the top of the box.

In the box were folders, files and large envelopes. As they carefully sifted through the box, Gus took out an envelope that had Curtis’ name on it. Curtis had seen a few envelopes with name of kids he knew. He prayed that they found good homes to go to like he was about to.

Gus and Curtis took the envelope over to a desk to open. A few papers, several photos and a St Christopher’s medal spilled out.

“Granddad wore this to work every day; said it would keep him safe.” Curtis’ tears flowed freely. “And this is my mom!” Curtis said as he pointed to a pretty woman holding a baby. “That was me.”

“She was real pretty,” Gus said as he looked at the photo. “Was that your grandfather?” Gus asked as he saw a photo with a young Curtis at about age five holding the hand of a tall muscular man. Both were smiling brightly. They looked to be standing in the park.

“Yeah,” Curtis whispered.

“He does look a lot like Raph,” Carl commented. “Adam, is all this evidence?” Carl asked the sergeant.

“No, not really. We’re hoping the kids will come back for this stuff. We started sending out letters to the kids we can track down. But some of the older stuff...”

The sergeant hesitated, shaking his head. They might never find all the kids who suffered due to the Hardigans. The sergeant transferred the contents of the envelope into a clear bag for Curtis to take with him. Curtis didn’t want the original envelope; it had Mrs. Hardigan’s writing on it. Sergeant McGinty put the original envelope back in the box with a notation of what was taken and to whom it was given.

Curtis and Gus thanked the officers and Carl took them home.

 

*****
 

Brian leaned back in the big chair behind the desk at Kinnetik Part Deux. Scott had a nice office, but not as nice as Brian’s at Kinnetik. The style was more traditional, although the art work was cutting edge. Brian liked there to be an edge at all his Kinnetik offices. They were each outside the traditional box in some way, and that’s how Brian liked it. It reflected his policy about how he ran the company.

He smiled to himself. It had been a productive day. The ad exec he had interviewed had a great resume and seemed to be just what they were looking for. He’d suggest to Scott that he hire the man. He didn’t like to tell his employees what to do. At one time he had thought that’s what he would enjoy most about owning his own company, ordering his minions around. However, he found that idea quickly wore off. He got a lot more done when he asked for their opinions and actually listened to what they had to say. Because he hired the best people, they often supplied excellent ideas and opinions. And since Brian listened to them, he found that when he suggested something, they really listened to him in return. He had a great company with three branches, and expansion in the works in the Big Apple. Things were going very well.

Brian picked up the resumes of the two artists he had interviewed. The woman was far and away the best. He’d strongly suggest that Scott hire her quickly so she didn’t get away.

The last folder on the desk was all that remained for Brian to do before he went home. He flipped through the few papers inside. With a frown he leaned farther back and looked up at the ceiling.

“Mr. Kinney,” Scott’s assistant said on the intercom, “Mr. Harmon is here as you requested.”

“Send him in,” Brian replied as he straightened up in his chair. “Harmon,” Brian said rising and shaking the man’s hand.

“Please, call me Albert,” Harmon said.

“Have a seat, Albert,” Brian replied. “I’ve been looking over your file. How are you finding working here?”

“Um…”

“What kind of an answer is um?” Brian asked. “I like my employees to speak their mind.”

“I’m very grateful for the job, but I … um.”

“Spit it out, Harmon,” Brian ordered. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He thought Harmon would have been ecstatic to have this job.

“You’re using a rather antiquated system for your records,” Albert finally gained the courage to say.

“We are?” Brian asked in surprise and then frowned. “Have you discussed this with Scott?”

“Briefly. I have just gotten acclimatized to this place. Scott’s been very busy. He has a lot on his plate.”

“You’re supposed to be taking some of that load off his plate.”

“I am,” Albert replied. “But I could do a better job if we had more up to date software.”

“Do you know what you want?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then get it.”

“But…”

“I’ll talk to Scott. I’m glad to see you’re on top of the latest ideas.”

“I pride myself in knowing everything there is to know about accounting.”

“Looks liked I picked a good man for this job.” Brian wondered to himself how anyone could want to know everything about accounting. But then Ted did, and he was invaluable to Kinnetik.

Albert beamed at his boss. “I told you I would do a great job for you, and I fully intend to keep that promise.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

“Is there anything else?” Albert asked.

“Yes, there is,” Brian stated.

Albert blanched. He had heard the other people at Part Deux talk about how Brian Kinney could be really hard on people, especially when they weren’t living up to Kinney’s expectations. Albert had hesitated to bring up the software issue. It sounded a bit like he was making excuses for not doing better. Now maybe he was going to get shot down in flames by his notorious boss.

“Is your son still interested in riding?” Brian asked.

“Sheldon? Why yes,” Albert smiled. “He loved the ponies at your daughter’s party.”

“Did he ask for a pony?”

Albert blushed. “Yes, he did.”

“What did you do?”

“I sat him down and told him the facts of life about our finances … as gently as I could for a five year old.”

“Good for you. How did he take it?”

“Surprisingly well,” Albert admitted. “You were right. He told me he didn’t need any more clothes or shoes for a while and said he’d set up a lemonade stand in front of the house if that would help.”

Brian chuckled. “So are you a lemonade entrepreneur?”

“No, he and his mother have set up a little stand. They make the lemonade. Sometimes I help them squeeze the lemons, but they do all the sales.” Brian smiled. “Sheldon feels so proud when he hands me five dollars or a buck twenty-five at the end of the day.”

“He should be proud. You have a budding businessman there.”

“We put the money in his college fund, but I really do appreciate his efforts. It’s … brought the family closer together.”

“Glad to hear that, Albert. I’m taking Bree for her first riding lesson to my brother’s farm this weekend. Would Sheldon like to go?”

“He’d love to … if I can get him away from the lemonade stand, that is.”

“Maybe he could bring a big thermos of lemonade for the riders. I’d be happy to pay him for it,” Brian offered.

“I think I can afford to provide the lemonade free of charge, Mr. Kinney. You do pay a decent wage.”

Brian caught the twinkle in Albert’s eye. “Thank you, Albert, and you may call me Brian.”

“I’d like that … Brian.”

“I still want to pay for the lemonade though. Sheldon wants to earn money to help the family and I think we should honor that.” Albert nodded his head silently in acknowledgement of the wisdom of Brian’s words. “I’ll let you know what time on Saturday,” Brian added.

“Thanks, Brian. You’ve made such a difference to our family.”

Now Brian was the one who didn’t know what to say. He stood and shook Albert’s hand. The man took that as his signal to leave. When he was gone, Brian sat down in the big chair and shook his head. Albert’s words resonated inside his head. He suddenly felt very good about himself and his little piece of the world.

 

*****
 

“Hunter-man,” Curtis said as he stopped at the door of Hunter’s office.

“Yes, Curtis, what can I do for you?” Hunter set down his pen and gave his attention to the boy.

Curtis smiled. He always liked talking to Hunter, because he knew that Hunter really listened to him. “I think I’ve made my decision.”

“Decision?” Hunter asked. He drew in a breath hoping it was the decision that they had all been waiting for.

“I want to go live with Dr. Raph and Hector.”

“You do? That’s great, Curtis. What made you finally decide?”

Curtis brought the photos that Carl had helped him retrieve out from behind his back. He held them out to Hunter. “That’s my mom and my granddad. I think they’d be happy for me to have a real home.”

“I think they would too, Curtis,” Hunter said staring at the pictures. “Dr. Raph and Hector are good people. I think you’ll be happy there.”

”I already am,” Curtis smiled. “I spend a lot of time there.”

“More and more as time has gone on,” Hunter noted.

“Do you think I could move to Dr. Raph’s tonight?” Curtis asked.

“You don’t waste any time once you make a decision,” Hunter chuckled.

“I know,” Curtis said sheepishly. “Do you think they’ll be happy to see me?”

“I think they’ll be ecstatic.”

“So can we go?”

“Shouldn’t we pack up your things first?” Hunter asked.

“They’re in the bag right here,” Curtis replied as he yanked his duffel bag into the office.

Hunter laughed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you can’t wait to get out of here.”

“I … I want to thank you for taking me in. I … I might have died out on the streets last winter, and I wouldn’t have cared … back then.”

“And now?”

“You gave me a chance to have a family again and I want it … now!”

“Then a family you shall have, Curtis my lad.” Hunter pulled the boy into a warm hug.”

“I just hope they’re not quite as weird as your family,” Curtis said with a happy smirk on his face.

“No danger there, kid. My family has the market cornered on weird. Let’s get going. You’ll be just in time for dinner.”

“That’s what I thought,” Curtis grinned, before he picked up his duffel and gave a last look to the Center that had been his home for so many months. He knew he was going to a better place and he could hardly wait.

 

*****
 

The vet clinic was closed when they got there. Hector and Raph would be in their offices at the back of the animal hospital. They always put everything to right before leaving for home.

“Maybe we should have called,” Curtis said nervously.

“Don’t worry, Curtis, they’re going to be so happy with your news.”

“You think so?” the boy asked shyly.

“I know so. Want me to come in with you?”

“Yes … no … I don’t know,” Curtis babbled.

“You can do this, Curtis, and for what it’s worth, I think you’re making the right decision.”

“You thought I should do this right from the beginning.”

“Yeah, I did. I was so lucky that Michael and Ben took me in. I wanted the same thing for you.”

“Can I come back to the Center if it doesn’t work out?” Curtis asked.

“I’ll always be there for you, Curtis, but when you become part of a family, you work out family problems together.”

“Okay,” Curtis sighed. “I’m ready.”

“Then go for it, kid, and have a happy life.”

“Thanks, Hunter. And I’m calling you every day.”

“You do that,” Hunter laughed. “I’ll miss your ugly puss around the Center.”

“I’ll miss you too.”

They hugged again before Curtis stepped out of the vehicle and slung his duffel over his shoulder. He walked to the side door and rang the bell. The door opened and Raph smiled when he saw who it was. A few words were exchanged and then Raph pulled the boy into a bone crusher of a hug. Raph smiled and waved at Hunter before he pulled Curtis inside. Hunter heard Raph shout Hector’s name. They would be celebrating tonight.

“Have a great life, kid,” Hunter said out loud before he drove away.

 

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