The Naked Truth

Chapter 1

Authors' Note: Due to a computer crash, Sabina has lost some of the email addresses to our Sunshine Files Fans. Please email her directly so that she can update her list. snrn@nyc.rr.com We will be posting 1 chapter weekly until our technical difficulties can be resolved.
Thank you,
Thyme and Sabina

*****

“Well hello, beautiful!” Brian greeted the naked man with a huge grin. Justin groaned loudly as Ben turned an overall horrid shade of red, momentarily ruining Justin’s color scheme.

“Brian, if I lose my model because of you...”

“Where’s my little Mary Sunshine?” Brian teased as Ben tried to hide his hard toned body behind the hibiscus tree he was leaning on.

“Right now I’m little-Mary-go-fuck-yourself. Brian, I’m trying to work, here.”

“And I love watching the great artiste at work,” Brian drawled.

“You’re having way too much fun at Ben’s expense,” Justin hissed at his incorrigible spouse. “Please, Bri, I love you but go away.”

“Justin, I think I’m done for today. I’m beginning to feel a little uncomfortable,” Ben worked up the courage to say.

“No, wait!” Justin pleaded. “We’ve only just started,” he begged.

“Now, now Professor, let’s not be too hasty,” Brian said as he stepped closer to the naked muscle man, dragging his wife-beater over his head. Brian toed off his sneakers then dropped his cut offs.

“B-Brian, what are you doing?” Ben stuttered.

“Making you feel more comfortable,” Brian purred from the other side of the hibiscus. He held Ben’s gaze with a sultry look. Ben could not help staring into the searing hazel eyes.

Justin was seething until the contrast between the two equally stunning men began to fascinate him. He didn’t realize he was staring at them until Brian spoke sotto voce.

“Draw,” Brian commanded in a low whisper.

“Hmmm?”

“Draw,” Brian repeated.

Justin, spurred into life, began to furiously draw his model.

 

*****
 

“When do you go back to school?” Mel asked Gus as he was stirring a pot of Debbie’s homemade tomato sauce. Ray had flown back to New York, leaving Gus all alone in the loft on Tremont Street. Gus had invited his mother to dinner. Fortunately, Gus knew how to make spaghetti and had plenty of Deb’s tomato sauce in the freezer.

“I’m already pre-registered but I have to get there early to set up my apartment,” Gus explained as he dipped a spoon into the pot then gingerly tasted the sauce to see if it was hot enough.

“When did you learn to cook?” Mel asked, impressed at her son’s ease at the stove.

“Believe it or not, I don’t always eat out when I’m at school, and Pop...”

“What about him?” Melanie automatically snapped.

“He let me cook a lot this summer. I’m not as good as Justin but I do all right. I won’t starve.”

“Hmm,” Mel snorted. “Uh, dishes?” Mel offered to set the table. Gus pointed to one of the cabinets, and Mel took out a couple of plates.

“Shit! Are these Italian?” Gus shrugged. “And he lets you eat off these plates?”

“Mama, they’re just dishes,” Gus said, rolling his eyes as he grabbed one and plopped a load of spaghetti on it. He took the other plate and put a human sized portion on it. “You want sauce?” Gus asked as he waved a ladle in the air.

“Yes, please,” Mel replied contritely. It was all becoming a bit surreal for her, watching her son who looked so much like his father, quietly brooding at the stove while dishing up spaghetti.

“You’re staring.”

“What?”

“I said you’re staring. Do I have a booger or something hanging from my nose?” Gus brought their plates to the table then brought their salads.

“No, you’re fine. It’s just … I don’t think I ever had dinner here. I mean, I’ve been here years ago to parties but I don’t think I ever had a meal.” Mel sat at the table.

“There’s wine,” Gus offered.

“No thank you, water’s fine.”

Gus filled their glasses then sat at the table. They ate in companionable silence.

“Mama, why are you here?” Gus finally asked. “Are you going to cause trouble for mom and Uncle Michael?”

Mel grew angry. Gus could be just as brutally honest as his father. She was even more angry because Gus was right. Her intention had been to sue Lindsay and Michael for full custody, although she knew it would have been a hopeless cause. And it was two years too late for Gus. A battle was brewing in Melanie’s head.

After dinner, Melanie did the washing up while Gus dried. There were too few dishes to run the dishwasher. While Gus waited for the next plate, he flipped the switch on the coffeemaker.

“You make coffee too?”

Gus rolled his eyes again. “Well, duh. It’s not rocket science. How hard is it to put a filter in and count out scoops?”

“You’d be surprised,” Mel mumbled. “Please don’t tell me you made dessert.”

“Nope, lemon bars!” Gus laughed as he artfully arranged the infamous lemon bars on a plate. Mel smiled brightly at her son. While Gus found the dessert plates and took them and the lemon bars to the table, his mother brought the coffee.

“God, how can you eat two of them?” Mel asked as she watched the lemon bars on her son’s plate vanish. Mel cut her bar in two and began nibbling on a half.

“They’re good and I only get them while I’m here. Besides, I’ll work them off,” Gus said with a huge smile and a waggle of his eyebrows.

“Do not tell me that you’re trying to out-stud Brian!”

“Mama!” Gus yelped. “I don’t trick, and for your information, Pop hasn’t tricked in over ten years. Now, drop it,” Gus insisted.

“Fine.”

“I only meant that I have packing to do and laundry and gods forbid that I leave a speck of dust in here before I go.”

“I thought Brian has a cleaning service.”

“He does but I try not leave too much for them to clean. Pop has a thing for clean.”

“I remember.”

“Mama, are you happy?” Gus asked softly as he refreshed their coffees.

“I am!” Mel answered all too quickly. “At least I thought I was.”

“What happened?”

Melanie wanted to boast to her son that her life was perfect, but she could tell that Gus would spot the lie. “Honey, I shouldn’t talk to you about those things.”

“What things? Relationship things?” Gus asked. Mel nodded. “Mama, I don’t think you can shock or embarrass me. I grew up in a house full of women.” Gus gave his mother another ‘duh’ look and Mel chuckled.

“Yes, you did, we never really hid anything from you.”

“No, you didn’t,” Gus wrinkled up his nose. He had seen enough bras, panties, feminine hygiene products and an occasional tit to last him a lifetime.

“I...I think I made a mistake with Lorna,” Mel confided. “Not moving out there. I like it in Portland. I mean...”

“I know what you mean. It was exciting. New, but then things changed and maybe you’re not as compatible as you originally thought you were.”

“Something like that. How’d you know?”

“It’s kinda how I felt with Cole. He started out being exciting but then it grew...”

“Dangerous.”

“Yeah. He lied and tried to hurt my family.”

“And then the family helped to get the creep put away for a long time. It wasn’t your fault, Sweetheart.”

“I know that now but I didn’t for a long time. Mama, you and mom...”

“We can’t go back.”

“I wasn’t going to suggest it. I think it was a good thing that you guys split. I wished it hadn’t happened but now that it did, Mom’s a different person. She’s happier and at peace with herself.”

Mel flinched.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Gus reached out for his mother’s hand. “It’s just that you were both so unhappy. Always arguing. Even though Lorna might not be the ‘one,’ you look a lot better. Not as uptight as you did a year ago.” Melanie gave Gus a small smile. “Mama, I love you but please, don’t cause trouble. JR’s so happy running the store and she’s doing great in school. And now she’s even thinking about college.”

“Really? She was so argumentative about going to college.”

“I think Uncle John had a talk with her.”

“Not your father?”

“He’s too busy trying to convince Bree NOT to go to college,” Gus laughed. “At least not yet. JR and Uncle John talk about things and she listens to him. She’s thinking about studying business.”

“Oh,” Mel sounded disappointed.

“You want her to go to law school.” Mel nodded. “Yeah, she has the head for it, but it wouldn’t make her happy.”

“Happiness isn’t everything.”

“No? But it is important to like what you do. You’re a good lawyer, Mama, and you like it. Mom’s a good artist and she knows a hell of a lot about art. The gallery is going to be hers one day.”

They sat quietly for a while.

“What’s wrong with Michael?”

“Something called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Uncle Ben said he’ll be fine, he just needs to rest and take it easy for a while.”

“But he will get better.”

“That’s what everyone is saying.”

“And Debbie?”

“What about her?”

“I bet she’s flipping out.”

“Actually, she’s behaving herself. She and Carl have been helping out at the comic book store. So she hasn’t had the time to ‘mother’ Uncle Michael. I think that’s a good thing,” Gus said with a crooked smile.

“You look so much like Brian,” Mel admitted.

“Thanks,” Gus said automatically. “You did mean that as a compliment, didn’t you?”

“You are a very handsome young man. So, yes, I meant that as a compliment.”

“It kills you to admit that my father is good looking, doesn’t it?”

“He’s...”

“Mama, whatever happened between the two of you happened a long time ago. Can’t you leave it in the past where it belongs? He doesn’t resent you like you do him. Let it go, Mama, please, before it tears you up.”

“I’ll try, Gus. I promise to try.”

“That’s all I ask. How long are you planning to stay here?” Gus changed the subject to something less volatile.

“I have an open ticket back to Portland, but I think at least until you and JR go back to school. I’d like to spend a little time with you both.”

“I want to spend some time with you too,” Gus said as he got up from his chair to give his mother a fierce hug. He broke free from the hug long enough to take his phone out of his pocket and call JR. “Hey, wanna do breakfast with Mama tomorrow morning? Yeah, we just finished dinner. Spaghetti. With Grandmaw’s sauce,” Gus said with an exasperated tone. “I did not poison your mother! Here, talk to her!” Gus shoved the phone in Mel’s hand with a huff.

“Hi, baby! I’m fine. It was good. Yes, lemon bars. We’ll pick you up around nine? Okay, sweetheart, we’ll see you then. Night. Love you, baby.”

Mel hung up then handed the phone back to Gus. She smiled lovingly at her son, who smiled brightly at her. Mel hadn’t felt this good in a hell of a long time.

 

*****
 

Brian and Bree were enjoying an early morning breakfast together. Justin was still in bed, having worn himself out with his sketching and drawing the day before. Brian had told him to catch some more shut eye for as long as he wanted.

Cheerios were the order of the day, as Bree enjoyed hers dry, while Brian sipped coffee and nibbled on a piece of toast.

“Dada,” Bree said.

Brian looked up from his paper. “Yes, Squirt.”

“Why don’t people want to go to school?”

“Who doesn’t want to go to school?” Brian asked with a frown. “You like school, don’t you?”

“Oh yes, Dada. It’s fun, and I learn lots of stuff. Soon I’m going to catch up to my Patrick. He knows everything.”

“Is that right?” Brian asked with a chuckle. “Doesn’t Patrick want to go back to school?”

“He said he would rather play baseball and stay at home.”

“Our Little Red must be growing up,” Brian said knowingly. Bobby and John would not be pleased with that attitude.

“Patrick’s all growed up,” Bree stated.

“Not quite.”

“Oh yes, Dada, he’s a big man.”

“And he told you that?”

“No, but I know.”

“Is he as big as Gus?” Brian asked wondering how Bree would answer that.

Bree frowned. “No,” she said thoughtfully. “Gus goes to university. But Patrick’s almost as big.”

“Gus likes to go to school,” Brian reminded his daughter, thinking this might be the definitive answer to Bree’s question.

“No, Dada,” his daughter said sagely. “Gus would rather be with Ray. And he says school’s hard work, and he has to do some courses he doesn’t like so much.”

“Anything worthwhile takes hard work,” Brian advised.

“And JR don’t want to go to college,” Bree added.

“She may be going to college,” Brian replied. He knew John’s talk with JR had made the girl think about the possibilities of continuing her education.

Bree shook her head. “Lots of kids at school say they don’t want to be there.”

“Where are you going with this, Squirt? Don’t you want to go to school?”

“Oh yes, Dada. I love school.”

“Then why all the questions about not going?”

“I don’t understand why people say they don’t want to go to school,” Bree said with a sigh. “I like to understand stuff.”

“Maybe they don’t find school as easy as you do,” Brian explained. “If it’s hard for them, they might not like it.”

Bree listened to that explanation and thought about it. “But I like the hard stuff, Dada.”

Brian chuckled. “That’s because you’re my daughter and you’re a very smart girl.”

Bree nodded her head in agreement. “So, if everybody was your kid, would they all like the hard stuff?”

Brian swallowed his coffee quickly before he spewed it all over his precocious daughter. “Undoubtedly,” he said, not sure how else to respond without getting into further lengthy explanations.

“Dada?” Bree continued popping another Cheerio into her mouth.

Brian groaned inwardly. Where was she going to take him this time? Her questions always got into uncharted territory that he was uncomfortable trying to explain.

“Yes, Squirt,” he said with a sigh. He set his newspaper down. It didn’t seem like he was going to get much of a chance to read it.

Bree finished chewing her Cheerio. “Can I have some milk?”

Brian chuckled. That was a relief. “Certainly you can,” Brian agreed. He stood up to go get the pitcher out of the fridge.

“Dada?”

“Yes.”

“Did you like school?”

Brian took the milk out of the fridge. He walked back to the table pondering his answer to that question. He had always found it best to tell Bree the truth, but sometimes it made things very uncomfortable when he did so. “Do you want this in your glass or on your cereal?” he asked, buying a little more time to think about his answer.

“Glass,” Bree said succinctly.

Brian poured the milk into the glass then walked back to the fridge still trying to decide how to answer Bree’s question. He returned to the table and sat down. Bree waited studying her father’s face.

“That’s a complicated question, Squirt,” Brian said gently. “Are you sure you want to hear the answer?”

“Oh yes, Dada.” She could tell something important was coming.

“Well,” Brian began, “I was always good at my schoolwork, but I didn’t particularly like school.”

“Why not?” Bree asked as she stuffed a couple of Cheerios into her mouth.

“You know Daddy and I are gay?” Bree nodded. They had had that discussion many times. “Some students weren’t very nice to gay kids … back then.” He added that last bit because he truly hoped times had changed.

“Why not?”

“I think they were a bit afraid of us. They thought we were … different.”

“But…” Bree said looking like she was contemplating a big thought. “You’re not different. You’re smarter than anybody.”

“Thanks,” Brian said with a big smile, “but being different means that you’re an outsider. You remember how it was for Ashley for a while – how some kids picked on her and called her names.”

“Bad kids,” Bree stated emphatically.

“Sometimes they’re bad, and sometimes they just don’t understand. Look at Winona.”

Bree thought about that for a moment. “Yeah, she’s not so bad.”

“Well, when you get picked on at school, you don’t much like going there.”

“Hmm,” Bree said. Brian could see the wheels turning. “Did Unca Mikey get picked on too…cause he’s gay?”

“Yes, often more than me, because he’s smaller than I am.”

Bree’s eyes got really big as she processed that information. “Dada, did you get into fights?”

“Occasionally,” he admitted.

“But you said fighting is bad,” Bree reminded him.

“Fighting is bad, but I had to learn that the hard way.” Brian got up to freshen his coffee. He wished he had told Justin to get up. He could use some help with this discussion.

“Dada?” Bree said as he sat back down. Brian felt his stomach churn. What was she going to ask now? “How many days until school starts?”

Brian breathed a sigh of relief. “Five more.”

“Can we go shopping for a new outfit for the first day of school?”

“You got new clothes with Uncle John.”

“Yeah, and they’re okay. But you pick the bestest outfits for the first day.”

Brian smiled. Now this he could handle, and that was definitely the truth. His sense of style was unparalleled. “I think that could be arranged.”

Bree smiled happily before she took a sip of her milk.
 

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