Brian Un-henged

Chapter 12

Brian walked out into the night. John, who was working up in his attic office, watched his brother for a moment, then went out to join him, bringing Brian a bottle of water.

“Hey,” John said as he handed Brian the water. Brian took a good drink.

“Thanks,” Brian said appreciatively. The summer night was hot and a bit humid. John took back the bottle to take his own drink. “Aren’t you afraid of sharing my germs?”

“We share DNA, that’s scary enough. Besides, you’re one of the healthiest people I know. I’m not afraid of your cooties,” John said with a smirk.

Brian took the bottle for another sip. “Well, you should be. I just admitted to my six year old daughter that I’m selfish,” Brian grumbled.

“Selfish!? Now that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say. Why are you selfish?”

“Because, I don’t want to have more children. I like things as they are. It’s bad enough that I have to share Justin with his art. I don’t think I’d have the patience to share Justin with another baby. I like the freedom we have. Bree and Patrick are older; they don’t need to be watched every minute of every day.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” John said. “But I understand what you mean. We can do so much more with them at this age than when they were younger.”

“Exactly.”

“But that’s not being selfish. That’s being practical.”

“I’d like to think so.”

“But?”

“But, I’m also getting older, too old to be caring for an infant. That big 5-0 is getting closer all the time.”

“Oh poor you! You’re as young as you feel and I have it on good authority that you still can fuck like a sixteen year old.” John made Brian laugh.

“And whose authority would that be?”

“A certain hot blond twink.”

“And what would you know about hot blond twinks? You have a red headed spitfire heating up your bed.”

“Then I’m an authority on heat and you keep turning it up all the time. Brian, the point of this inane conversation is that I agree. Bobby and I are very satisfied with our lives as they are now. But you, my dear brother, have a long way to go before you can call yourself old.” John took the water bottle and finished the last gulp. “Come on, old man. We both have hot twinks waiting for us. Let’s go heat up some beds.”

“I like the way you think, big bro. And John, thank you. You always help me to make sense of things.”

“That’s what big brothers are for.”

The Kinney brothers went back into their cottage, locked up for the night then went in search of their hot twinks to turn up the heat.

 

*****
 

“And why am I the last to know about this ‘henge’?” Sidney Bloom bellowed in his gallery.

Lindsay was trying to explain how Justin’s latest project came about.

“I don’t give a flying fuck if he got the inspiration from the local landfill. I demand to see this henge and I want to see it today!”

Lindsay scurried off to call Edna’s Treasures.

 

*****
 

“Hi, Sidney!” Justin shouted and waved from the top of his ladder out in the field. He had just ‘planted’ his fifth flower. Brian was standing at the bottom of the ladder keeping it steady. Lindsay had driven Sidney up to Edna’s Treasures to see Justin’s henge.

“Justin, my boy! What is all this?” Sidney asked as he stomped across the field toward the ladder.

“I told you, you should have told him,” Brian whispered out of the side of his mouth as Justin scurried down the ladder to greet his irate agent and mentor.

“Shut up, Brian,” Justin whispered back. “Sidney, what a lovely surprise!” Justin said cheerfully, while Brian snorted.

“And why is that, Justin? Why have I had to learn about this wonderful new medium you’ve discovered from an email that one of my nephews sent me?”

“Um, I was going to tell you but I, uh...”

“Sidney,” Brian began, as he took the older man’s elbow. “Allow me to give you the tour and fill you in on the campaign to launch Justin’s ‘henge’.” Brian winked at Justin then guided Sidney around the meadow so he could get the full effect.

 

*****
 

“So the plan is to replant the sculptures in the Village garden,” Sidney confirmed. “And Kinnetik is working on the publicity.” Brian led Sidney through the field and into the sun porch. Justin and Lindsay made themselves scarce as the adman made his pitch to Sidney.

“That’s right,” Brian said. “Hunter Montgomery proposed the site. Not only is the Village garden an esthetically appropriate choice, technically it’s not public land so we don't need any permits from the city. The Village and the apartment house are owned by the Village co-op. We already have their written permission.” Brian produced a copy of the agreement that Hunter, on the behalf of the Jason Kemp Clinic and Village Association had signed.

“The Village garden is also a very secure location and we have the apartment renters, home owners and store owners all volunteering to keep an eye on the flowers. We also have a list of fans who are jumping at the chance to catch a glimpse of Justin Taylor’s latest work.” Brian produced the list of names, addresses and phone numbers of the tourists that visited the lane over the past several weeks.

“Hmm,” Sidney mumbled as he looked over each document.

“A glass of iced tea?” Justin asked with his best flirty smile.

“Cookie?” Lindsay offered, smiling just as brightly.

Sidney tried to maintain his gruff demeanor; however, he was beginning to cave under the pressure.

“I surrender!” Sidney exclaimed, holding both hands up. “But Justin, next time, warn your friendly neighborhood art agent. I must be kept in the loop, my boy.”

“I will,” Justin stated as he poured a large glass of iced tea. Lindsay placed a small plate of cookies on the table in front of Sidney. Brian gave the man his own copies of all the documents.

All was right in the world....for now.

 

*****
 

“Bree, are you listening?” Cassie asked.

“Yes,” Bree replied absently.

“Are you going to make something with your modeling clay?”

“It’s not clay,” Bree replied knowledgeably. She kneaded the ball of material that she had been given so that it would soften up.

Cassie raised her eyebrows at the comment. Briana wasn’t like any of the other kids at the day camp. She always seemed to know so much more than anybody else. “You’re right,” Cassie agreed carefully. “Clay can be rather messy, so we chose to use this artificial modeling medium.”

“It shouldn’t be white,” Bree said picking up the ball of white artificial clay that she had been given to work with.

“We’re going to paint the sculptures when they dry,” Cassie said trying to encourage the little girl. “You can paint it any color you like.”

Bree looked around the big table. Everyone was working away making stars and flowers and cars. Bree frowned. She needed to think about what she wanted to create. No stars or flowers for her.

“What are you going to make?” Ashley asked Bree, as Cassie moved down the table to help another child.

“I don’t know yet.”

“I’m making a flower for my mommy.”

“That’s nice.”

“Why don’t you make a flower for your daddies?”

Bree shook her head. “No, I want to make something else.”

“What?”

“I don’t know.”

Ashley shrugged and went back to fashioning her flower.

“That looks like a stupid lump of snow,” a tall girl said to Bree from her position across the table.

Bree looked up and saw Winona, a girl who was in third grade at her school. She sighed and continued to knead her modeling clay. She knew there was no point in replying. Winona would just make fun of her.

“Can’t you even talk?” Winona asked loudly.

“I can talk when there’s someone good to talk to,” Bree stated and then looked away from the girl.

“You’re an asshole,” Winona said with a sneer.

“And you’re stupid,” Patrick offered as he slid into place beside Bree and across from the obnoxious girl. “Go away.”

“I don’t have to,” Winona told him.

“You better or I’ll report that you said ‘asshole’.”

Winona glared at Patrick and then picked up her modeling clay and moved to the other end of the table. Bree smiled at Patrick who returned to his own clay starting to form it into something that Bree didn’t recognize.

“Thanks,” she whispered to him.

“That Winona is in my class at school. She’s the asshole,” Patrick stated in a whisper of his own. “You okay?”

“I don’t care what she says. I don’t like her, and she doesn’t bother me.”

“I know, but I don’t want her to get away with anything here. She’ll only do worse stuff if nobody calls her on it.”

Bree smiled at her cousin and best friend. “You’re the best,” she said.

“Thanks,” Patrick grinned as he got back to his own design.

Bree picked up her clay and started to work on what she wanted to make.

 

*****
 

“Hi, Dada,” Bree called as she jumped down from the last step of the camp bus.

“Hey, Squirt, you seem to be in a good mood,” Brian chuckled. He watched the bus pull away and then bent down to get a big hug from Bree.

“I love you, Dada.”

“I love you too. Hey Patrick, how was your day at camp?” Brian asked as he stood up and ruffled the red hair affectionately.

“Pretty good,” Patrick said with a smile.

Brian smiled at his nephew. “Justin’s making you a snack so let’s go inside.” The children raced to the front door of Edna’s Treasures as Brian followed along behind enjoying the enthusiasm of youth.

“Hey, guys,” Justin called as the kids burst into the house.

“Daddy!” Bree yelled as she ran around the counter of the kitchen and into a warm hug from her father.

“Hey, sweetheart. Did you have a good day at camp?” Justin asked.

“Pretty good after Patrick told that stupid Winona to fuck off,” Bree declared.

“What?” Justin asked with a frown. He didn’t like his daughter to swear, and the thought of her swearing in front of a group of children made him cringe. He could already hear the pending call from the camp counselors inside his head.

“Patrick didn’t really say that, but he made her go away,” Bree amended with a grin.

Justin let out a breath and looked up at Brian who had just entered the kitchen. “You can tell us all about it while you have your cookies and milk,” Justin said as he set the glasses of cold milk and a plate with four cookies on the kitchen table.

Bree slid her backpack off her shoulders and set it on the floor by her chair. She grabbed a cookie and took a big bite followed by a long drink of milk.

“So what’s the story about stupid Winona?” Brian asked as he sipped the iced tea Justin had set out for the adults.

“She’s this dumb girl in Patrick’s class at school. She thinks she’s so smart,” Bree answered wiping the milk moustache from her mouth. “She told me my sculpture looked like a stupid lump of snow, and I hadn’t even started it yet. And then she called me an asshole.”

“She what?” Brian demanded, feeling his anger rise. How dare anyone call his daughter an asshole? That appellation was reserved for him, and even then he didn’t like it being used.

“It’s okay, Dada. I’m not afraid of her, but she tries to scare the little kids,” Bree told her father.

“And you’re not one of the little kids?” Brian asked raising an eyebrow.

“No, I’m a big girl,” Bree told him. “I’m not afraid of her, but Patrick said he was going to report her for saying ‘asshole’ if she didn’t leave me alone.”

“Good man,” Brian said sharing a high five with Patrick who grinned widely, very pleased with himself and the praise he was receiving for what he had done.

“I always look out for Bree,” Patrick said solemnly.

“And we count on you for that,” Justin said with a squeeze to Patrick’s shoulder.

“I like helping Bree,” Patrick declared.

“So, Winona backed off?” Brian asked.

“Yep,” Bree said, “but I can kick her ass if I have to, and Patrick and Ashley will help me.”

“Well, let’s not have any ass kicking unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Brian admonished.

“’Kay, Dada,” Bree agreed as she finished her cookie.

“What did you make with your clay?” Justin asked deciding that it was time to change the subject to something other than Winona and ass kicking.

“It’s not real clay, Daddy,” Bree said knowingly as she slid off her chair to retrieve her backpack. “I told them it wasn’t real clay, but they said real clay was too messy, so we got this stuff.” Bree hauled her piece of modeling material out of her backpack and held it out towards Justin.

“Oh,” he said. “It’s that synthetic modeling material. I’ve used it a couple of times.”

“Have you?” Bree asked. “I like real clay better.”

“Me too, sweetheart,” Justin chuckled as he held up Bree’s sculpture. It seemed to be a head with the top of it painted red.

“Did you make something too?” Brian asked Patrick, hoping no one would ask him to identify what his daughter’s sculpture was. He wasn’t very good at that kind of thing.

“Yep,” Patrick said as he pulled a somewhat similar looking object out of his backpack. However, the top of his was painted yellow and it had funny little things coming out each side.

“Are those eyes?” Brian asked as he looked at the blue orbs painted on the object that Patrick handed him.

“Yes,” Patrick nodded, pleased that his Uncle Brian seemed to know what he had made.

“You made me!” Bree declared with a bright smile.

Patrick grinned at her and nodded his head. “I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to make,” Patrick said feeling the color rise in his face.

“I love my ponytails,” Bree giggled as she touched the spiky parts sticking out each side of the head Patrick had created. “I like it.”

Patrick looked at Bree affectionately. “I want to give it to you.”

“Thank you,” Bree said leaning over and kissing Patrick’s cheek.

Brian and Justin watched Patrick’s face turn very red as his eyes sought the floor unable to look at Bree.

“And I just bet that you made a sculpture of Patrick,” Justin said studying his daughter’s piece of modeling material.

Bree nodded. “They don’t have very good paints at camp though. I tried to make Patrick’s hair, but I couldn’t get the color right.”

“It still looks like our lad,” Brian said gently.

“Daddy, can you help me get the hair right, and then I can give it to Patrick?” Bree asked.

“Of course, we’ll do that right after dinner.”

“Good. I love my sculpture, Patrick,” she said to her cousin.

“Thanks,” Patrick replied, still slightly embarrassed by what he had done.

“Let’s go to the Wendy house,” Bree suggested.

“Okay,” Patrick agreed.

The two children ran out through the sun porch. Brian and Justin heard Beau bark his greeting. They knew the kids would be safe with Beau to protect them.

“They’re quite the pair, aren’t they?” Brian said as he set Patrick’s sculpture down beside Bree’s.

“We’re so lucky. They’re great kids,” Justin replied.

“We must have done something right raising them.”

“We did everything right. They’re such kind and happy kids,” Justin said feeling tears of gratitude well up.

“Yeah, most of the time,” Brian replied, earning him a swat from Justin. They chuckled and stood up to put the empty glasses and plates in the dishwasher and start getting ready for dinner.
 

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