Brian Un-henged

Chapter 13

The buzzer startled Brian as he was packing up his briefcase. He and Justin were going to spend the day in Pittsburgh.

“Who is it?” Brian directed his question toward the new intercom that sat on his desk up in his attic office.

“It’s Tommy and Jeremy from the gallery, Mr. Kinney. We’re here to pack up the sculptures then take them to the Village garden.”

“Okay, drive in slow. I’ll get you as close to the sculptures as possible.”

“Very good, sir.”

Brian buzzed the gate open.

John and his crew had produced yet another miracle by completing the lane’s gate. John had decided to fashion the gate using wrought iron and stone pillars. The gate was elegant as well as functional. It made Brian feel secure for the families on his lane, but not like they were all in a prison.

Brian snapped his briefcase shut then left the cottage to meet the truck down the lane.

“Bri, I doubt if we’ll be home in time to meet the kids’ bus,” Justin commented as he was supervising Sidney’s men carefully wrapping the pieces of each flower then crating them.

“Not to worry, Auntie Rachel to the rescue. Besides we all had that nice long talk with the kids about this. The princess is prepared to do without us tonight if necessary. I’ve packed us an overnight bag just in case. We don’t have much at the loft.”

“I’m surprised Bree was that reasonable. Careful with that!” Justin instructed Tommy who was winding bubble-wrap around the main part of the frog.

“Our daughter is nothing if not reasonable,” Brian snarked.

“And in what reality do you live, Brian?”

“In the reality of, the sooner this henge is replanted in its new and rightful home, the quicker I get back my Sunshine, with parts intact. And Bree gets her Daddy back to paint with her at the easels. That reality.”

“Oh. Hey, take it easy! Brian, I have to work here,” Justin pleaded.

“Go on, be one with the movers, Sunshine. John is doing his final inspection of Molly’s cottage. I’ll go annoy him.”

“You do that, Bri.” Justin dismissed his spouse as he turned his attention to metal flower petals. “Don’t lose any clamps!”

“Hey, big bro.”

“Hey. What are you dressed up for?”

Brian was wearing his nicer jeans, designer shirt and a suit jacket. “I’m taking the artist to the Pitts. He wants to follow the truck transporting his sculptures. I’m also meeting with Sidney. I need to look the part when I finalize the campaign with him.”

“Ah. Mr. Bloom requires that Brian Kinney touch.”

“Something like that. I just think he likes bossing me around. Is Molly’s dream cottage ready?”

“All set. The phone company was here and they’re wired up into the gate system. I was just testing things. All they need is furniture.”

“If Molly is like every other woman with a new house, I’m sure a moving van with their furniture will be arriving any time now.”

“I’m sure you’re right. So is Justin excited to see the sculptures go?”

“He’s supervising the packing as we speak but I think he’s a little sorry to see them go. Just like he is with all his work.”

“He’ll get over it.”

“Yeah, he always does.”

“Will you be back tonight?”

“I hope so, if not I’ll call. Later, John,” Brian said as he left the new cottage.

“Later.”

 

*****
 

“Hello, Brian!” Sidney Bloom cheerfully greeted the creator of Kinnetik and spouse of his number one client. “Is Justin at the Village?”

“Yes, I dropped him off there,” Brian replied as he shook Sidney’s hand. “I’ll drive you over after we conclude our business, if you’d like.”

“Lindsay and I plan to go over later this afternoon. Now let’s go over this campaign.”

As Brian and Sidney discussed the PR surrounding the sculptures, Lindsay’s latest ‘pet project’ walked through the door of the gallery.

“Jamie, what are you doing here?” Lindsay asked the attractive artist.

“Oh, I just came in to visit my painting. I never thought I’d ever see something of mine hanging in a gallery anywhere. No less in the same gallery that features Justin Taylor,” Jamie gushed.

“You know he started out very modestly. He’s just very devoted and is willing to take chances.”

“I know, I’m not that ambitious but maybe I’ll be inspired to be, if I have the right support.” Jamie batted her eyelashes.

“Justin is very lucky to have such a supportive partner,” Lindsay commented wistfully. She sometimes wished that Mel would be half as supportive of her art as Brian was of Justin’s.

“Doesn’t hurt that Justin Taylor has a millionaire for a life partner,” Jamie said in a slightly bitter tone.

“It’s never been about the money.” Lindsay felt compelled to quickly defend Justin. “Justin always repaid his debts.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. His work is sought after everywhere. I just want to be famous here.”

“Why aim small?”

“Because I like teaching. My home and family are here. I don’t want to have to leave. You have to make some sacrifices to become an artist on his scale.”

“True,” Lindsay confirmed. She remembered how miserable Brian was without Justin, even for the short time he was away honing his craft and making important contacts. “Well, let’s go look at your work,” Lindsay said as she took the younger woman’s elbow to lead her to the ‘new artist’ section of the gallery.

“I think we’re done here,” Sidney declared with a very satisfied grin on his face. “I agree, a small local campaign with ads in selective newspapers and special invitations mailed out to our regular patrons is quite appropriate.”

“Don’t forget about the list I gave you. I do not want to see those people in my lane looking for hamburgers, fries and a Coke.”

“I promise you; your list will get first priority.” The two men shook hands on the bargain. “Brian, his imagination and vision is growing by leaps and bounds. I get requests for his Fractal Movie daily. I keep tabs on Rage and while he’s not directly involved, his interest in that venue has never wavered. I even have a copy of the Diversity DVD. My nephews have seen it in school. You do understand the implications of his growing popularity?”

“He’s conquered America, next stop Europe. My little Caesar,” Brian said softly fully understanding the implications.

“Yes, my lad, I’m afraid so,” Sidney said solemnly.

“All hail, Caesar.” Sidney patted Brian on the back then showed him to the door of the office. “Who’s that, woman? She is female?” Brian asked Sidney as he spied Jamie with Lindsay.

“Yes, she is, female that is,” Sidney said with a chuckle. “It is getting harder and harder to tell these days. That young woman is one of Lindsay’s protégées. She’s an instructor at PIFA and as you can imagine, an artist. We have a piece of hers featured in the ‘new artist’ section.”

“Seems like she wants a piece of Lindsay. Does Mel know about her?”

“I believe she and Ms. Marcus are acquainted.”

“I bet the fur was flying when that happened.”

“Hmm, well, I have to clear up a few things here before we go to the Village and I’m sure you’re anxious to get there as well.”

“Is that your polite way of getting rid of me, Mr. Bloom?”

“Yes, Mr. Kinney.” The two men laughed as Brian turned to make a beeline to Lindsay.

“Hey, Lindz,” Brian drawled giving the mother of his son the full Brian Kinney ‘come on’ look. Lindsay was only slightly immune to its full effect. She rolled her eyes at him but gave him a kiss, on the lips. Jamie was not amused. “And who’s this?” Brian turned a steely gaze toward Jamie.

“Brian Kinney, Jamie Cunningham,” Lindsay formally introduced them. “Jamie is an instructor at PIFA. I was privileged to see some of her work.”

“I bet you were,” Brian snarked. Lindsay gave him a sharp poke in the ribs. “Oofh,” Brian groaned.

“We’re featuring one of Jamie’s larger works.”

“Show me, I’m always willing to support the arts.”

Jamie narrowed her eyes a bit as Lindsay smiled then took Brian’s hand. Jamie followed the couple to her painting.

“This is interesting,” Brian muttered. “What’s the medium?” he asked, truly interested. Over the years, Brian had been exposed to many forms of art. And while by no means an expert, he did recognize quality. “It has depth and dimension.” Jamie was shocked that Brian was that perceptive.

“Yes, it does. Jamie works with paper.”

“Paper? This is all made out of paper? Very labor intensive.”

“A labor of love,” Jamie stated.

“I can see that,” Brian added. He stood gazing at the ‘painting’ for some time then internally shook himself out of his reverie. He quickly glanced at the non-existent watch on his wrist.

“Well, I must be going. Places to see, ads to get running and twinks to be doing. Very nice meeting you, Ms. Cunningham. I’m sure with Lindsay’s guidance you’ll make a name for yourself,” Brian drawled, making every effort to keep the sarcasm out of his tone. “Lindz, I’m headed to the office and then over to the Village. See you there?”

“Maybe later, if I can get Sidney off the phone and out of his office.”

“Then I’ll talk to you later.”

“Later, Brian,” Lindsay said sweetly then planted her own flirty kiss on the man. Brian smiled then left the gallery.

“That’s Justin Taylor’s life partner?” Jamie asked with disgust.

“Yes, he is.”

“Is he always so, so...”

“Yes, always.”

“How can you put up with it?”

“I’ve known Brian for most of my life. I love him. Now, I have to get back to work. Bring me a picture of your next piece and we’ll see if we can feature that one as well.” Lindsay quickly redirected the conversation back to more neutral ground. She didn’t quite know what to make of Jamie’s reaction to Brian.

“Okay, sure. Thank you,” Jamie said as she extended her hand out to shake Lindsay’s. Lindsay shook hands but had the distinct impression that Jamie wanted more than a handshake. Lindsay said goodbye then hurried back to the safety of Sidney’s office.

 

*****
 

“Hey, Pop!” Gus boldly bopped into his dad’s office at Kinnetik. Gus was about to turn eighteen, and he had been interning at Kinnetik for three summers now. Once he graduated from high school, Gus had hopes of working full time at Kinnetik for at least a year before deciding on college. His parents had other ideas, of course.

“Hey, Sonny Boy! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Brian asked. Brian’s suit jacket was off, his sleeves rolled up and he was elbows deep in a new campaign, loving every minute of it.

“I need to ask you something.”

“That sounds ominous. What do you NEED to ask? And how much is this going to cost me?”

“Oh Dad,” Gus exclaimed as he rolled his eyes. “It’s not going to cost you anything, well, I don’t think it’ll cost you, money, I mean.”

“Gus, can you be a little more specific? I think I’m catching a clue, here,” Brian snarked. He indicated that Gus should take a seat.

“Dad, I’m going to be eighteen soon, that means I can do whatever I want.”

“No, it doesn’t. It means you can register to vote and you have to register for selective service. It doesn’t mean you can run amok. Your mothers won’t stand for it. And neither will I,” Brian said sternly, his eyes piercing Gus down to the core.

“Okay, Pop, I mean, Dad, I get it.”

“Gus, is there a point to all of this? You may have the day off but I don’t.”

“Sorry, Dad. I wanted to ask you if I could change my name.”

“Change your name?” Brian’s brows knit together with a perplexed expression then his eyes widened in horror. “You’re not planning a sex change are you? I don’t want to start calling you Augusta.”

“NO! Not my first name and FUCK! A sex change, Pop? Jeez.”

“Well, how the hell am I supposed to know what you’re talking about? And with this family, I’m surprised we don’t already have a tranny.”

“Dad, can you be serious for a minute?” Brian composed himself to look ‘serious.’ “What I mean is, I want to change my last name to Kinney. I love my Mom, but I want to be a Kinney.”

“Gus...”

“Dad, I know you gave up your rights to me but that was a long time ago and only on paper. You’ve been a real dad to me since I was five. I want your name.”

“Gus, your mothers will have a fit and then they’ll kill me.”

“Before or after they kill me,” Gus snarked. “Pop, I love you; I want your name. Can you talk to Mom for me?” Gus pleaded as he turned his own hazel puppy dog eyes on his dad.

Brian sighed, scrubbed at his eyes then nodded his head.

 

*****
 

“Hey, Boy Wonder!” Michael shouted up at Justin who was currently up the ladder reattaching the head of a flower.

“Hey, Michael! Want to hand me that petal?” Justin pointed to a series of petals that were laid out in numeric order.

“Sure,” Michael said as he handed up the correct petal.

“Thanks, it’s easier if I have someone to help me,” Justin replied as the ladder teetered a bit.

“Whoa! Be careful. Brian will have a fit if you get hurt up there or down here for that matter.”

“Tell me about it. He’s been a huge pain in the ass about it lately.”

“He can’t help it.”

“I know. Next one, please.” Michael handed up the next petal. “Who’s minding the store?”

“I hired your twins for the summer. They’re really hard working and they’re a whiz on the computer. They’re upgrading my system. But I still can’t tell them apart and they talk weird.”

“They don’t talk weird, it’s just twin-speak. Sort of a code just between the two of them, but they’re great kids. I’m glad you gave them a job.”

“Me too and it gets me out of the shop for a while.”

“Why, I thought you loved it there?”

“I do but that guy keeps coming back.”

“What guy? And don’t you want repeat customers? Hand me that leaf section, thanks.”

“How many comics does one guy need? Anyway, he looks familiar, like I should know him but I just can’t place him. He just gives me the creeps, that’s all.”

“Well, the next time he comes in, just ask him.”

“You sound like Brian.”

“I guess I can’t help that. There, this one’s finished. Two more to go and then the frog.” Justin laughed at that.

“You sure like teasing Brian about the frogs.”

“Yeah, I do but he knows I mean nothing by it. And he’s really not scared of frogs. But he loves the reaction Bree gives when he plays along.”

“He’s a good Dada, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is. You are too, Michael.”

“But not like Brian.”

“Michael, no one is like Brian. Thank the gods!”

“Thank the gods,” Michael said at the same time and they laughed heartily. “You need a break? We can get something to eat at the diner; that is, if you can leave your stuff here.”

“Yeah, I am thirsty. The park is temporarily closed for the day. I have the key to the gate. And Tyrone is on the job.” Justin waved up at one of the apartment windows. They both watched as a long arm stuck itself out a window and waved back.

“One of Hunter’s kids?” Michael asked.

“Yes, before he came to Hunter, he was badly beaten by a john. He’s physically better but sometimes he’d just rather stay inside. Hunter arranged for him to rent that apartment. Tyrone is another computer genius so he can do a lot of his work from home, and he earns an additional living by being the garden’s birds-eye security.”

“Wow,” was all that Michael could say.

“Yeah, I know. Come on, I’ll buy you lunch.”

“Great!” The two friends locked up the garden then strolled to the Village Diner.

 

*****
 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my best friend and my partner looking very cozy,” Brian snarked with a raised eyebrow. Justin and Michael did appear to be sharing secrets during their conversation in a booth at the diner. Brian had a brief flashback of the two of them sleeping on his bed in the loft.

Justin slid over to make room for his lover. Brian sat with a huff. Justin then planted a very romantic kiss on Brian’s lips. “I love and want only you,” Justin whispered into Brian’s ear to reassure him then kissed Brian again.

“Get a room!” Michael groused sounding a whole lot like his mother. Brian and Justin turned their heads towards Michael then the three men giggled like children.

“Brian, Michael was telling me about his stalker,” Justin said.

“Oh Mikey, get over it already,” Brian said as a waiter took their orders. “I thought we were done with this conversation.”

“We’re not done, Brian. That guy is giving me the creeps,” Michael whined.

“The next time he comes into the store call one of us. Or maybe ask Carl. What good is having a retired cop for a step-father if you can’t call him when someone creeps you out,” Brian said logically.

“Yeah, maybe I will,” Michael said with a smile.

“Good, now that’s settled. Look who’s sitting at the counter. No, don’t all stare at...you guys have no finesse,” Brian grumbled.

“Who is he?” Justin asked in a hushed tone.

“Hey, that’s toupee guy,” Michael contributed. “Bri, doesn’t he look like that guy you made the bet with a hundred years ago?”

“That guy was pretty hot,” Justin said nonchalantly, just to tease Brian.

“You will get yours, Sunshine,” Brian threatened.

“I hope so,” Justin said with a waggle of his eyebrows. “We should stop by the loft, you know, check things out, make sure the plumbing still works. You are the landlord. You should be aware of the state of your properties and holdings,” Justin counseled, oh so innocently.

“I am well aware of what’s mine, Justin.” Brian looked down his nose and into the blue eyes that were sparkling and teasing him. Their orders came, temporarily suspending conversation. They ate in companionable silence, enjoying the day and the company.

 

*****
 

“Done!” Justin shouted from the ladder. The frog was the last piece to be planted and anchored into the ground. After their brief respite at the diner, Justin, Michael and Brian walked back to the garden. Most of the Village dwellers had stopped by to peer through the tall iron fencing that surrounded the garden to watch the artist at work and to offer words of encouragement. Gordon’s wife had stopped by, as did Joan and Danny. Sidney and Lindsay showed up just as the frog was completed.

Justin’s impromptu audience gave him a round of applause.

“Thank you, thank you,” Justin smiled brightly and took a bow. “So what do you think?” he asked Sidney who was touring around each ‘flower.’

“Magnificent, just magnificent. We’ll have the ceremony in a few weeks,” Sidney exclaimed with all the flourish he could muster.

“A small ceremony and casual, maybe promote it as a picnic in the park,” Justin suggested.

“All taken care of, my boy. Kinnetik will handle everything.”

“I mean it, Sidney. This was just an experiment. The first two flowers aren’t perfect,” Justin stated his own brand of self criticism.

“Justin, not even nature makes perfect flowers. All artistic endeavors are experiments. You had a vision and you worked hard to see it through to fruition. I think your experiment was a success.”

“Thank you, Sidney. I had a lot of fun working the metal.”

“Do you see yourself doing more?”

Brian overheard Sidney’s question. He scowled at the thought of Justin and the arc welder.

“I’d like to do something else,” Justin began. The furrows in Brian’s brow became more pronounced. “But not now, maybe in the future, way in the future.” Brian’s handsome face was furrow free once again. “For now, I think I want a shower and maybe a romantic evening with my partner.” Brian nodded, getting a sunshine smile as his reward.

“Let’s go to the loft and check out my plumbing, Sunshine,” Brian said with his patented tongue in cheek smirk. Justin giggled, waved up at Tyrone who remained on duty then left the garden with Brian.
 

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