Brian Un-henged

Chapter 7

“What are you doing?” Owen Jr. asked as he sat down beside his wife on the sofa.

“Just going through the pictures I took out at the cottage today.”

“Let’s see.”

The two sat for the next while as Molly clicked through all the pictures of their house. They viewed them on the small screen at the back of Molly’s digital camera. Owen was amazed at how far along the house was already.

“And John says he will have his crew put a base coat on the walls before they finish up and leave,” Molly explained as they looked at a picture of the interior of the house. “I think I know how I’m going to decorate. I’m so excited.”

Owen groaned. “Shit! More money,” he sighed. “I forgot about the decorating part of this whole plan.”

“We can afford it, can’t we?” Molly asked with a frown. “If not, it can wait. We can gradually decorate, maybe start with the living room…”

Her words were muffled as Owen’s mouth found hers and kissed her in such a way that she felt her toes curl.

“What was that for?” Molly asked breathlessly when Owen finally let her come up for air.

“That was because I want you to decorate that house exactly how you envision it.”

“You do?”

Owen nodded. “I do.”

“Did we just get married all over again?” Molly giggled.

“I’d marry you every day of the week if you wanted me too.”

“You are a lovely man, Owen Brenner.”

“And you’re the love of my life, Molly Brenner.”

“And you’re okay with me spending money on decorating the cottage?”

“It’s fine,” Owen reassured her. “We can afford it.”

“Really and truly? Because if it’s a problem, I’ll…” These words met the same fate as her previous protestation about not spending money.

“Now, no more discussion about decorating,” Owen said smugly as Molly’s mouth hung open and her chest heaved. “Do what you want and don’t worry about the cost.”

“That’s a statement that could really cost you,” Molly threatened in a teasing voice.

“Oh, I should have added … within reason.”

“That’s the man I know and love.”

Owen smiled genuinely at his beautiful wife. “I love you so much … you and Taylor.”

Molly smiled in return. “I love you right back,” she said, hauling her digital camera out from behind her, since somehow she had ended up sitting on it during Owen’s passionate kiss. “Oh, look at this,” she said clicking onto the next picture in the viewer of the camera.

“What is it?” Owen asked, as he took the camera from her and looked at the image in the view screen. “It looks like a faded sunflower.”

“It’s the beginning of Justin’s henge. He put the sunflower together today.”

“Wow! So how did it look?” Owen asked.

“Awesome!”

“How big is it?”

“Click through a couple more pictures and there’s one with Taylor in his carrier beside the stem of the sunflower.”

Owen did as directed. “Omigod, Taylor looks like a pea,” he gasped. “How tall is that thing?”

“It must be over fifteen feet high,” Molly said with a smile.

“Let’s go out there on the weekend. I’d love to see it.”

“Hey, what about the house? Don’t you want to see it too?”

“Well, sure, yeah. But this looks incredible.” Owen stared at the picture.

“It is pretty incredible.”

“We should send a copy of this to Stacey. She’ll get a kick out of it, since she knows Justin.”

“Okay, let’s download to the computer, and we can send it to her,” Molly suggested.

“Maybe we should send it to the Connolly’s too. Richard would probably like to put something in the paper about it.”

“I doubt Justin wants it in the paper when he’s hardly started.”

“I bet a lot of people would like to see the progress as he adds other flowers. It will be really something to see.”

“I guess it is on public display,” Molly said thoughtfully. “It’s right out in the field for anyone to view.”

“Okay, then let’s send it to Stacey and a copy to Richard Connolly.”

“I took a little movie of it too. I walked around it and got it from all sides and right from below it so you can see how tall it is.”

“Maybe we should put it on Youtube. I bet people would love it.”

“Um … I don’t know,” Molly said, but she went to get her laptop.

 

*****
 

“One more day of school, Dada,” Bree said as she finished her dinner.

“That’s right, Squirt.”

“When does camp start?”

“Right after July the Fourth.”

“Oh.”

“You’re okay with going, aren’t you?’

“Yes,” Bree sighed, “but it would be so much better if Ashley was going too.”

Brian shook his head. Sometimes his daughter sounded like a world weary twenty year old. “Maybe Ashley will get a chance to go. You never know.”

Bree frowned and looked at her father. At that moment the phone rang. Justin reached back and lifted the receiver of the wall phone off its base.

“Hello,” Justin said. “Yes, just a minute. It’s Ashley, Bree. She sounds really excited about something.”

Brian tried not to smirk as Bree hopped down off her chair and took the phone.

“Hello,” Bree said formally. She listened for a minute and then her voice changed dramatically. “Oh! Oh, Okay! … Are you sure? … Neat! … That’s great, Ashley. See you tomorrow at school.” Bree handed the phone back to her father.

“What was that all about?” Justin asked, as he hung up the phone.

“Ashley’s going to camp,” Bree declared. She stared at her Dada who refused to look at her. He had a sudden interest in stirring his coffee.

“How did that happen?” Justin asked carefully.

“Somebody gave collar-chips for kids to go to camp.”

“Collar-chips?” Brian asked. “Do you mean scholarships?”

Bree frowned. “Maybe. Do you know what those are, Dada?”

“Yes, Squirt, I know what they are.”

Bree looked like she wanted to say something more, but then she reconsidered. “I’m going to go play with Beau till bedtime.”

“Okay, sweetheart,” Justin said.

Bree headed out through the sun porch.

“She knows, doesn’t she?” Justin asked as he started to clear the dinner dishes.

“I think so,” Brian grudgingly admitted.

“Why didn’t she ask us?”

“She looked like she wanted to,” Brian said. “But maybe she thought it was better if she didn’t know where the collar-chip came from when she and Ashley go to camp.”

Justin shook his head. “What’s she going to be like when she’s eighteen?”

“Hopefully she’ll be some poor schmuck’s responsibility and not ours,” Brian said tongue in cheek.

“I thought you weren’t going to let her date till she was thirty.”

“Forty, but I don’t think I’m going to have much say in what she does by the look of things.”

“You think so? How soon is that going to happen?”

“Tomorrow,” Brian replied, and they both feared he was right.

 

*****
 

“Dada?” Brian was tucking Briana into bed. Justin was planning to read her a bedtime story when Brian was done.

“What is it, Squirt?” Brian kissed the top of Bree’s head as she snuggled back onto her pillow.

“The camp scholarship, you did that, didn’t you?” Bree asked seriously, clearly enunciating every word.

“Your Daddy and I both made the decision to sponsor the camp. Uncle John and Uncle Bobby are also involved. We plan to help the camp renovate in time for next season,” Brian stated, speaking to Bree almost as an adult. He was confident that if Bree required clarification, she would ask.

“Why?” Bree asked looking up into her father’s eyes with the big wide violet blue ones of her own.

“Several reasons, Squirt. The camp had to raise their tuition this year. They didn’t want to do it, but the cost of keeping a camp like that running is high. And kids like Ashley deserve to have a place to go to in the summer for some fun. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, I do. But, Dada, what’s the real reason?” Bree was so onto him. Brian reached down to draw the petite child into his arms. Bree went readily, wrapping her tiny arms around her Dada’s neck.

“For you, Squirt, for you,” Brian whispered.

“Thank you, Dada. I love you.” Bree had no doubt that her Dada loved her.

“Love you too, Squirt,” Brian said as he gave her a little squeeze. “Time to go to sleep. Your Daddy’s waiting to read you a story,” Brian said as he eased her back down onto the bed. He tucked her in, smoothed out the bedclothes then gently swiped away the pale strawberry blond wisps of hair from Bree’s face before leaving her for the night.

“She’s waiting for you,” Brian said to Justin as they met in the hall.

“Bri, you okay?” Justin asked his lover as he noticed the unshed tears in Brian’s eyes. Justin reached up to caress Brian’s cheek.

“Did you know we have an amazing daughter?” Brian answered the question with a question. He drew the smaller man close to kiss the blond head.

“I know,” Justin whispered.

“Go, she’s waiting for her Daddy to read her a story,” Brian said as he gently pushed Justin toward Bree’s bedroom door.

“I wonder what book she chose?” Justin chuckled.

“I have it on good authority it is not War and Peace. However, Anna Karenina…” Brian laughed as he went to the kitchen.

 

*****
 

“What’s he planting now?” Gordon asked as he and John were standing by the road watching Justin work.

“The green thing is a frog,” John replied.

“Has Brian seen it yet?” Brian’s ‘fondness’ for frogs was widely known.

“Not sure, but considering the thing is about five feet tall, he will eventually.” Both John and Gordon laughed.

“Does Justin intend to plant this whole field? No one will see it.” Gordon was very curious about the point to all of it.

“Good point. I’m not sure if Justin has thought it completely through. He just wanted to work with new material.”

“Well, I have seen many metal sculptures and while his are a bit primitive they are skillfully crafted,” Gordon stated with the confidence of an art critic. John gaped at his friend and business partner. “What? I’m a city boy now. I know art when I see it.”

The friends cracked up with laughter.

“You have a point, though. I don’t think even Sidney knows what he’s doing here,” John said when he caught his breath.

“Well, apparently someone does,” Gordon said as a strange sedan slowly pulled up and parked not too far from where they were standing. An elderly couple got out of the car then proceeded to take pictures of Justin’s henge.

“Excuse me, young man,” the woman addressed John.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Is this where Mr. Taylor is exhibiting?” the woman asked hopefully.

“Exhibiting?” John asked, not sure what she meant.

Trying not to get frustrated, the woman went on. “Yes, exhibiting. We’ve read that Justin Taylor is creating his version of Stonehenge and of course, we wanted to see it.”

“Of course,” John said tentatively. “Um, I...” John had no idea what to say.

“Ma’am, what you’re seeing now is a work in progress. Mr. Taylor has just begun working in this medium and is not quite ready to show it yet,” Gordon explained with an authoritative air. The couple was visibly saddened. “However,” Gordon stepped closer as if to confide in them. “If you leave me your name and address, I will get you on Sidney Bloom’s, of the Bloom Gallery, exclusive list. You’ll be one of the first to be notified when Mr. Taylor’s ready to exhibit.”

The couple was ecstatic. The woman nudged her husband and he fished out an old business card.

“I’m semi-retired but I can be reached through my firm,” the man said as he handed the card over to Gordon. Gordon safely pocketed the card then reassured the couple that as soon as the ‘henge’ was complete, they would receive an invitation to view it. Mollified the couple drove away but not before snapping a few more pictures of the work in progress.

Just then Brian came stomping down the lane.

“Uh oh,” John began, finally finding his voice. “Houston, we have a problem,” he quipped as they saw the rage burning in Brian’s eyes.

“Is that the lunch truck I hear? Gotta go,” Gordon said as he quickly turned on his heels to sprint back to the construction site.

“Coward,” John mumbled after him as he stood to face the fire while Justin worked to plant his frog, blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding in the lane.

 

*****
 

“Emmett, what’s it like to be stalked,” Michael asked his friend. Michael had come into the bistro for a snack.

“I don’t know and why are you asking me?”

“Well, didn’t Drew stalk you way back when?”

“No he didn’t, and that was a long time ago. And what makes you think you’re being stalked?” Emmett asked as he removed a tray of fruit tarts from one of the ovens.

“Some guy keeps coming into the shop and buying comics.”

“Michael, honey, you own a comic book store. If people didn’t come in to buy comics, then I’d start to worry, not when they do.”

Michael crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. “Well, he just gives me the creeps. He’s not gay and he looks kinda familiar, but I just can’t place him.”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s good looking, I suppose, about six feet and young like Justin.”

“Sweetie, Justin’s not all that young.”

“I know but he still looks like he’s twenty. This guy looks maybe twenty-five or thirty-ish. I just don’t want any trouble. Do you think he’s an inspector?”

“Inspector of what? Newsprint? Michael, you’re sounding crazy and I have buns to warm,” Emmett said with a straight face.

“TMI, Emm.”

“Michael, if the guy comes into the store again, just ask him who he is.”

“Yeah, okay, maybe I will.”

“Good, now leave me with my buns!” Michael stole a peek at one of Pittsburgh’s most infamous and ‘fetching’ apron covered buns of all time before he went back to his shop.

 

*****
 

“Now Brian, you need to remain calm,” John began.

“No, I don’t. Look at this!”

“I know, they just wanted to take...look at what?” John stopped in mid sentence as his brother was waving a piece of paper in front of his face. John grabbed the flailing arm to take a better look at the paper. It was a picture of Justin’s sunflower that Brian had gotten off of a ‘Myspace’ site.

“How did you find this?” John asked.

“I went over to Gus’ Myspace. He found it.”

“How did that happen?”

“I don’t know but I’m going to find out before our nice quiet lane becomes a tourist attraction.”
“Um, about that....”
 

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