Wonders of the World
“Mikey and Ben get home tomorrow,” Brian reminded Justin as Justin worked on his
dessert – by way of finishing off their lunch at the diner.
“I thought you were trying to forget that, Kinney,” Justin replied through a
partly filled mouth. “You’ve been saying….”
“I was trying to forget,” Brian agreed, “But you manage to keep reminding me….”
“I didn’t say one word about the Grand Canyon, Bri,” Justin protested. “Not one
word. I wasn’t even thinking about the Grand Canyon so how….”
“Why would you need to be thinking about the Grand Canyon, Sweetheart,” Brian
laughed, “when that slab of lemon meringue pie you’ve got there is way bigger
than any old Grand Canyon? It’s like- the eighth wonder of the world – bigger
than the Grand Canyon - but the real wonder is that anybody could eat it all….”
“You’re just trying to discourage me from ordering another piece, BK,” Justin
accused him. “Well I wasn’t planning to anyhow. It’s not quite as good as Vic’s.
And we’re having cake and ice cream over at the Institute in a couple of hours
too – somebody’s birthday – I forget who’s. But I do think Debbie’s knife
slipped when she was cutting this one. It is a little big – but Debbie likes me
so…. I’ll do something nice for her soon – to like – pay her back….”
“All of which reminds me, Baby,” Brian pointed out. “I like you too – and I
picked up the check for this lovely lunch – including that mountain of lemon
meringue pie – so maybe you’d like to pay me back. There’s something I need you
to do….”
“Isn’t there always, Bri?” Justin grinned at him. “And don’t I always
successfully complete any appointed task? So what’s up now? I can fix whatever
you need fixed.”
“Well unless Mikey’s camera fell into the Grand Canyon,” Brian proposed, “which
would be really the best thing, he will be coming home with a million or so
pictures – which he will turn into a slide show and we will have to go over
there some night and sit through hours and hours of….”
“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin told him. “Mikey’s slide shows don’t last but maybe
two hours at the most…..”
“Well then,” Brian smiled, “Mikey has a talent for making his slide shows seem
much longer than they are. What I want for you to do is to get us out of going.
I know that’s tough – but nothing is too tough for Justin Taylor – if he applies
himself assiduously….. If he could do me this favor, then I’d like – pay him
back by doing something nice for him….”
“If I get you out of going to Mikey’s for the slide show?” Justin clarified the
deal. “That’s all you want?”
“Yep,” Brian affirmed. “That’s it.”
“Well that’s actually already been taken care of, Mr. Kinney,” Justin informed
him. “Hunter has some photography-type friends and they are putting together a
power-point show of the trip onto DVD. Mikey’s been sending home pictures from
their laptop so the work is already started. So they’re not planning a
slide-show party at Mikey’s this time. We’ll all have our own copy of the slide
show to watch as many times as we want….”
“That’ll work out fine for me, Honey,” Brian seemed satisfied. “The number of
times I want to see it is exactly ‘zero.’”
“Well Debbie doesn’t like – know how to do power-point – so she asked if her and
Vic could come over to watch it with us some evening,” Justin told him. “And
then Vic said he’d make chocolate and cocoanut cream pies for the event – so Ted
and Blake are coming – and Emmett – and Cynthia and her cousin - and….”
“Nice work, Taylor,” Brian told him back. “Well you can be the host of that
extravaganza – all by yourself. I think I’ll maybe just go visit Mikey and Ben
that night and let you stew in your own juice back home….”
“Well you know how Mikey loves Vic’s chocolate pie, Bri,” Justin reminded him.
“I bet they’ll want to come over too…..”
“So it’s gonna be like the same old goofy slide show,” Brian concluded. “Just
it’ll be here instead of there. You’re hopeless. You could screw up the
proverbial one-car funeral, Taylor. You are like – the greatest wonder of the
world. Now what the hell do you look so happy about – with that stupid grin on
your face?”
“Why wouldn’t I be smiling, sir?” Justin pointed out. “My really great
boy-friend – the guy I love more than anything else in the world – just told me
I was the greatest wonder of the world….”
“OK, Wise Guy,” Brian commanded – smiling in spite of himself. “You are coming
back to the loft with me right now. No Institute. No birthday party. No cake and
ice cream. And that’s that…..”
“Damn,” Justin said – but he wasn’t very convincing – and he still had the
stupid grin on his face.
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