Change
Part 3

It was about a month later before Debbie and I finally had our house. It turned out to be the house right next door to the munchers, which made seeing Gus, and Michelle, much easier. It also meant that they would be more likely to let my son spend time with me in my home rather than me always having to go over there.

So we got all moved in and ended up having this huge attic with nothing in it. We used the money from the sale of the house to buy new furniture. Or I should say I used the money to buy new furniture. While I did let Deb make the final yea or nay on the furniture, I limited her in what she could choose from. Finally we had a house that was a combination of the both of us. The furniture was tasteful and decorative, yet warm and inviting. The first time Justin came over after it was completely decorated he even commented that it definitely looked like the two of us.

After all was said and done, however, we had this huge empty attic. I looked around imagining all the wonderful things I could do with that space. Were I still in advertising I would have turned it into an office with a desk and a drafting table and a computer and anything else an advertising genius might need. Yes, I did occasionally do my own artwork. It’s a talent that I have, but rarely use. And I’m nowhere near as good as Justin.

I was sitting in the living room looking through the newspaper trying to decide what I was going to do with the attic when Lindsay comes over. She’s not happy at all. I put the newspaper down and cross my arms over my chest and just wait for her to start because I know it’ll happen any minute. Three…….two…….one……

“Leda’s back in town.” She said with a sigh as she took a seat. “What are we gonna do?!”

“What do you mean, what are we gonna do?” I asked her with a raised eyebrow. “Since when did I get involved in this?”

“Since you moved in next door.” She said with an evil glare. I shook my head.

“Fuck no. You are not getting me involved in the Muncherville horrors. You don’t like it. You deal with it.” I stood and started to walk out of the room when I stopped in my tracks. Leda was back in town. Leda who had redone Lindsay and Melanie’s attic and done a damn good job of it. My mind started turning at a mile a minute and I know I was smirking.

“What are you thinking?” Lindsay asked me when she came around to see why I’d stopped.

“Where is Leda staying?”

“At the Motel 6 on 5th street, why?” Lindsay asked and I could feel my smirk grow bigger. “Brian Kinney what are you thinking?”

“Nothing.” I said, kissing her cheek and heading out the door almost at a run. I made it to the corner bus stop just in time to catch the bus and in a matter of minutes I was at the Motel 6. I talked the desk clerk into giving me Leda’s room number and I went and knocked on her door.

“Well, hello there.” She said with a smirk. “Come to take me up on my offer?” I have to admit that to this day I’m intrigued by the idea of getting fucked by Leda with a dildo. She’s pretty hot for a woman and she and I have a lot in common. I shook my head remembering my promise to Justin. Even if she is a woman, she’d still count as a trick.

“I need a favor, but not that kind of favor.”

“Oh?” She asked as she stepped aside to let me in. I took a seat in the lone chair in the room. Leda came over and sat on the bed and I moved the chair so that I was sitting across from her.

“I just got into a new house and I have this huge attic and nothing to do with it.”

“And you want me to do to your attic what I did to Mel and Linds’ attic?” She asked and I nodded.

“You do good work, I won’t deny that, and you did save them a lot of money. I’m willing to pay you if you want me to. And I’ll cover all the building supplies and everything.”

“You won’t have to pay me. I love doing that kind of stuff. The fact that I get to do it is payment enough. And I can save you lots of money on wholesale building supplies. High quality. But….I never figured you for the artistic type.” She said with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s not for me.” I answered honestly.

“Then who is it for?”

“You remember meeting Justin?” I asked and she nodded.

“Oh yeah, that blond kid. He’s kind of hot. For a guy.”

“Well, he’s an artist. Studying at PIFA. And right now he has to share a studio with some of the other students. So I thought…”

“You two got the house together?” I know that Melanie at least told her about my reputation and I could tell she was a combination of amused and shocked.

“No, actually. I got the house with my best friend’s mom. Long story, don’t ask. Anyway, Justin spends a lot of time over at my place so I thought as long as he’s there he might as well be able to do his homework, right?”

“Right.” She smirked and I could see that look in her eye and I wanted to sigh but I didn’t. “That kid must be something to have tamed such a wild beast.” She chuckled. Normally that would have offended me but it didn’t bother me anymore.

“You have no idea.” I said and she laughed. We got down to business talking about what I wanted done, what would be needed and how much it was going to cost.

One week later Leda started getting to work on the renovations. Debbie was a little worried that we couldn’t afford it but Leda and I both assured her that we could. In exchange for doing the work we let her stay in the spare room. She had no problem with the fact that as soon as the work was done, she was at least out of that room. We made sure that part was very clear, though it was nothing personal.

Justin was strictly forbidden from going upstairs unless I was with him. I wanted the studio to be a surprise so I didn’t want him snooping around up there. All he knew was that the attic was being renovated. It was hard to keep the sound of power tools and hammering a secret from anyone. Luckily the fact that there was no baby in the house made Leda very happy. Neither Deb nor I minded when Leda would play her music just a tiny bit too loud. It was never enough to bother us. And considering how much time I spent at Babylon, the music actually helped me get to sleep some nights.

I helped Leda whenever I could. Growing up with Jack Kinney taught me basic maintenance so I could hammer and saw without threat of bodily harm. Leda told me more than once that she appreciated the help. She’d ended up doing almost all the work for the munchers. Even as butch as Melanie is, she can’t handle basic carpentry.

Finally, after about two months, it came down to painting. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to paint the room. It couldn’t be a dark color because lots of light was needed to be an artist and dark colors tended to soak up the light. I didn’t want to use white though. It was too typical and too boring. Leda told me I had plenty of time to think about it. I went to the paint store to see if I could get any ideas from them. I saw a machine that was shaking a can of paint and I was seriously curious so I went and asked a sales person about it.

“That’s the paint mixer.” The man said.

“Paint mixer?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. He got that look on his face that said that he was used to dealing with complete and total idiots and that he thought I was one.

“Yeah. Whenever someone wants a custom color of paint done, the computer tells us exactly how much of what color paint to use, then we put it in the machine and it mixes the exact color you’re looking for.” He told me with a fake smile. This got my mind whirling again and I realized exactly what color I needed.

“How big of a color sample do you need to be able to mix the paint properly?”

“Just a small chip or something like that.” He said.

“Okay, let me ask this. If I brought in a picture, could you match someone’s eyes?” He gave me this look like I was being stupid or something, but he did think about it for a minute.

“If it was a big enough picture and the color would have to be very clear.”

“How big?”

“I’d say at least ten by thirteen head shot.” He answered. I nodded and got back to the house as fast as I could. I talked to Leda and found out exactly how much paint I needed, then I went into my room and pulled a shoebox out from under my bed. Not many people know this, actually nobody does, but I have a shoebox full of pictures of Justin. Some of the pictures were even given to my by his mother. I started going through the pictures until I found just the perfect one, then I went to Kinko’s and got them to enlarge it. I then went back to the hardware store and had the man mix up the paint. He just did one gallon at first, then did a test of the paint to make sure it was right. They used a blow dryer to dry the paint to make sure that it would look right when it dried. It was perfect. He mixed up the rest of the paint I needed, then I took it all to the house and Leda and I started painting.

So here we were, two and a half months later, with the completed studio. The walls were bright enough that the light reflected everywhere. The studio was an exact replica of Lindsay’s, right down to the sky light. The blue made the room feel light and airy and it was almost like we were up in the sky. I smiled as I looked around and looked at the walls painted to match Justin’s eyes.

“He’ll love it.” Leda said softly.

“You think so?” I asked her. She nodded. To my amazement she came over and kissed my cheek.

“You’re a good man, Kinney. Regardless of what Melanie says.” She smirked and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Thank you so much, Leda. I don’t know how I can repay you for this.”

“You helped me out and did a lot of the work, and you gave me a rent free place to stay for a while. That’s thanks enough.” She smiled, then started to gather up her things.

“So, I guess you’re going now, huh?”

“That was the deal.” She nodded.

“You staying in town much longer?” I asked and she shook her head.

“To be honest, I wasn’t planning on staying this long.” She chuckled and shook her head.

“Well, thanks.”

“Anytime, Kinney.” She smiled. “You know, my offer still stands.”

“As intriguing as that sounds, I just can’t.” I told her. She looked at me a minute, then nodded in understanding.

“He really must be something.” She smiled and I returned the smile. I walked her down to the door and out to her motorcycle. We talked about where she was heading and so forth and then I watched as she drove off. Of all the dykes I’ve ever known I’d have to say that I like Leda the best and as much as I love Lindsay I can’t imagine what possessed Melanie to break up with Leda.

When Justin came over the next day I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. I’d gone to the store the previous night and bought some red ribbon and tied it on the door that lead to the studio. I was so excited and nervous that I couldn’t sleep. Justin could tell that I looked tired but he chose not to say anything about it.

“I got something for you.”

“Why?” He asked me with a raised eyebrow. I knew what he was thinking. It wasn’t his birthday or Christmas or even our anniversary. There wasn’t any special occasion of any kind. It was just an ordinary day.

“I’m not allowed to give you gifts without any reason behind them?”

“It’s just……so different.”

“We’re different.” I said, as I looked him in the eye. He looked back for a minute, then nodded and smiled. We’d been sitting on the couch so I stood and took his hand and lead him up to the door to the attic. He looked at me for a minute, then went up the stairs with me following. He quickly untied the ribbon and opened the door and I swear his eyes just about popped out of his head.

“Oh my God! Brian!” I had just stepped into the studio and he turned and threw his arms around my neck and kissed me hard on the lips. If I hadn’t regained my balance we’d have gone tumbling down the stairs.

“So I take it you like it?” I asked with a smirk after he finally pulled away.

“Like it? I love it! Thank you so much!” He started looking around. Lindsay helped me stock it with everything that he would need. He stopped and just stared at the walls for a minute and I knew that he was trying to figure out the color. “I’ve seen that blue before.” He said softly as he was thinking.

“I’m sure you have. Pretty much every day.” I smirked and he looked at me.

“What do you mean?”

“Go look in the mirror.” I smiled this time and he went to look in the mirror that I’d put up on one of the walls. He stared in the mirror for a minute and then his eyes went wide and he turned to look at me with that sunshine smile on his face.

“You painted the walls to match my eyes?! That’s so CUTE!” He ran over and hugged me again and kissed my face all over and I couldn’t help but laugh. We ended up christening the studio before Debbie got home from work. It was the most amazing sex I’ve had in a while. I’ve noticed that sex with Justin is always better than sex with anyone else. That’s one of the reasons I never even noticed when I stopped tricking. The tricks were just momentary satisfaction. With Justin the high from the sex lasts long after the last waves of orgasm are gone.

Justin started coming over on a more frequent basis now that he had his own studio. Within the first 24 hours he had all his supplies from school stashed in the attic. He’d spend hours on end up there working on projects for school. He still had to use the pottery wheel and kiln at PIFA for when he had clay projects, but that was so infrequent that he didn’t care. One thing I did notice was the fact that he was always smiling. After I presented him with his very own studio it was rare to see him without a smile on his face. That, of course, made it rare to see me without a smile on my face.

I was a little amazed when I walked out of the back of the diner, having just gotten to work and about to start my shift, and who do I see but none other than Gardner Vance sitting at the counter looking at a cup of coffee like it had something crawling in it or something. I walked over behind the counter and looked at him a minute before speaking.

“Don’t worry. It’s non toxic.” I smirked and he looked up.

“Brian. Just the man I wanted to see.” He smiled that fake ass, I’m going to make you think you’re getting your way, smile that I’d seen him use with clients countless times and I knew that something was up.

“Oh?” I asked with a raised eyebrow and he nodded.

“I’d like you to come work for me again.” He said matter of factly. For about half a second I couldn’t figure out why all of a sudden, two years after firing me, the man would want to hire me again. Then it hit me. I’d been the one that saw to the contracts that each of our clients signed. And if my memory was correct most of the big name contracts were coming up for renewal in the next few months.

“Clients threatening to leave if you don’t hire me back?” I couldn’t keep the smirk off my face, especially when he sighed and nodded.

“They’ve been threatening me since I fired you but since they had legally binding contracts there was nothing they could do. Now that those contracts are almost expired…” He didn’t need to finish the sentence.

“What’s to keep you from firing me again once they sign the new contracts?” I crossed my arms over my chest, as I looked at him square in the eye.

“I was hoping you’d come back as partner. With a new partnership contract I would be willing to put a clause in the contract stating that I could not terminate your employment until such time as the contract came up for renewal.”

“And how long would this contract be valid for?”

“Five years.” He stated. I looked at him a minute, acting like I was thinking about it, then I shook my head.

“Sorry, but no.”

“I’ll double your salary.”

“No.”

“Triple?” He asked. Now I knew he was desperate.

“I said no. There are more important things than money.” He looked at me for a minute, then shook his head.

“I’d heard that you’d changed and I see that you have. But Brian, you loved your job. And you could do so much better than waiting tables. I don’t understand it.”

“For the first time in my life, Gardner, I’m actually happy. I might not be a huge success and I certainly don’t have a great deal of money, but that doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t have the need for success. I don’t have the stress of competition weighing me down. Here, if I lose a customer, who gives a shit? But if I lost a major account, that’s a different story.”

“So you’re perfectly content making minimum wage waiting tables?” He sounded like he couldn’t believe it and I understood where he was coming from because just two years ago I felt the same way.

“Yes, actually, I am. I have a steady job with people that I like to work with. I have fun at work. I have more time to spend with my son. I have someone who loves me, and whom I love very much and I just don’t need the things that come along with being a part of corporate America.” I shrugged and he nodded.

“I can understand that in a way, Brian. And I’m honestly glad you’re happy. If you ever decide to change your mind….”

“I won’t.” I cut him off. He nodded and just walked out. I didn’t realize it but Debbie had come in from the back and was standing just inside the back door and when I turned she had a huge ass grin on her face. “What?”

“I’m so proud of you!” She gushed and hugged me so tight I swear I heard ribs cracking. That’s when I realized what had come out of my mouth. I had said in front of everyone that I love Justin. I’d actually said the words. And he wasn’t there to hear it. Maybe that’s why I was able to say it. Maybe part of me is willing to admit to anyone else that I love him but if I let him know that for a fact, tell him for sure, then it gives him the opportunity to hurt me. I knew it’s fucked up, but so’s my head. I’d told him those three little words in more ways than I could count since the day we met and yet I couldn’t actually say the words. How stupid is that?
 

*****
 

Justin

I was sitting in the shop with Mikey working on Rage. I had this great idea but he just wouldn’t go for it. The asshole. Anyway, I was trying to convince him that what I was saying was a good idea.

“I’m sorry but it’s stupid.”

“It is not stupid.”

“Yes, it is stupid.” He said. While we were arguing the bell above the door rang signaling that someone came in.

“What’s stupid?” Debbie asked.

“Justin thinks that Rage should admit his feelings for JT.” He rolled his eyes.

“I think it should happen. It’s obvious that Rage loves JT.”

“But Rage would never do that!” Michael practically yelled. “Especially in front of people!”

“He sure as hell would.” Debbie said with a smirk.

“What?” We both asked her.

“Vance came into the diner asking Brian to come work for him again.” Debbie answered.

“And what did he say?” I swallowed hard. The stress of working in advertising had been one of the problems with Brian. He had to be an asshole at work to get the job done and the asshole never seemed to stay at work.

“He told Vance that he was happy doing what he was doing. That he has someone that loves him, that he loves very much and that he didn’t want to go back to advertising.”

“He said that in front of everybody?” I asked. I could feel the familiar sting of tears.

“Place must have been empty.” Mikey said sulkily.

“Actually, it was pretty crowded.” Debbie smirked. I couldn’t help it. I walked right out of the store and down the street to the diner. Brian was in the middle of taking an order but I didn’t care. I walked right up to him and gave him the most amazing, mind blowing, earth shaking, soul shattering, cum in your pants kiss. There were catcalls and cheers but we didn’t care.

“What was that for?” he asked me as he was panting after the kiss finally broke, strictly for lack of air.

“For being the most amazing boyfriend on the planet.” I said and dished out my sunshine smile. Brian brought home seven hundred dollars in tips that night.
 

*****
 

Brian

I got up early because I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t have to be at the diner until ten to get ready for the lunch rush and here I was wide-awake at quarter to seven. Justin spent the night, once again working until the wee hours in his studio, and Debbie had the day off. I decided to try to avoid waking them and headed down to the living room to catch some TV. I hadn’t watched the news in a while so I flipped on to a local news station.

“In other news, Fifty seven year old Jeremiah Henderson was found stabbed to death in an alley just off Liberty Avenue. Henderson was the owner and operator of the Liberty Diner and police believe he was attacked while leaving the restaurant early in the morning. No suspects have been apprehended at this time.”

I stopped and just stared at the TV. Jerry was dead. I was really starting to like the man a lot. We talked whenever we worked together and I found out he and I weren’t all that different. He had a son too, but his was from a failed marriage. All I knew about this son of Jerry’s was that he was very rich and very homophobic. I also knew that Jerry left everything he owned to his son in the last update of his will, that being before he opened the diner. Since it wasn’t updated that meant that the diner went to his son as well.

Once word got out about what happened, we were all afraid for our jobs. I had this pain in my gut for days thinking I was going to have to find another job. I didn’t want to do that. God only knew how long I was going to be out of work this time around. I just knew that I was going to have to go crawling back to Vance begging for my job back and I so didn’t want to do that. I had no appetite and this started to worry Justin, even though I don’t eat much anyway. I was worried to the point that even Gus noticed.

So one day Justin and I were working the lunch rush when this guy comes in wearing this fancy suit and one look at him just screamed BREEDER so I knew this had to be Jerry’s kid. He started looking around the place with this expression that looked like he’d swallowed something that didn’t go down too well and tasted awful on top of it. Finally he went into the back for a while and I knew he was in the office. Everyone in the diner picked up on the nervous vibes radiating off Justin and me. They knew if Brian Kinney was nervous, there was a problem.

I tried to go about my business as best I could but I was so distracted by the fact that the fate of a job I love was resting in the hands of the man that was currently going through Jerry’s office. He was back there for over an hour and I was about to throw something when he finally came out and walked right up to me.

“Mr. Kinney?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s me.”

“I understand that you’re the head waiter here.” He said. I was a little shocked because I always thought Debbie was in charge. I looked at Justin and he just shrugged so I looked back at this man and just nodded. “I was a little surprised to find the office so organized.” He said. His voice was emotionless and flat.

“That’s my doing, actually. Jerry was pretty messy so I cleaned everything up for him. Organized his office. Put the papers in order. Ended up helping him save a bunch of money too. Diner’s made more money in the past two years than in the previous five.” I was in full pitch mode, trying to keep the place open and thanking God I’d spent a good part of my adult life trying to sell people things they didn’t really want or need. Not only was my job at stake, and Justin’s job, but this was a landmark hang out for gay boys everywhere. It was almost a requirement to come to the diner and get something to eat, getting harassed by Debbie in the process.

“I can see that. I was back there inspecting the books. It looks like hiring you was the smartest thing my father ever did.” Again there was still no emotion and I wanted to smack the guy. Then I remembered I used to be like that. Dealing with pain by not feeling anything. I only hoped that was his case.

“So….” I was starting to get extremely confused.

“I’ll be honest, Mr. Kinney. I’ve never liked this establishment. I never liked my father’s association in any way with this community. I’ve never understood gay people and why they do what they do. As far as I’m concerned it’s an abomination.”

“I’d keep your voice down if I were you.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No, I’m trying to keep you alive, trust me.”

“Very well. As I was saying. I have no use for a place such as this. I have a much more successful business in a more prestigious line of work.”

“So…..what does that mean?” I asked, I kept chanting in my head Please don’t close us down. Please don’t close us down.

“I plan to sell this establishment, Mr. Kinney, and as head waiter I’m willing to offer you first bid.” He looked me in the eye and I could tell he was dead serious.

“Um….I need to see how much I can get together….”

“Time is money, Mr. Kinney. I’m a very busy man. I need to know now whether you plan on purchasing this establishment or not. If not it’s going on the open market.”

“How much do you want?” I asked.

“Make me an offer.” He said. I looked at Justin a minute, then pulled him aside.

“How much do you have on you right now?”

“About $150.” Justin said. He was wearing the pants that always got him great tips. We call them his ass pants because they hug his ass perfectly.

“Let me have it.” I said. He looked confused but he handed the money over. I walked back over to Jerry’s kid and pulled all my tip money out and started counting.

“Well?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I can give you…….three hundred fifty seven dollars and……..sixty five cents.” I looked him in the eye. He looked at me for a minute and I could have sworn he was going to laugh in my face but the strangest thing happened. He simply nodded and took the money from me.

“I’ll have all the necessary paperwork sent over in the morning, Mr. Kinney. Have a nice day.” He then walked out. I couldn’t believe it. I stood there in shock.

“Did that just actually happen?” Justin asked as he walked over to me. I looked at him a minute, then nodded, a smile coming to my face as I realized what had just happened. We now owned the diner. It was ours. His and mine.

“It really did.” He gave me one of those sunshine smiles that just melts my heart. I felt tears coming to my eyes. I couldn’t have loved him more in that moment. We were talking quietly and I could tell the patrons were getting a little nervous. I looked around at everyone and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “WE JUST BOUGHT THE DINER!” I yelled and the whole place erupted into cheers. The Liberty Diner had survived. It would continue to go on. And not only that, it would be run by Liberty Avenue’s most famous couple.

It’s been six months since Justin and I bought the diner and things couldn’t be better. We’ve completely turned the diner around. Justin and I have made more money in the past six months than the diner ever did in the entire time that I’ve worked here. Probably longer than that. It’s amazing how much fun it is to own this place. We hired enough waiters that the schedules are very flexible and everyone loves their job. Debbie and I got the house paid off a lot sooner than we expected to and Justin has moved in with us. It’s great.

When we first started making money I tried to get Justin to take fifty percent. He wouldn’t hear of it. No matter what I said he kept insisting that the diner isn’t fifty percent his.

“I didn’t give exactly fifty percent of the money, Brian.”

“I know but…”

“No. It’s not fair.” I finally gave in and pulled out a calculator and figured it out.

“Forty two percent.” I told him.

“What?”

“You bought forty two percent of the diner.”

“Okay then.” He nodded and we shook on it. The thing is, forty two percent of the money we’re making has been enough to help him finish paying off college. It’s amazing how much money we’re bringing in, and that doesn’t include the tips.

The best part is that Deb hasn’t noticed that her schedule gets smaller and smaller every week. We’re trying to slowly make it so that she doesn’t have to work at all, hoping to gradually decrease her hours until she’s home all the time and doesn’t notice. It’s kind of like when you’re cooking a frog. You stick it in a pot of cold water and slowly raise the temperature so the frog can adjust and doesn’t jump out of the pot. I know, bad example, but Deb would notice a big change in her schedule. I’m just glad that she’s not saying anything about her it.

 

*****
 

Justin

Brian put me in charge of making the schedule. I watched him the first couple of times that he tried and he just got so stressed over it. I told him that he just had to relax and not worry about it. One thing people don’t know about Brian is that he’s a worrier. He’s also very detail oriented. A total perfectionist. Everything has to be exactly right or he goes insane. So rather than drive himself to an ulcer he put me in charge of the things that bother him the most.

“What the fuck is this?” Debbie asked me angrily one day after I posted the schedule for the next two weeks.

“What?” I asked innocently, giving her that cute little angelic face that Brian says is deadly when used properly.

“Don’t look at me like that sunshine, why am I only scheduled for ten hours for all of the next two weeks?”

“We’ve got plenty of waiters now, Deb. You don’t need to work that much.”

“But how the hell am I supposed to pay the bills if I don’t work?” She put her hands on her hips.

“Um….Deb….” I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“No. I will not let you and Brian support me. I plan to earn my keep just like everyone else.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me.

“Then you’ll have to talk to Brian because he told me to do it.” I told her. She nodded and stormed out of the office. I got up and followed her; curious to see how Brian would handle it. Brian didn’t want Debbie to work at all. He was trying to take care of her. It was true that she was getting older and that being a waitress wasn’t good for her, but she’s a very independent woman and doesn’t like relying on anyone. She took care of herself and Michael and Vic for so long that she doesn’t know how to not take care of everyone else. I hope she doesn’t rip Brian’s head off.
 

*****
 

Brian

I was in the middle of helping a customer when Debbie came storming out of the back room. I finished taking the order and went to turn it in, the whole time feeling her gaze burning a hole in the back of my head. I couldn’t take it anymore so I walked over to where she was and stood there, looking her in the eye. She was pissed. I swallowed hard. I’ve never been able to stand it when Debbie got pissed at me.

“Justin tells me you’re responsible for this.” She said as she held up a copy of the schedule. Damn she noticed.

“I am.” I couldn’t believe that my voice cracked, but it did and I nodded. I heard Justin chuckle but I ignored him.

“Why?”

“Because you’re not needed as much around here and I can pay the bills. Justin can too.”

“Brian, working this little I can’t afford to pay more than one of the bills, if that.” She said.

“You don’t have to pay any of the bills Debbie. That’s the point.”

“Well, I’m not happy. I want to work more hours. I can’t just sit back and watch you boys do all the work.”

“Deb, you’re not getting any younger. I don’t like you working all the time. I was hoping that you wouldn’t notice until you stopped being on the schedule all together.”

“What?” Debbie looked shocked. I sighed and looked at her.

“I want you to retire, Deb. Hang up your apron and order pad. I don’t want you working anymore. I worry about you all the time. I worry that you’re working too hard. You don’t need to work anymore. Justin and I can handle it.”

“So I’m just supposed to sit around the house all day and do nothing?” Her hands were on her hips now. I could tell without looking that every eye in the place was on me.

“No. You could sew or work on a garden or watch TV or something like that.”

“I’m not some old biddy that has nothing better to do with her time than work crossword puzzles.”

“I didn’t say that. I just….Deb I want you to take care of yourself.” I really was worried about her and I know that she could tell. She saw it in my face and heard it in my voice. She reached up and put a hand on my cheek, smiling at me.

“I like that you want to take care of me Brian. It means a lot to me. But I’ll be fine. I can work. Just give me more hours, okay?”

“So you won’t retire?” I asked her.

“No, I’m not going to retire.” She said shaking her head. Some of the people around us laughed.

“I’m afraid that leaves me no other choice.” I said with a sigh. She smiled confidently. The smile soon faded as the next words came out of my mouth. “Debbie, you’re fired.” I then turned and started to head toward the back.

“Brian Aiden Kinney you get your skinny ass back here this minute!” She yelled. I stopped dead in my tracks. I took a deep breath to keep from letting her know that some bad childhood memories had come back as a result of that and I turned back to look at her.

“How can you fire me?!” She asked, several of the patrons acknowledged agreement with the question. I looked at her a minute, then I decided to answer the question honestly. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Because I love you and I want you around for a long time and working this job isn’t going to let that happen. You’re going to work yourself into an early grave and I could never live with myself if I allowed it.”

“But…..fired?”

“You wouldn’t retire! I tried to keep from firing you, Debbie, I really did. It was a last resort. But you had to go and be stubborn and…..” I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. I couldn’t believe that Justin was staying quiet the whole time. He just stood there watching with a smile on his face. “I just want you to take care of yourself, Debbie. It’s bad enough that I know I’m gonna lose you some day. I don’t want to be the cause of that happening sooner than it should.” I couldn’t meet her eyes. I was looking down at my feet at that point. No matter the situation, Debbie always made me feel like a little kid.

“Oh sweetie…..” She came over and she hugged me and I could tell when she came closer that she was crying. I just hugged her back. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” She said.

“What is?” Mikey’s voice seemed to appear out of nowhere. In all the commotion no one had heard the bell over the door.

“Brian fired me.” Debbie said with a smile that Mikey obviously missed.

“WHAT?!” He yelled. “Brian what the fuck? How could you fire mom?” He started yelling.

“Michael, stop.” Debbie said.

“No, ma. For once I’m not gonna stop. I can’t believe you, Brian! Firing mom. After all she’s done for you. How could you do it? You know how much she loves this job. How much she loves to help out when she can. How could you POSSIBLY take this away from her?!”

“You leave him alone!” Justin said.

“I will not.” Michael glared at Justin.

“Yes you will! If you haven’t noticed your mother is SMILING! She’s happy that she’s fired. Brian did it because he loves her and doesn’t want her working to death. He wants her to take care of herself and she wouldn’t retire so he fired her. But you don’t give a shit about that, do you? All you care about is proving that you’re better than Brian!” Justin yelled.

“Justin, stop please.” I put a hand on his shoulder and he looked at me a minute and nodded. I looked at Michael for a long minute before I said anything.

“I did this for her. So she can relax and enjoy the rest of her life. So she can be around a long time. So she can spend time with her grandchildren.”

“Grandchildren….but she’s only got one…”

“Gus is as much my grandson as Michelle is my granddaughter and you know it Michael.” Debbie admonished.

“But…” Michael started.

“No buts.” I interrupted. “We’re all happy with the decision, Michael. Even Debbie. So why don’t you just run on home to the professor and leave us to do our jobs?” I gave him a look that I always gave him when the conversation was over. He just glared at me a minute and sighed, then left. Debbie hugged me again.

“Thank you, Brian.” She said softly.

“Anytime, Deb.” I replied.

“Love you, sweetie.” She kissed my cheek, then wiped the lipstick off. I smiled and looked her in the eye.

“Love you too, ma.” She smiled back and hugged me one more time before walking out the door and heading home.
 

*****

Debbie decided in her spare time that she would baby-sit her grandchildren. This gave her something to do during the day and it helped out the munchers because that meant they wouldn’t have to pay for daycare. So everyone was happy about the decision. Everyone except Michael, that is. For some reason he didn’t like the fact that Debbie was watching the kids. I guess he still had it in his head that Debbie should have been working at the diner.

Before any of us knew it, it was time for Gus’ first day of school. Because his birthday is in September we had to wait until he was almost six before he could start. Having a spring birthday the concept was lost on me as to why we had to wait, but Justin understood perfectly since his birthday is after Gus’. Anyway.

I took the day off so that I could help get Gus ready to go to school. He’d asked specifically that I take him. This made Lindsay and Melanie both a little upset, but they understood at the same time. Since I’d moved in right next door to them I’d been spending a lot more time with Gus and we’d become really close. He often spent the night at our place, sometimes sleeping in the bed with Justin and me, both of us curled around him protectively.

So I woke up bright and early and walked over to the munchers to get Gus. He was ready to go, backpack and all. When I saw his backpack I couldn’t help but laugh a little. Lindsay said they couldn’t talk him out of it. He just had to have it.

“So, you like the Power Puff Girls, huh?” I said to him.

“Just like Justin.” He smiled brightly. I had a momentary flashback to myself at that age. I don’t remember ever smiling like that though.

“Don’t let anybody make fun of you for it, okay?”

“Okay, daddy.” He hugged me and I almost melted on the spot. Lindsay had that “awe how sweet” look on her face and Melanie was trying hard not to get the same look. Though we’d made up and actually become friends, we’re just enough alike that she tries very hard not to get too emotional around me. That was when Michelle started trying to come down the stairs. I moved away from Gus and ran up the stairs before either woman could and picked her up, bringing her down the rest of the way. She smiled and hugged me and kissed my cheek. It was hard to believe she was already three years old. It seemed like just yesterday she was born.

“Ready to spend a whole day without your big brother?” I asked her and she pouted.

“Gus not go.” She said and buried her face against my chest. I couldn’t help but reach up and stroke her soft dark hair.

“It’s okay, sweetie. He’ll be back.” Mel said, reaching up and rubbing her back.

“Daddy, we need to go now.” Gus said, looking a little impatient.

“Okay, sonny boy. Why don’t you give your little sister a hug before we go, huh?” I knelt down and put Michelle down. She stood there and sniffled and they hugged. Lindsay had pulled out a camera and clicked a picture quickly. Michelle moved back and then looked up at me for a minute. She looked exactly like a miniature Melanie with Michael’s black hair. I reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

“Daddy?” She looked me in the eyes and I’ll admit I was a little confused.

“Daddy will be here later, sweetie.” Melanie chimed in.

“Daddy is at work right now, he’ll see you at lunch.” Lindsay answered her. Michelle shook her head and pointed at me.

“Daddy.” She said, then hugged me. The two women shared a look, then looked at me and I could only shrug in confusion as I hugged back.

“Do you want me to come back after I drop Gus off at school?” I asked her and she nodded. “Okay, well, we better go, but I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Okay.” She went over and hugged Melanie’s leg and then I got up and took Gus’ hand. We started walking along down the sidewalk since the school wasn’t far from the house.

“Why did she call you daddy?” Gus asked me.

“I have no idea, sonny boy.” I could only shake my head.

“Maybe it’s because Uncle Michael isn’t around so much.” He looked up at me. I looked down at my son with a raised eyebrow.

“Mikey doesn’t come around that much?”

“Not as much as you.”

“Does he say why?”

“Nope, just doesn’t come around much. When he is around, he talks to me most. It’s like he doesn’t like Michelle.”

“How can he not like Michelle, she’s his daughter?” Of course I realized that I was having this conversation with a six year old.

“I heard Uncle Michael say one time that what he really wanted was a son, not a daughter.” Gus said, then shrugged. I was really starting to not like my best friend at all. I mean, completely ignoring his little girl just because she was a little girl. Especially after how much he fought to be a part of her life. It didn’t make any sense at all. I was definitely going to have to investigate.

I got Gus dropped off, taking him to his class and standing there probably a little longer than I should have and I started to make my way back home. I noticed that several of the teachers eyed me on my way out. One even stopped me and tried to hit on me but I explained to her that I’m in a committed relationship and she left me alone to go home. I walked slowly, taking my time, maybe giving Mel and Linds time to talk to Michelle about the whole daddy thing. By the time I got home, both had left for work and I was faced with Debbie. I went into the living room and took a seat, staring at the coffee table.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” She asked as she sat beside me.

“Michelle is insisting on calling me daddy.” I told her without looking up. I hated to tell her this, especially since Michael was her son and I knew how she’d react, but I had no one else to talk to.

“Why’s that?” Debbie looked confused.

“Well, from what Gus tells me on the rare occasions that Michael does stop by, he pays more attention to Gus than he does to Michelle. Apparently Michael wanted a son, not a daughter, so he ignores his own flesh and blood and tries to get close to mine.” I finally looked at her and I know that she could tell this was bothering me. “I don’t get how he could do that to her.”

“Especially after how hard he fought to stay part of her life. That’s just ridiculous. I’m going to have to have a talk with that boy.” She started to stand up. I put my hand on her arm.

“No, I have a better idea.” I couldn’t keep the smirk off my face.

“What?” She asked.

“Where’s Michelle right now?”

“Well, she’s supposed to be taking her morning nap.” Debbie looked confused. I got up and went upstairs and Debbie followed, curiosity getting the better of her. I slowly opened the door and sure enough, she was sitting up in bed playing with her dolls.

“I’m going sleep.” She said quickly and lay down, pulling the blankets up and closing her eyes tight. I chuckled and made my way over to the bed, taking a seat.

“It’s okay, sweetie, you don’t have to go to sleep right now.”

“I don’t?” She looked at me with that sweet little face and I smiled.

“Not yet.”

“Okay.” She smiled and sat up in bed. I couldn’t keep myself from chuckling again. She moved closer and climbed into my lap, hugging me as tight as she could and resting her head against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, one hand reaching up to stroke her hair. “Gamma makes me sleep.” She said in a pouty voice.

“Well, you’re gonna have to take a nap but I wanted to have a little talk with you first.”

“Okay.”

“Do you know who Michael is?”

“Mommy said he’s my daddy, but he doesn’t like me.”

“He doesn’t?”

“No.”

“Why do you think he doesn’t like you?”

“Cuz I’m a girl and he only likes boys.” I closed my eyes and sighed when she said that.

“Is that why you want to call me daddy?”

“Yeah, you like girls.” Debbie laughed at that and I chuckled.

“Well, I like certain girls.” I corrected and she looked up at me and smiled.

“You like me, right?” For a split second she looked like Mikey in the way she pouted, and just like with him I couldn’t resist. I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“I like you very much, sweetie.” I moved back and looked her in the eyes as she smiled a smile that rivaled Justin on his best days.

“So….can I call you daddy?” She asked almost pouting again.

“Of course you can, sweetie.” I hugged her tight and she hugged back. Debbie sniffled and I looked at her. She nodded to me, understanding what my plan was. If Mikey came around and heard Michelle calling me daddy, maybe he’d start to understand he needed to be a better father. And if he didn’t start to understand that, at least Michelle would have me in his place. So either way, the little girl won out. Part of me hoped Michael really was as stupid as he was acting.

I got home from work late one day and saw Justin sitting in the living room looking through magazines. I was a little shocked when I saw that the front of one magazine had a scantily clad chick leaning on a sports car on the cover.

“Turning straight on me?” I held up the magazine with a smirk.

“Looking at cars.” Justin said.

“Why?”

“Because my car is dead.” Debbie said as she came out of the kitchen.

“Can’t you just get it fixed?” I asked.

“It’d cost more to fix it than it would to buy a new one.” She sighed.

“Besides, we can afford it.” Justin said and I nodded. He was right, we could afford it.

“What about the car your mom gave you?” I asked Justin.

“She got into a car accident and needed it back.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine, but the car is toast. So…”

“Okay, so what did you have in mind?” I said as I sat down beside them.

“Well, we need something that’s big enough for the kids, and can carry my paintings and so forth.”

“But we want something stylish at the same time, right?” I asked with a raised eyebrow and Justin nodded with a smirk.

“I figured maybe a minivan.” Debbie chimed in.

“A….minivan?” I had to close my eyes before I fell over.

“What’s wrong with a minivan?” She asked.

“It’s….so……so….”

“Hetero?” Justin asked with a smirk and I whacked him on the arm. He laughed and kept flipping through the magazines. “What about an Escalade?” He asked finally.

“Sounds like a possibility.” I took the magazine from him and looked at it. It had all kinds of safety features as well as On Star and other stuff to keep any of us from getting lost. And it wasn’t too bad as far as price went. Definitely big enough for all the kids, and Justin’s stuff. “What do you think, Deb?”

“It’s a nice looking car. I think I could handle driving it, too. Looks good.”

“So….looks like we’re getting an Escalade.” I said and Justin smiled. So, rather than waiting we went that night to go look at cars. It took us almost two hours before we finally decided on a black one, fully loaded. All the paperwork was put through and we were told we could pick it up the next day. I was working the morning shift so Justin said he’d be more than happy to pick it up, since the car was being put in both our names.

“First a house, then a car. What’s next? A kid?” Deb asked. Justin and I just shared a look and shrugged at each other. She was quiet for a minute, then hugged us and we both went to bed. Justin was asleep almost instantly but I stayed awake thinking about how much things had changed. Once Debbie stopped working and stopped paying the bills, she insisted that we get her name taken off the mortgage of the house, so it was then put in my name and Justin’s name. That meant that we now had a house and a car that was in both our names. I was starting to panic.

I mean, being monogamous is one thing. Saying that you want to be together is another. But actually having two legal documents saying that you are a couple is completely different. My heart was pounding and I was having trouble breathing and I was sweating. I realized I was in the middle of a full blown panic attack and the last thing I wanted was for Justin to find out why. I got up and went downstairs to get a glass of water, hoping that would help me calm down.

“You okay, sweetie?” Debbie asked, completely startling me.

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!” I jumped and dropped the glass I was holding, causing it to shatter and glass to go everywhere. I thought that Deb had gone to bed.

“Calm down, Brian.” She said, though she stopped moving to avoid getting glass in her feet. I knelt down and starting picking the glass up. “Be careful.” She said.

“I’ve had lots of practice picking up broken glass, Deb.” I said and she nodded. I’d lost count of the number of times that I had to pick up after Jack went into one of his rages. After getting the big pieces picked up I grabbed the broom and started sweeping up the rest.

“What’s wrong?” She asked me.

“Nothing’s wrong.” I said as I started to throw the glass away.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.” She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow and I sighed heavily, going over to sit at the kitchen table.

“I had a panic attack.” I admitted reluctantly.

“Why?” She asked and I shrugged. She looked at me a minute. “Brian.” She had a “spill it” tone of voice so I sighed again and looked at her.

“I realized that I really am committing myself to Justin and it scares the shit out of me.”

“Why would that scare you?” She asked.

“I have this little voice in my head that keeps telling me he’s going to leave again someday.”

“Why would you think that?” I looked at her with a “what do you think?” look and she nodded. “So because he left you once, you think he’ll leave again.” I nodded and rested my chin on my stacked fists on the table.

“It’s bound to happen. I mean, I’m twelve years older than he is. He’s eventually going to get tired of the old man and go get someone younger.” She reached over and started stroking my hair.

“And the fact that he’s been with you and only you for the past three years doesn’t help much, does it?” She asked and I shook my head. “Brian, you can’t think like that. Yeah, he might leave someday, but if you live each day worrying it might happen you’ll never be happy. You have to trust that the love you have for him is going to be enough to keep him right where he is.”

“Maybe you’re right.” I said.

“I know I am. Now, go up there and get some sleep, okay?” She stood and kissed the top of my head, then headed up to bed. I went up into the room but didn’t get in bed right away. Justin was lying there on his back. I looked at his sweet face and started thinking. Could I see myself being happy with him when I turn forty? When I turn fifty? Could I see myself being happy with the man lying in my bed for years to come? I lay down in bed and he rolled over, draping an arm over my stomach and resting his head on my chest. I reached up and started stroking his hair. As I drifted off to sleep one word echoed through my head and that word was yes.

It was in the middle of the lunch rush when the phone rang. Kiki answered because I was in the middle of taking some food to a table. I put the plates down and looked over at Kiki and I got this horrible feeling. She looked at me and motioned me over to the phone.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s Justin.” She said.

“What…..what do you mean?” She handed me the phone and I took it. “Hello?”

“Mr. Kinney?”

“Yes.”

“This is Officer Handlin. Pittsburgh police department.”

“What can I do for you?”

“Your name is also registered on a black Escalade?” The man asked and I swallowed hard. My heart started pounding.

“Yes.”

“I’m afraid there’s been an accident.”

“How bad?”

“The vehicle was hit broad side by a Suburban, then spun and ran head first into a light pole before another vehicle collided with it from behind.” The officer explained. I almost dropped the phone and I know that I had gone pale because the entire diner went quiet and Kiki came over, steadying me with a hand on my arm.

“Is Justin okay?” I asked.

“An ambulance is on the way, sir.” He said. I hung up the phone and looked at Kiki.

“I have to go.” She just nodded and I took my apron off, running out the door without even taking the time to get my jacket. I realized that I didn’t know where the accident had taken place. I pulled out my cell and called Deb. She said she saw on the news where a bad accident had happened so I hopped a cab and headed over there and sure enough, that was the place. The Escalade was totaled. A cold pit formed in my stomach as I looked at it. Given the condition of the car, I was afraid to think of what kind of condition Justin was in. I ran over to see if he was still there and a police officer stopped me. “That’s my car.” I pointed to the heap that was my Escalade. The officer let me go and I ran over, looking for Justin.

“Where is he?” I asked the cop nearest to me.

“Who sir?”

“The driver of that car. Where is he?”

“He was taken to Allegheny General, sir.” The cop answered. I nodded and ran to the cab that was, amazingly, still waiting and headed to the hospital. I ran in and straight to the nurse’s station.

“I’m looking for Justin Taylor.”

“And you are?”

“I’m his partner.” I said and the look that crossed the woman’s face made me want to smack her.

“I’m sorry but I can only give information to family.” She emphasized the word family to tell me that that wasn’t me.

“Listen to me you homophobic bitch! I AM his family. I’ve been more of a family to him than his own parents for the last six years. Now tell me where the fuck he is before I search every room in this hospital to find him!” By the end of my little speech I was yelling and a security officer started to come over along with a doctor and another nurse. I recognized the nurse. She was the night nurse while Justin was in the hospital after the bashing.

“Brian?” She asked as she came over.

“They won’t let me see him.” I told her.

“He’s here again?” She seemed a little concerned and I nodded.

“Car accident.” I explained. She could see the pure terror on my face, I could tell by the look on hers. She spoke quietly to the doctor for a minute, then the doctor turned to the nurse I’d been yelling at and got the room information, then turned and gave it to me. “Thank you.” I said to her and gave her a quick hug before I turned to walk to Justin’s room.

“Let me know how he is.” She said. I looked back at her with a nod, then headed through the hospital to find Justin. I ran to the room as fast as I could. When I got in the doorway I stood there panting for a minute before I walked in to see what condition Justin was in. I nearly passed out when I saw him, but not because the injuries were that bad. He looked like he was asleep. They had him on one IV and that was it. The only evidence that anything had happened was the bandage on his forehead. I fell to my knees and thanked God and the safety features on the Escalade, then made my way over to sit down on the side of the bed. As soon as I sat down his eyes opened.

“Hey.” He said with a small smile.

“Hey.” I replied. My voice was a little shaky and I felt a tear rolling down my cheek. He reached up and wiped it away.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Just happy you’re okay.” I sniffled. He looked confused for a minute. “I saw the car.” I explained and he nodded in understanding.

“I’m so sorry, Brian.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Cars are replaceable.” I smiled a little. I didn’t mention the fact that the accident had only happened about three blocks from the dealership because it didn’t matter.

“Can we really afford to do that?” He asked.

“We had full coverage and the accident wasn’t your fault. That’ll cover a new car. Plus we can sue for pain and suffering.”

“Pain and suffering? I only got four stitches.”

“Who’s talking about you?” I smirked and he laughed. “When I saw the car….I thought….” My voice failed and I sniffled. He sat up and hugged me and I hugged back as tightly as I could without hurting him. He reached up and stroked my hair, kissing my temple.

“I’m okay, baby.” He said soothingly and I nodded, but I refused to let go of him. I didn’t want to take a chance on this all being a dream and waking up to find out Justin died in the accident. I didn’t want to take a chance that I actually had lost him forever.

“Justin…” I started.

“Yes Brian?” He asked me, still stroking my hair. I sat back and looked him right in the eye. His hand slid down so that it was resting flat against my chest directly over my heart, which made what I was about to say a little easier for some reason. I reached up and touched his cheek, keeping eye contact.

“I love you.” My bottom lip was quivering and I couldn’t keep my voice from shaking, or the tear from rolling down my cheek. He looked at me for a minute, then leaned in and kissed me. It was a kiss that said everything.

“I love you too, Brian.” He smiled and kissed me again. He lay back against the pillows and I lay down beside him, snuggling close, intent not to leave until Justin was released. This time he’d know that I was there for him, unlike last time.
 

On to Part 4