It's All Down Hill From Here

Chapter 8

“Morning, Angelica,” Justin said trying to be cheerful. He sat down carefully at the small table in the kitchen. His ass was sore, and not for the usual reasons. His slide down the rocky path at the Fern Grotto had left some bruises on his bountiful butt. Sitting was not that pleasant an experience at the moment.

“Good morning, Mr. Justin, where is Mr. Brian?”

“He’s in the shower.”

“I wanted to show you gentlemen what Kilauea is doing since you were over on the Big Island.” She flipped on the TV and turned up the sound.

“The river of lava has expanded in size overnight,” the reporter’s voice explained. “It has made its way to the sea where you can see the plumes of steam created as the hot magma enters the ocean. Luckily no homes or villages stand in the path of the eruption.”

“Wow!” Justin responded. “That’s amazing.”

“Lava is the lifeblood of these islands but it can also be very destructive,” Angelica counseled. Then she frowned. “You gentlemen didn’t pick up any pieces of lava while you were on the Big Island, did you?”

“Lava?” Justin asked.

“It is legend that when someone tries to remove rocks from Hawaii, Pele is very unhappy and bad luck ensues for the people taking the rock.”

“You…You think that’s why we’ve been having all this bad luck with falls and sunburn and…”

“I’m just asking, Mr. Justin. If you have any island rock, I would suggest you put it back.”

“I don’t have any rock. I wouldn’t do such a thing,” Justin declared.

“Neither would I,” Brian said as he entered the kitchen and heard the end of the conversation.

“I’m very glad to hear that,” Angelica replied as she starting pouring coffee for the men. “Pele is not happy these days, and we don’t want to anger her any more.”

When she went back to the stove to finish making breakfast, Justin whispered to Brian, “You don’t have a hunk of rock squirreled away somewhere, do you?”

“No, I most certainly do not. When have you known me to collect rocks, let alone steal them?”

“I know how much you like to get your rocks off,” Justin said with a chuckle.

“Not the same thing at all.”

“I had to ask with all the bad luck we’ve…”

“It’s not bad luck,” Brian declared. “We’ve just had a few mishaps.”

“Me more than you.”

“Well, let’s make sure we don’t have any more while we’re here.”

Justin nodded his head in agreement. That was exactly what he intended to do.

 

*****
 

The next few days the boys decided would be much safer spent at the estate. The estate was so vast that one could spend several days exploring it and still have more to see. They walked through the gardens, swam in the luxurious pool and made love in the hidden alcoves, being careful of Justin’s sore bum, of course.

Justin did take Brian’s suggestion about asking Angelica regarding the various plants and flowers in the garden. She assured her young temporary master that all the flowers were ‘user’ friendly but warned him to look before poking his nose in too close. Justin took her warning seriously and spent many happy hours sketching.

On a couple of evenings the boys decided to go back to Squeeze with their new friends, after enjoying leisurely dinners at local restaurants. Brian even allowed himself to be coerced into a very touristy night club tour one night. By the time the boys made it home, they flopped into bed, exhausted.

“I guess this makes it official,” Brian declared from his pillow.

“Makes what official?”

“I am officially old,” Brian stated with an exhausted grunt.

“You’re not old, just aged to perfection,” Justin pronounced. “And if I’m not mistaken, you lasted longer on the dance floor than Paul and Martin.”

“Well, I have good incentive,” Brian said as he found Justin’s hand under the sheets then laced his fingers through Justin’s.

“My big Smoosh!” Justin stated before he cuddled close then they both fell asleep.

 

*****
 

“So what shall we do today? We’ll be leaving on that jet plane for home soon,” Brian said almost relieved to be going home. The past few days had been accident free and Brian wanted to keep it that way. The boys were currently enjoying brunch on the lanai.

“I noticed a stable at the other end of the estate,” Justin said.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because your ass just recovered from bouncing down the cliff. And now you want to take your chances on a horse?”

“We’ve gone riding at the farm with the kids. It’s not like we’re entering the derby. Come on, Brian, it’ll be fun. I’m sure there’s a trail we can take. We’ll go slow.”

“You promise no hurdle jumping?” Brian asked, giving in to his mate’s pleading blue eyes.

“I promise,” Justin said as he raised his hand as if taking a solemn vow. “I’ll go so slow that you could walk faster than my horse.” Brian snorted but nodded his consent. “You will come with me, won’t you?”

“Don’t I always?” Brian said with smirk.

They finished their brunch then decided to walk off their meal by strolling to the stable.

 

*****
 

“This is Pele,” the stable hand told Justin as he adjusted the stirrups under Justin’s feet.

“Isn’t there some sort of rule against naming animals after gods?” Brian asked arching his brow with suspicion.

“Perhaps,” the man said as he gave the old mare a gentle pat. “It is true that Pele is the goddess of fire and this gentle lady did have such fire in her time. Now she is content to spend her days peacefully. But her coat still shines fire-red in the sun. I think Pele is pleased with her namesake.”

“Will she be all right to ride? I’m not too heavy for her, am I?” Justin asked with concern, looking down at the horse.

“As long as you don’t plan to have her gallop across the grounds, she’ll be fine. She needs to stretch her legs so she won’t get fat. No offence, my beauty,” he said addressing the horse then nuzzling her soft nose with his own.

“And is this horse named for a god?” Brian asked cautiously as he surveyed the horse he had been assigned.

“Ah, yes, this is the noble Maui of the land of the long white cloud. Maui was a superb fishman,” the groom informed them. The gelding was cloud white with a few dark grey spots on his hind quarters.

“I guess that would be helpful if I was planning to do some fishing, but I’ve had enough of the Pacific Ocean to last me a lifetime.” Brian rubbed at a healing bruise on his arm. “But he is beautiful,” Brian admitted, giving his steed a scratch between his ears. “Any instructions?”

“Just stick to the graveled path. We keep it well manicured and the path will eventually bring you back here. You won’t have any trouble but I would suggest wearing hats. The sun is very strong.”

The men nodded in agreement, they had no wish to repeat their earlier experiences with sunburn. Both men were carrying wide-brimmed straw hats to protect them from the sun and several bottles of water in Justin’s bag. The groom relayed his last minute tips then sent Brian and Justin on their way.

“It’s so quiet here. All I can hear is the sound of the waves,” Justin remarked, not expecting any response. They had been riding for about twenty minutes, the horses walking at a slow pace. “Bri, did you ever want to live by the shore?”

“I never really gave it much thought. When I was a kid, I just wanted out of the house. When I got older, I wanted out of the Pitts. Something like this was just a picture in a book. It had nothing to do with my reality,” Brian explained.

Justin thought that was so sad. Their lives were so idyllic and had been for so many years, Justin sometimes forgot about their past, especially Brian’s.

“We can afford a summer home someplace on a beach somewhere. I bet the kids would love it,” Justin said.

“Justin, if you’d like a place on a beach somewhere then say the word and we’ll ask your mother to check it out. But I’m very happy with our cottage on our lane. It has everything I ever wanted or could possibly dream of.”

Justin, struck by Brian’s sincerity, twisted in his saddle to give Brian a smile. The sudden shift in weight made the old mare stumble for a moment. Justin grabbed the horn of the saddle, dropping the reins. The mare took off, looping around the path to head back to the safety of the stable. Justin, not having that much experience on a horse, hung onto the horn trying not to fall off.

“Justin!” Brian shouted then took off after his husband. He followed as closely as he could without spooking Pele any more than necessary.

As they got closer to the stable, Brian could see that the main door was closed. If Justin couldn’t get control of his horse, he’d slam into the wall above the door.

“Justin, let go!”

“What?” Justin shouted back.

“Let go. Jump off. NOW!” Brian screamed.

Justin, trusting that somehow Brian would make it right, let go of the horn. He rolled off the horse with his arms automatically guarding his head. He landed with a thud on the thick sandy surface of the stable grounds. Brian reined in his horse then jumped down to get to his lover.

“Justin! Justin!”

“I’m okay, I think,” Justin replied half in shock and half grateful to be off the horse.

“Can you stand?”

“Yeah, I think so.” As Brian helped Justin to stand, the grooms came running to help and control the horses. “Ow!”

“What? Did you hit your head?” Brian asked with worry.

“My arm.”

Brian panicked for a second thinking Justin hurt the arm that had residual damage from the bashing.

“No, the other one,” Justin said in a surprisingly calm voice. Henry and Angelica came running. They had been notified and drove to the stable in a golf cart that they used to traverse the estate.

“I called for an ambulance,” Angelica said. “I don’t think it’s broken.”

“Then why can’t I move it.”

“I think it’s dislocated,” Henry declared.

They sat on a bench near the stable, waiting for the ambulance. Brian and Justin looked at each other.

“Pele is not happy,” they said together.

 

*****
 

A few hours later Brian and Justin returned to the estate driven by Henry in the limo. Angelica rushed out to see how they were. Brian got out of the limo first, looking tired and worried.

“How is he?” Angelica asked. “Did they keep him in the hospital?”

Brian shook his head, and stood aside as Justin hauled himself out of the limo. His left arm was in a sling.

“Oh my God,” Angelica gasped. “Is it broken?”

Justin shook his head. “Dislocated shoulder. They put it back in place. I have to keep it in a sling for a few weeks.”

“I’m so sorry,” Angelica said.

“It’s not your fault … or Pele’s. I decided to jump off the horse. I have to suffer the consequences.”

“It could have been much worse from what the stable hand told me,” Henry informed them. “Pele gets skittish when she’s frightened, and she was heading for the closed barn door. You could have been even more seriously injured.”

“I know,” Justin said shaking his head. “Brian told me to jump off when I did. It was the best thing to do.”

“And now we suffer the consequences,” Brian replied with a sorrowful look on his face.

“Is there anything I can do, anything I can get you?” Angelica asked.

Justin shook his head. “I think I’d like to lie down for a while.”

“Of course, rest is the best thing,” Angelica replied.

Justin walked slowly towards the house. Brian stepped beside Angelica.

“Can you ask Pele to stop?” he whispered in her ear. “This is too much.”

“I’ll see if I can put in a good word,” Angelica promised. “But Pele seems to be in a very bad mood these days.

“Don’t we know it!” Brian said as he followed Justin into the house.

 

*****
 

The boys decided they were not leaving the estate until it was time to return to Pittsburgh. They had had enough problems during this trip. They would lay by the pool and bask in the … shade. No more disasters for them.

Justin’s shoulder was quite painful, so there was no sex for Brian for a couple of nights, until Justin felt up to participating. Justin tried to be cheerful and cooperative, but that wasn’t always easy when he was in pain.

They talked to Bree on the phone one more time. Brian and Justin decided not to mention their mishaps to anyone at home. They didn’t want them worrying, and they didn’t like to admit all the problems they had had.

With very little time left in Hawaii Brian got out his camera and started going around the estate taking pictures of everything they had enjoyed, and also the things that hadn’t turned out so well. He photographed the ocean where he had almost been swept away. In fact he found the breakers fascinating. He spent over an hour photographing the ever changing water. Justin came with him, but Brian made sure his spouse had a palm tree or an outcropping of rock to sit under. No more sunburn for his injured mate.

Brian even walked back to the stables with Justin. Justin brought a carrot for Pele letting her know that all was forgiven. It hadn’t really been the horse’s fault. She had been frightened. Pele accepted the carrot eagerly while Justin rubbed her nose. All seemed to be forgiven. Brian took her picture, and also one of Maui to whom he fed a carrot of his own. He would have a remembrance of their riding adventure on film.

On the way back Brian noted a huge tree that was growing in a secluded area of the estate. “Look at the size of that thing,” Brian said, walking towards the tree.

“Be careful,” Justin cautioned. “It looks large enough to be a man-eater, and with our luck it probably is.”

Brian snorted. “I wonder what it is,” Brian asked looking at the multitude of trunks that seemed to hold up a huge umbrella of leaves.

“We could ask Angelica,” Justin suggested.

“It’s a lot cooler under the tree,” Brian said as Justin joined him in the shade of the large tree.

“I’m feeling a little hot and tired,” Justin admitted as the coolness of the shade felt so good.

“Okay, Sunshine, back to the house for you,” Brian said taking Justin’s good hand and heading for the house.

Justin allowed himself to be led back to the house where Angelica pampered them with lemonade and some small sandwiches she had made for them.

“I think she feels guilty that we’ve had so many mishaps,” Justin said as Angelica went back inside to get the plate of raw vegetables that she had prepared for them.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Brian said. “But none of it is her fault.”

“No it isn’t, but you have to admit that this has been one weird honeymoon.”

“Everything we do is weird, Sunshine,” Brian said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, I suppose it is,” Justin said thoughtfully. “You know…”

“What?” Brian asked when Justin seemed lost in thought.

“This has been a great holiday.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Brian asked in disbelief.

“No, think about it. I have a million ideas of things to paint, and the colors, omigod, the colors! And we met some great people and we did have fun.”

Brian shook his head. “That’s why I keep you around, Sunshine. You are my sunshine. Even with a dislocated shoulder you can see the bright side.”

“You’re a very lucky man,” Angelica said as she set down a small tray of veggies and dip.

“Yes I am,” Brian agreed. “Angelica, would you sit down for a minute? I have a couple of questions for you.”

“Certainly, Mr. Brian.” Angelica sat down at the table with the two men.

“Do you know what that large tree not too far from the stables is?” Brian asked.

“Yes, it’s a banyan.”

“Banyan?” Brian asked. He wasn’t familiar with that type of tree at all. “It seems to have many trunks. Is it all one tree or many trees that get joined together?”

“Most of those trunks are actually roots. The tree drops roots down which enter the ground and act as supports for the weight of the tree as it continues to expand.”

“Wow!” Justin said. “It was so much cooler under the tree than outside of it.”

“In many places the banyan tree acts as a community meeting place,” Angelica explained. “A whole village could assemble under a large banyan in the olden days.”

“I bet,” Brian agreed. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“The banyan isn’t native to Hawaii, but there are many that have been planted on the islands. One of the largest in the world is on Maui, right in the middle of the city of Lahaina. I’m sure the city grew up around the tree.”

“I’d like to take some pictures of the banyan here on the property,” Brian said.

“Of course,” Angelica assured him. “You may take pictures of anything you wish, but it would be worth a trip to Maui to photograph the really big banyan.”

“I don’t think so,” Brian said firmly. “We don’t need any more problems.”

Angelica smiled knowingly. “Of course, whatever you wish.”

“Justin would like a picture of you and Henry.” Justin gave Brian a look but didn’t say anything. “I thought maybe we could take it at the banyan tree.”

“Certainly. I’ll let Henry know and we will do it after you finish your snack.”

“Thanks,” Brian said as Angelica went back into the kitchen.

“Justin wants a picture of Angelica and Henry?” Justin asked skeptically.

“Well you do, don’t you?” Brian asked.

“Well, yeah, but…”

“I’m just taking care of your every want and need.”

Justin chuckled giving his husband an affectionate look. He knew who the real softie was.

 

*****
 

“That’s good,” Brian said as Henry and Angelica stood in front of the banyan tree. He snapped a couple of shots. “Go under a little further,” Brian urged. “The light and shadow will make an interesting shot.” Angelica and Henry moved back into the shade. Brian snapped some more pictures. “Justin, let’s get one of you with them.” Justin moved under the tree and Brian took the shot. “I’d like to get a picture of the whole tree,” Brian said. “Come out in the sun and stand together.” The group accommodated Brian who started backing up, trying to get the whole massive tree into the shot. He kept stepping back farther and farther but was still unable to get a shot that included the whole tree. “Shit!” he griped as he stepped back even farther.

The back of his sandal landed on a tree root from another tree. His foot slipped off the root, twisting and throwing Brian off balance. The camera flew up in the air, as Brian’s hands went down to stop his fall. But the camera was attached to him by the strap around his neck. It came crashing back down hitting him in the side of his head. At the same time Brian knew he couldn’t stop the fall.

“Brian, Mr. Brian!” the group called to him as they rushed forward.

It was all too late. Brian went down twisting his ankle underneath him. The camera swung unharmed around his neck – not so, the spot on his right cheek where it had hit him. He let out a loud groan as he felt his ankle twist painfully.

“Brian, are you all right?” Justin gasped as he reached his husband’s side.

“My ankle,” Brian moaned as he managed to turn and sit with his leg extended.

“It’s already starting to swell,” Angelica said, before rushing to the house for an ice pack.

“I’ll get the car,” Henry said rushing off.

“Back to emergency,” Justin said ruefully.

“How much time have we spent there already?” Brian asked of no one in particular. He didn’t even want to think about that.

“More than enough.”

“Mr. Brian, let me help you into the car,” Henry said as he brought the Mercedes to a stop near Brian. He jumped out to help Justin get Brian into the back seat. Angelica arrived with an ice pack wrapped in a towel. She placed it on Brian’s ankle before the car drove off.

“What was that doctor’s name in the ER?” Brian asked. “The one who looked after your shoulder?”

“Dr. Kavanagh I think,” Justin responded.

“I think he’s our new best friend until we leave these scenic isles.” Brian closed his eyes and leaned against Justin. Some honeymoon, he thought.

 

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