June 2006 “Lindsay, Melanie, thanks for meeting me here.” “Justin, you sounded so serious, what's wrong? It must be serious if he got you here too Brian.” “Serious my ass, he sounded down right suspicious to me. ‘Meet me at 12:30 at Farmer Maggot’s 5100 Buckland Lane’ said in a raspy whisper.” “I didn’t say it in a raspy whisper Brian. Nothing's wrong Melanie. I just needed to talk to the 3 of you without Gus being able to hear what we're talking about.” “So that's why we're meeting in this café instead of at our house, fear of the long-eared child.” “Yes Lindsay, and I also wanted you to eat here, it's a great place. The vegetables are out of this world; they even make cooked carrots tasty. I sold another painting today so lunch is on me.” “Another picture of me without clothes Sunshine?” “While I know you won’t believe me; that isn’t the only thing I paint Brian. Though you were in the picture. It was the one of you and Gus walking away while looking back and both of you are fully clothed. It sold after being in the gallery for only a few weeks. That painting really caught the love you two have for each other, not to mention my love for the subjects, even if I say so myself. No one will know it's you unless they know you personally. Actually Brian the only picture where you can be directly recognized by just anyone, that I‘ve ever sold, was that first nude that sold at the GLC charity art show.” “Actually Sunshine I like the idea of people buying pictures of me so don’t worry so much about my face showing.” “I’ve tried Brian but I can’t do it, I simply can’t share the wealth. If I know it's something I intend to sell then I can‘t put your face in it.” “Before it gets any deeper in here; Justin why don’t you tell us what you didn’t want Gus to hear.” “It occurred to me that Gus is starting school this fall. To be truthful that's about all he can talk about. Will school be fun? Will school be hard? Will anyone at school like me? Will I like anyone at school? Will the teacher like me? Will I like the teacher? Will I have any friends at school? Will I wear the proper clothes to school? When he gets started he can’t quit. He's like a male relative of his in that way.” “Whoever do you mean Sunshine?” “He does the same thing with us Justin. Some days he's so afraid of the idea of school he can’t sit still and the next day he can’t wait for it to start. Since when has he worried about what clothes he wears?” “That might be my fault Lindsay; the last time I took him shopping I emphasized the importance of dressing well. Who knew a five-year-old would pay that close of attention to what his Daddy says? Besides he needs help in developing his sense of style since the two of you certainly haven‘t done anything in that regard.” “Brian we all know that Gus dotes on anything and everything you or Justin say. I wish you would ask us about what clothes he needs; we're running out of closet and dresser space in his room. A five-year old doesn‘t need a sense of style he just has to remember to put on clothes in the first place.” “Lindsay you know that isn’t how I clothes shop, I buy what appeals to me not what's needed. We've plenty of room at our house for any overflow of his clothes. Sonnyboy has a nudist streak, I didn‘t know that.” “That might work for you Brian but Gus is only 5-years old he doesn’t need a closet full of designer shirts and pants. No he doesn‘t have a nudist streak he just gets too impatient sometimes and forgets to put on everything. Usually it's socks or underwear but he did forget his pants once.” “Lindsay you don’t have to insult the gods of designer clothing. Pants can be overrated Linds.” “Brian you can’t pull my chain so don’t even try.” “Where's the time gone Lindsay, just yesterday I was being asked to pick his name and today he's ready to start school. Brian why did you ask me to make the choice instead of Michael? Michael had been your best friend for almost 16 years and you had only just met me that night.” “Sunshine if I couldn’t make that decision how in the hell could I expect Mikey to make it? He probably would still be trying to decide today if I had asked him. Besides whether I would've admitted it at the time or not I wanted you in my life and letting you choose the name gave you a connection to me and my son. This's just my explanation based on the last 6 years; at the time I just knew it felt right to ask you. Plus I knew asking my trick of the night would piss off Mel.” “Back to the reason we're here, what don’t you want Gus to hear, and Brian you were right it pissed me off but once we got to know Justin I was very happy that he had that connection to our son. Of course it was my decision to turn Gus into Augustus on his birth certificate, though the Brian part was Lindsay‘s idea.” “All right Melanie, you always were the stickler for details of the family. I was thinking that with Gus starting school having a big party on his birthday would cause scheduling problems with school. I think that a good compromise would be to have the party on the first Saturday of August every year so that it's done and over before school starts. The five of us can have a birthday dinner on September 8. Brian and I'll host the party this year, you two can host the dinner then next year we'll switch, what do you think?” “Sounds good to me but why don’t we do the same with all of the major holidays and just mix the birthday party into the lineup. Mel and I will host a 4th of July bash, you guys have his birthday, we will have Thanksgiving, you guys get Christmas, we will take New Years then the cycle starts over. Needless to say we can be flexible with the scheduling, if something comes up we can easily switch who hosts which holiday.” “That should work perfectly Lindsay, it's about time we started some traditions with Gus. Since knowing the boy if we don‘t start some traditions the little scamp'll start some traditions of his own. It amazes me how much that little boy wants to grow up and he wants to do it today.” “I know none of you'll believe me but I feel like eating dessert. The food is excellent Justin.” “Brian that's wonderful we'll have to notify the evening news immediately.” “I knew I could count on you Mel.” *** “Gus I’m going to start making plans for your birthday party. What do you want to have at the party?” “Cake, ice cream, hamburgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, tacos, pizza, egg rolls, cotton candy, popcorn, pretzels, games, and rides. Uncle Justin can I ask you for a favor?” “That's a lot of food Gus, why don’t we just have hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cake and ice cream and a salad for your Daddy. Of course you can ask me for a favor. I won’t guarantee that I can do whatever you ask but you can always ask me.” “There's something I'd like to have at the party but I don’t think that Daddy'll like it. If you ask him really nice he might say yes. He never says no to you Uncle Justin.” “Gus he doesn’t say no to you very often. What do you want me to ask him?” “I'd like to have a pony ride. I know how much Daddy hates horses so he'd say no if I asked but he probably will say yes if you ask.” “Gus your Daddy doesn’t hate horses, that's a joke between me and him. I’m sure that we can have a pony ride if we can find someone that provides that service. The back yard is certainly big enough to have a pony ride. How many kids do you want to invite to the party?” “How many can I invite?” “20 is probably a good number don’t you think?” “Sure Uncle Justin I'll invite 10 from this neighborhood and 10 from Mommy and Mama’s neighborhood.” “Do you know 10 kids from this neighborhood, you really haven’t spent much time here since we moved here from the Loft.” “Uncle Justin I know every kid in the neighborhood. Some are too old to come to a 6-year-old’s birthday party and some would be too young but I can think of 10 boys in this neighborhood easy and 10 from the other neighborhood too.” “Don’t you want to invite any girls?” “Uncle Justin you don’t have girls at a boy’s birthday party.” “I didn’t know that Gus, I guess I’m not too old to learn new things.” “Uncle Justin I saw that grin, you're laughing at me.” “No I’m not Gus, I’m just trying to remember what it's like to be almost 6, after all it has been a few years since I was that age. Do you want to mail your invitations or deliver them in person?” “In person Uncle Justin that's the best way to do it. Uncle Justin you're getting really old aren‘t you?” “I saw that grin, you're laughing at me. Gus would you like me to draw a picture to put on the invitation?” “Would you Uncle Justin? That would be great. Your drawings are always so pretty. I love you too much to laugh at you, grin a little maybe but never laugh at you.” “Has anyone told you how much you're like your Daddy? Of course I will, I’ll draw something and then we'll scan it into the computer and then print it on the invitations. Gus I just had an idea, we'll start a tradition. I'll draw a picture every year for your birthday; we'll keep the original pictures here, in a portfolio, so that you'll be able to remember each of your birthdays, as you get older. Then we'll print each year’s drawing on the invitation, but you'll have to ask your mothers if it's OK to use the picture when they host the party though.” “I’m sure that they will put your drawing on the invitation too Uncle Justin, they love you almost as much as Daddy and I do besides it'll be a tradition. Do you have any ideas for this year‘s picture?” “Gus you have to give me some time to think about it.” “OK Uncle Justin, don’t forget to ask Daddy about the pony ride. Remember to ask him extra sweet so that he won’t say no. Maybe you could sneak the question in while you two are kissing.” “Gussy!” “Gotcha Uncle Justin.” “You little scamp.” “But I’m your little scamp. I love you Uncle Justin.” “I love you too.” *** “Brian I hate to ask this since I’m almost afraid of the answer.” “What Sunshine, and why do I feel worried all of a sudden? You haven‘t met another fiddler and want to know if it's OK to move in with him?” “Brian Kinney you asshole, you know that I would never ask your permission I would just walk out with him at a very public party in front of all our family and friends.” “Touché Sunshine, what's your question? “How big and fancy a party do you want to have for Gus’ birthday?” “That's what you're worried about?” “Not the question but your answer, how about it Brian?” “Since this is the first birthday using the new tradition I thought we would go with as big and fancy as the boy could possibly want. Money's no problem.” “That's what I was afraid of, sometimes I wish money was a problem with you. I don’t think we should go too big Brian.” “You mean I can’t hire a 3-ring Circus?” “You wouldn’t do that would you?” “Justin even I know when I’m overstepping and that would be overstepping, we would go no bigger than a 2-ring circus. But Sunshine even if I only had a penny I would spend it if doing so would make you or Gus happy.” “Funny Brian, funny. But really how elaborate do you want to go with this party? Remember it's for a 6-year-old. Gus and I know how much you love us you wouldn‘t have to spend your last penny to prove it.” “I'll leave that in your very capable, and might I add beautiful hands. I'll add that I think that pony rides would be something Gus and his friends would appreciate.” Justin begins to laugh hysterically and slumps to the floor. “Justin why're you rolling around on the floor? Are you having a seizure of some kind? Sunshine answer my questions and quit giggling like a maniac. Justin breathe; you're scaring me.” “Why pony rides?” “Because when I turned 6 I wanted pony rides so bad I could taste it and my Dad refused to even consider the idea. That was about the time I decided that celebrating birthdays was a waste of time. You still have to tell me why it was so funny.” “About the only thing that Gus requested, other than every fast food known to mankind, were pony rides but he was so sure that if he asked you would say no. After all he knows how much you hate horses. Though he doesn’t remember why you dislike horsies. He asked me to ask you very sweetly if he could have pony rides and to ask you while you and I were kissing since you would be very unlikely to say no if I asked sweetly and while we were kissing. Then the one thing that you want at the party is pony rides so of course I found it hilarious.” “Then I suppose you should come over hear and ask me very sweetly while we're kissing.” “Sounds like a plan to me.” “You know Justin, Sonnyboy is right you could get me to agree to anything if you ask sweetly while we're kissing. I imagine that he doesn‘t know where your hands go while we're kissing let alone your tongue.” “You just now figured this out? Don‘t you ever wonder how I tamed the King of Liberty Avenue?” *** “Gus do you want to see a sample of your birthday party invitation?” “Yes Uncle Justin, I’m sure it's beautiful. Everything you draw is beautiful.” “If I didn’t know before I know now who your father is. The drawing turned out fine even if I say so myself.” “Does it look as nice on the invitation as it does full size?” “I think it will but then I’m biased. The sample has finished printing so we can look at it and decide if we need to make any changes before we print out the 20 copies for your friends.” *** On the front page of a half-page card the number 5 is on the left and is fading away as you look to the right then the fading turns into the number 6. In the middle of the fading is a drawing of Gus. The numbers and the fading are various shades of blue while the drawing of Gus is in black and white. On the inside page is the following information. You are invited to the 6th Birthday Party For Augustus Brian Peterson-Marcus To be held Saturday August 5, 2006 In the backyard of his fathers’ home At 7600 Rivendell Road From 12-4 PM There will be pony rides, goat carts, And bucking sheep so dress accordingly Lunch will be served along with cake and ice cream. The party will be hosted by Gus’ fathers Mr. Brian Kinney and Mr. Justin Taylor “It's beautiful Uncle Justin I can‘t read everything but I‘m pretty sure that it says pony rides. Did Daddy say yes when you asked him sweetly about having pony rides” “Of course he said yes, he said yes before I asked him you little scamp. Pony rides were something he wanted at his 6th birthday party so of course he wanted you to have them at your birthday party. The man I hired for the pony rides also has goat carts and bucking sheep. So I figured we would have the whole shebang.” “What are bucking sheep?” “Well Gus they're like bucking broncos or bulls at a rodeo except they're smaller and less dangerous so children your age can ride them until they buck you off.” “That sounds like fun, the guys're going to love this party so much.” “I hope so Gus I hope so.” “Don’t worry Uncle Justin my friends will have a great time at the party, they'd have a great time if all we did was listen to Daddy tell a story and watch you draw pictures.” “Now Gus don’t try to pull my chain, I think that would get boring pretty quick. What kind of cake and ice cream do you want to have?” “Cherry chip cake and vanilla ice cream with every possible kind of syrup.” “You're getting carried away again Gus I think 2 or 3 types will be plenty along with some whip cream and sprinkles.” “When can we take the invitations to my friends?” “Let’s see we don’t want to take them too early and we don’t want to take them too late. Today is July 15 and your party is August 5 so do you think you could do it today?” “Today sounds good to me. The guys're going to be so thrilled to find out that it'll be a rodeo party. Can we add baked beans to the menu Uncle Justin?” “That's no problem Gus and Aunty Em will be thrilled when I tell him that he gets to make the backyard look like a rodeo arena. Emmett always loves to decorate. I‘ll need to change the wording on the invitation to indicate the rodeo theme. I'll change There will be pony rides, goat carts, And bucking sheep so dress accordingly. To The party has a rodeo theme so dress accordingly. How does that sound?” “It sounds fine Uncle Justin make the changes and then we need to print the invitations and get on the road.” “We have plenty of time, quit acting like your Daddy.” “If I don’t act like Daddy then I have to act like you.” “No Gus you have to act like yourself.” *** “Why's it taking you so long to deliver the invitations Gus?” “I have to explain what's going to happen at a rodeo party Uncle Justin. We're living in the city and not the country. Some of the guys don’t know what a rodeo is.” “When did you go to a rodeo Gus?” “Never but I do know what one is, Mama and I watched one on TV once. The guys're all looking forward to the party. Uncle Justin you're planning on drawing a picture of the party aren‘t you?” “How old are you Gus?” “I’m 5 almost 6 why do you ask since you know exactly since you were there when I was born?” “I wasn’t there when you were born just very soon afterwards. I asked because in your almost 6 years have you ever known me not to draw a picture at any big family event.” “No, I guess that was kind of a stupid question.” “No question you ask me or your Daddy is ever stupid. Never be afraid to ask us anything. Don‘t worry Gus I'll draw a picture of the party then we'll make copies for all of your friends so that they'll have something to remember the party.” “Do you think Daddy'll tell a story to the guys?” “Of course he will Gus; he loves telling stories why do you think he went into advertising?” “He went into advertising because he's good at it and it pays enough so that he can buy the right kinds of clothes.” “That was straight from the horses mouth wasn’t it?” “Are you calling Daddy a horse Uncle Justin?” “No you little scamp, it's just an expression.” *** “Emmett, remember that this party is for 5 and 6 year-olds so you don’t have to get carried away with the decorating.” “Sweetie you wound me.” “Better I wound you than Brian carves you up for going too far.” “Point taken.” “Here's the number for Mr. Bloom the owner of the ponies I’ve hired. Give him a call and find out what exactly he'll provide and what extra will be needed. Emmett remember don’t go overboard.” “Again with the wounding.” “Emmett if you want to decorate for any other parties in the future don’t overdo this one.” “Justin the party I’m really planning on decorating for will be Gus’ wedding reception. That's going to be the party of the century and even Brian Kinney won’t be able to stop me from going all out.” “How do you know that Gus'll ever get married, he might be gay after all.” “Gay or straight, it doesn’t matter, Gus'll be married someday and I will decorate for the reception; that's something I guarantee.” “If he's gay then he won’t get married.” “Justin by the time the boy is old enough to get married it probably will be legal for gays to marry and even if it isn’t the boy is too much like you to not settle down with one guy. He'll not follow in his Daddy’s footsteps when it comes to tricking with every guy in sight. Sorry Justin I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories.” “That's ok Emmett; that's long ago and believe it or not, and I often find it hard to believe, Brian's been perfectly faithful since we got back together after Gus tricked us into realizing how much we missed each other. What I really found hard to believe was that Brian never regretted giving up tricking. He says why trick when he has perfection at home. You can just imagine how red I got the first time he said it to me.” “An alabaster skinned blond like you blushing deep red, I would've never guessed honey.” “Emmett!” *** “Justin I called Mr. Bloom and he told me that he has straw bales, flags and everything else needed to make your backyard look like a miniature rodeo grounds. He'll bring everything and set it up for an extra fifty dollars. I told him to go ahead, I’ll just take the $50 out of my decorating budget.” “Emmett you don’t have a decorating budget.” “I know honey but it sounds better to say decorating budget than the money you gave me to buy whatever I thought necessary. He said that he and his son, Orlando, will be at your place between 10:30 and 11 to get everything set up for the party. How many boys are coming to the party?” “20 plus Gus, then there'll be me, Brian, you and Teddy to provide adult supervision.” “What about Michael?” “He said he had other plans he couldn’t break. I didn’t push him.” “I wish that you and Michael could be better friends but I understand why neither of you can get there yet. Well I’m off to the store to buy 25 cowboy hats and bandanas, don’t worry I won’t buy the real thing, I do have some sense.” “Gus and his friends are going to have a great time.” “it's going to be an Emmett Honeycutt decorated party, of course they're going to have a wonderful time.” “You'll never change will you? See you Saturday Emmett.” “Bye sweetie.” *** “Well Brian I think we're ready for this party. I have all of the food ready to be taken out to the grill for you to cook. The beans are in the crock pot and will be done by the time we are ready to serve the food.” “Wait a minute how did I get drafted to grill hamburgers and hot dogs?” “I have to be free to draw the group picture and you can handle grilling hot dogs and hamburgers.” “Well in that case I guess I can see the wisdom of the division of labor but I'm a better cook than you give me credit for.” “ I know that you can cook but I just wouldn’t want to eat what you can cook every day. I'm glad that I listened to you and bought pre-made 2 ounce hamburger patties.” “I thought that you were always glad when you listen to me? What is wrong with what I can cook?” “I always listen but I’m not always glad about what you say and I certainly don’t do everything you say. Your cooking is just too low fat for my tastes.” “Justin Taylor if we weren’t expecting the pony rides man to show up any minute I would have to do something about those comments.” “Well Brian Kinney just remember it for later this evening.” “Don’t worry, I’ll be thinking about what to do about the comments all day.” “Well try not to think so much about it that you have a physical response, I would hate to have to explain to 21 six-year-olds why your pants are tented up.” “Would they even notice?” “Now that you mention it I suppose they wouldn’t notice a little pup tent in your pants.” “Adding to the offenses I see Mr. Taylor.” “Brian, Gus isn’t here yet so I suppose we could sneak a little kissing action until Mr. Bloom arrives.” “Sounds like a plan to me Sunshine.” *** “Hello again Mr. Taylor, this is my son Orlando. He'll help me set up the rodeo arena and take care of the animals. Where is your garden hose? We need to fill the water tank so that the stock can drink before they have to work for their livelihood.” “There's an alley behind our back yard and there's a gate in the fence there as well. I would imagine it would be easier to get everything into place that way than taking it from the street through the side yard. There's a spigot about 20 yards east of the gate as well as a tap on the side of the house.” “We’ll just drive around and use the alley then. That'll be much more convenient.” “I’ll meet you back there in a few minutes then.” “Mr. Taylor, how elaborate an arena setup do you want?” “What do you mean Mr. Bloom?” “We can just put the straw bales in a few strategic locations or we can pretty much make a very real looking arena, just smaller, and anything in between.” “Most of the boys coming to the party have never been to a real rodeo so I don’t think they would appreciate the elaborate version. How about making it as safe as possible yet not obviously safe.” “I know exactly what you mean Mr. Taylor. We'll outline the arena with bales, put up a bunch of flags and banners and make a bucking shoot for the sheep. We'll also set up a simplified barrel racing venue.” “You're the experts I'll leave it in your hands, do you need any help?” “Orlando and I can handle it.” *** “Mr. Taylor, Mr. Kinney we're ready to begin anytime. We'll start with a parade and playing of the National Anthem and then we'll have the barrel racing and goat races. Then we can have the sheep bucking. I would like to rest the stock after about an hour then we can finish up. Each of the boys should be able to ride a pony, drive a goat cart and get bucked off by a sheep several times by the time we are done.” “Sounds like a great plan to me Mr. Bloom. Do they animals have names, I’m sure that 6-year-olds will appreciate names.” “Yes sir, Mr. Kinney. The ponies are Frodo, Samwise, Peregrine, and Meriadoc. The sheep are Aragorn, Boromir, and Gandalf. The two goats are Gimli and Legolas.” “I think I sense a theme.” “That you do Mr. Taylor, Orlando came up with the names 3 or 4 years ago; he thought that the names from the Fellowship of the Ring had more pizzazz than the names the stock had before. I couldn’t argue the point so we renamed them.” “Well the boys should start arriving anytime and we can start the rodeo. When you're ready to break we'll serve the boys lunch. After the second session we'll serve the cake and ice cream. I’m sure that this rodeo'll be the talk of the 6-year-old scene for quite a while.” “Just let me or Orlando know when you're ready to start.” *** “Hi boys, I’m glad that you could come to Gus’ 6th birthday party. As you know from the invitation we're having a rodeo theme. We'll have an hour or so of rodeo action and then we'll break for lunch so that the stock can have a rest. We'll finish the rodeo then we'll have the cake and ice cream part of the party. Mr. Honeycutt and Mr. Schmidt will help you put on your bandanas and you can pick out your cowboy hat over by the bucking shoot. When you're all ready then we'll start the rodeo. Any questions?” “No Mr. Kinney.” “Gus you'll need to pick two of the other boys to ride out with you for the beginning of the rodeo.” “OK Uncle Justin. Robby and Steve are the oldest from each of the neighborhoods so they make the most sense.” “Gus when you decide to go into politics let me know.” “What do you mean Teddy?” “Nothing Gus just trying to make a joke.” “OK boys this is what you have to do. Ride the ponies to the middle of the arena; hold your flag straight up until the Star Spangled Banner is finished then ride back to this gate. Can you do that?” “Sure we can Mr. Bloom.” Gus followed by Robby and Steve trot to the center of the arena where they make a triangle facing the other boys who're sitting on the straw bales. Gus in front with the American flag, with Robby to the back and right with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania flag and Steve to the left with the flag of Pittsburgh make up the triangle. When the music stops the three boys race their ponies to the gate and the rodeo begins. “Boys we'll spread the events out so that the stock doesn’t get overtired. Each of you'll be able to do each event, if you want to, several times before the rodeo is finished. The yard is very soft so don’t worry about falling off of the bucking sheep, actually that's most of the fun from that event.” “Sounds great Orlando.” “Thank you Gus, who wants to be the first one to barrel race? What you have to do is race the pony down to that barrel, go around it and race back here. If you touch the barrel you have time added to your total so try not to touch it but don‘t go too far away from it since that adds time as well. We'll have 8 runs to start, 2 for each pony then we'll go to the goat cart races. We'll run 4 heats and then go to the sheep bucking contest then back to the barrel racing and so on. When the stock starts getting tired we'll quit for lunch.” To nobodies surprise the birthday boy turned out to be the best cowboy, after the first go-round he had the second best time in the barrel race, had won each goat cart heat he'd been in and was the only boy to stay on the bucking sheep for the full 10 seconds. “Sunshine my Sonnyboy is a great Cowboy maybe we should move out west somewhere where he can do it all the time. They have rodeos in Nebraska don‘t they?” “Brian don’t get carried away, I imagine that Lindsay and Melanie wouldn’t like that idea at all.” “Sunshine don’t rain on my parade. Well I suppose I better check on the hamburgers and hot dogs these cowpokes are bound to be hungry.” “Who would've thought that we would hear Brian, King of Liberty Avenue, Kinney use the word cowpokes?” “Teddy be nice.” “Emmett don’t take away all of my fun, how often do I get to pick on Brian?” “Teddy you pick on Brian all of the time.” “How often does he even notice?” “You have a point honey.” *** Instead of sitting at the picnic tables the boys sat in a big circle on the grass after they had gone through the line to get their food. The circle was far enough away from the adults that their conversations couldn’t be overheard. “Gus your Daddy's a great cook, this hamburger's good.” “Well these baked beans are nasty. My Mommy would never put onions in beans.” “I think that they're very tasty but the hot dog is over cooked.” “Who knew falling off of a sheep could be so much fun.” “Gus this's the best party of the year.” “Gus my Daddy didn’t want me to come to the party. He said that your Daddy was gay and he didn’t want me to see anything bad. My Mommy told him to quit talking like a fool that nothing would happen. What does gay mean?” “Well Robert I’m not really sure. All I know is that Daddy and Uncle Justin love each other very much. They sleep in the same bed and if I’m sneaky enough I can trick them into thinking I’m not watching and they'll steal a kiss. Just watch, pretty soon Daddy'll look over at Uncle Justin and he'll just get a goofy look on his face. Then Uncle Justin'll look at Daddy and he'll light up the world with a Sunshine smile.” As one the 21 boys turn their heads and start staring at Brian and Justin. “Justin why're they staring at us?” “I imagine the gay question came up Brian.” “Oh crap, I never even thought of that. What do you think Sonnyboy told them?” “I don’t know what Gus knows about being gay so I don’t know what he told them. Probably that we love each other and they are watching to see some sign of that love. How about a kiss you big lug?” “Justin Craig Taylor I'm not about to have 20 little boys go home and tell their parents that I molested you in the back yard. Half of parents probably expect that we'll have an orgy while the party is going on.” “Brian has anyone ever told you how paranoid you've become as Gus has aged?” “No but I’m guessing I’m going to get worse as he gets older. I don’t want to do anything that makes his life harder than it has to be. It doesn‘t help matters that you look so edible standing over that pot of baked beans.” “Brian that is quite the compliment. I wish there was a mirror out here so you could see the goofy look on your face.” “I can’t help it you bring the goof out of me. Besides I wouldn’t be able to see anything in a mirror because of the glare from that smile of yours.” “Mr. Taylor, I think that the stock is ready for the 2nd go-round if the boys are ready.” “Thank you Orlando we'll get started as soon as the boys get cleaned up from their meal.” *** “Before we get to the cake and ice cream we'll announce the winners of the rodeo.” “Mark won the goat races. Tommy had the best time in the barrel racing. Gus got the most points in the sheep-bucking event. The overall champion cowboy for the first Kinney-Taylor Rodeo is Gus. Mr. Taylor has drawn a picture for each of you so you remember your success today. Mr. Honeycutt has your belt buckle prize.” “Thank you Daddy I’m sure that everyone agrees that we had a great time today. Where's the cake and ice cream?” “Sonnyboy you're as bad as your Uncle Justin when it comes to cake and ice cream. Teddy went to get them Gus. Now boys I don’t want any of you to eat so much that you get sick.” “Don’t worry Mr. Kinney there's never too much cake and ice cream.” *** “Justin have you taken enough pictures so that you'll be able to draw the group picture you promised Gus?” “What do you think Brian? Have you figured out what story to tell them?” “I’m hoping that Gus forgot that little detail. I really hope that they don’t ask me anything about being gay though. That's a minefield I don’t want to walk through today, actually that's a minefield I never want to walk through.” “Mr. Kinney, Gus told us that you would tell us a story. That you're in advertising and that you tell stories all of the time.” “That's true, any story you guys want to hear?” “Yes there is, we decided that we want to hear about how you met Mr. Taylor.” “What?” “Gus told us how much you two love each other and we want to know how that happened. Can you tell us that story Mr. Kinney?” “Yes I can but you'll have to give me a few minutes to turn it into a story.” “We aren’t in any hurry Mr. Kinney so take your time.” *** “Once upon a time, a long time ago, OK about 6 years ago, in the land of Pitts the King of Liberty met Sir Virgo and knew that he had found his one true love even though it took him way too long to admit it to himself. Liberty was that part of Pitts where men love men and women love women. King Bri had won the honor of being king through hard work and determination to be the king. All the residents of Liberty acknowledged that King Bri was the best citizen of that part of Pitts. They all vied to make him happy knowing that he would do his best to make them happy. King Bri had three courtiers that were always around in case he needed something. Duke Astro had known the king for 16 years. The Earl of Thebooks and the Countess of Flame were friends of the Duke but had become friends of the king over the previous several years. One night the Duke came to the King and told him that the courtiers were tired and hungry and wanted to go to the Diner before going home. The King told the Duke that when he finished arm wrestling the citizen that was with him he would leave with them and that they should just go wait for him outside of the club. The King spent most of his free time playing with his subjects so that they would feel a connection to the king. After a few minutes the King tired of wrestling with this particular subject since he wasn’t very good. The King left Babylon in order to join his courtiers but once he got outside he made the mistake of looking at the lamppost outside of the building. There he saw the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his life. Like a moth drawn to a light the King was drawn to the lamppost.” “How's it going? You had a busy night?” said the King to the beautiful young man standing under the lamppost. “Just checking out the kingdom.” replied the beautiful young man. “Have you seen anything interesting?” The King asked the beautiful young man. “Sure” the beautiful young man answered. “So, where're you headed?” asked King Bri. “No place special.” was the answer from the beautiful young man. “I can change that” stated the King. “With that comment the King swept the beautiful young man into his chariot and rushed to his palace. *** Once in the palace Sir Virgo became almost tongue tied with fear. He'd come to Liberty from his home in Suburbia to see if he really belonged in Liberty. While King Bri asked Sir Virgo questions and Sir Virgo answered the questions the answers had little to do with the questions. King Bri was enchanted with this beautiful young man but he knew that when the night was over they would probably never see each other again. There were many citizens of Liberty and they couldn’t expect the King to spend too much time with any one of them. King Bri and Sir Virgo were engaged in a serious discussion of current events when the phone rang. Lady M had called to tell King Bri that Lady L had given birth to the King’s son; Prince Sonnyboy. The King decided that he had to go to the hospital to see the unexpected scion of the family line. He told Sir Virgo that he had to go home since something had happened. Sir Virgo surprised King Bri when he told him that he couldn’t go home since he had told his parents that he was spending the night with a friend. The King figured out that Sir Virgo wasn’t nearly as old as he claimed to be though he turned out to be older than he looked. Much to his surprise King Bri took Sir Virgo with him to the hospital. Duke Astro wasn’t happy when he saw that Sir Virgo was in the chariot. At the hospital Lady M and Lady J were surrounded by their friends but the women parted to let the King see his son. King Bri had expected to acknowledge the birth of his son but nothing more. When he saw the baby he knew that the boy would be in his life forever. The biggest surprise of the night was when King Bri asked Sir Virgo to pick the name for the young prince. Duke Astro was not happy with this decision by the King by any stretch of the imagination. After a while the Prince was taken to the nursery and the King, along with the Duke and Sir Virgo returned home. The Duke dropped the King and Sir Virgo off at the palace and took the chariot to his home since the King wasn’t in the mood to properly care for the chariot. Once they had gotten back into the palace the King and Sir Virgo proceeded to enjoy each other’s company for the remainder of the night. They wrestled and did exercises and sang songs and just had an amazingly enjoyable time together. The handstands and juggling that the King attempted weren’t as successful as the other events of the night but you can’t expect everything to work perfectly every time. Finally the two wore each other out and went to bed. After a very short time the alarm went off and the two were awakened. The King pretended to not remember who Sir Virgo was since he knew that he had to make they young man realize that they had no future together since the King had to keep all of his subjects happy and he couldn’t tie himself to just one. Even though the King knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Sir Virgo he knew that it couldn’t happen. Eventually the Duke arrived at the palace and started snarking at Sir Virgo for no good reason except that the Duke was the snarking type. When the three got to the chariot they found that some vandals from phobia had written a nasty word on the side of the chariot. The King asked Sir Virgo if he still wanted a ride to school and the brave young man said that he did without blinking even though he knew that arriving at school in a chariot with that nasty word on the side would tell his classmates something he really wasn’t ready to tell them. The King was so proud of the young man but he still knew that they couldn’t be a couple even though deep down he was beginning to admit to himself that he did want to be part of couple with Sir Virgo. When they arrived at the school Sir Virgo asked the King when he would be able to see him again and the King had to break Sir Virgo’s heart by telling him that what they'd done could never be repeated. As he was telling the young man this terrible news the King knew that he would see Sir Virgo again. The King knew, even though he would never admit it, that he wanted to see the youngster again and he also knew that the youngster wasn’t the type of man to give up on what he wanted so easily. So the King and the Duke sped out of Suburbia on their way back to Liberty. The King wasn’t surprised when Sir Virgo showed up that very night trying to hook up once again but he did his best to push the young man away even though it hurt him to do so. But Sir Virgo never gave up his pursuit of the King and the King was never able to truly push him away and before they knew it they actually were living together in the palace as a couple. The citizens of Liberty were amazed but as good people they were happy that their King had found the love of his life. That's how I met Mr. Taylor.” “That isn’t how Uncle Justin tells the story Daddy.” “Who's the story teller in the family Sonnyboy?” “You are Daddy.” “Then my story's how it happened and I’m sticking to this version.” “OK Daddy it was a wonderful story.” “Boys do you want to see a magic trick?” “Sure Mr. Kinney.” “What kind of magic trick?” “Go ahead Mr. Kinney.” “OK I'll cause Mr. Taylor to change color.” “That'll be amazing Mr. Kinney.’ “What color Mr. Kinney?” “Bright red. OK boys I want you to look at Mr. Taylor.” “OK Mr. Kinney we're all looking at him.” “What are you up to Brian?” “A magic trick Sunshine, just do your part of the trick.” “Brian what're you up to?” “Boys isn’t Mr. Taylor the most beautiful creature you've ever seen in your lives?” “Wow he really is turning red.” “How did you do that Mr. Kinney?” “I didn’t know a person could get that red?” “Brian Kinney I can’t believe you did that to me.” “I promised the boys a magic trick and I delivered.” “Well boys I hope you had a great time at Gus’ birthday party.” “I know I did Mr. Taylor.” “Mr. Taylor you really are a beautiful creature. Look guys I turned him red too, boy is that an easy trick.” “Good bye boys, I’m glad you had a good time.” *** “Brian do you know how often I’m going to be called a beautiful creature in the next 6 months?” “Not nearly as often as you deserve to be, Sunshine.” “You aren’t going to be any help are you?” “I still need to punish you for your comments earlier today.” “What comments, us beautiful creatures don’t have long term memories.” “You aren’t going to get away with it beautiful creature but that was a nice try. A pup tent indeed. We'll see if you think pup tent after I get through with you.” “Brian you know how much I enjoy helping you put your tent pole into the proper place.” “Sunshine you really are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever known. I’m glad that the party went so well. Gus seemed to really enjoy himself.” “Gus enjoys himself whenever he's with us. I still don’t know why he wants to grow up so fast though.” “Maybe we should just ask him.” “Sounds like a plan Brian.” “Well when we tuck him in tonight we'll just ask Sonnyboy why he's so impatient to grow up. I’ll bet he has a good reason.” “He always does. Do you know how hard it's going to be to stay ahead of him when he actually does grow up?” “I don’t even want to think about when he grows up.” *** “Gus did you have a good time today at your party?” “I had a wonderful time Uncle Justin. Who knew that riding on a sheep could be such fun?” “Sonnyboy you know that Justin and I want you to have a wonderful time every day.” “Daddy now that I have had my birthday party can I say that I’m six?” “Sonnyboy you know that you don’t turn six until the 8th of September.” “But that's over a month away.” “Gus why do you want to grow up so fast?” “Isn’t it obvious Daddy?” “Evidently not Sonnyboy.” “When I’m grown up I can find an Uncle Justin for my Sonnyboy.”