Morning Side of the Mountain-1
Author: Elsa Rose
Plot bunny and main researcher – Judy
Dedicated to: Acacia and Jude 


Brian lay on the bare wood floor of his New York loft and stared up at the rafters of the ceiling. He took another hit from the last of his joint and contemplated how in the hell he’d ended up in the position he was in.

It seemed like a bad dream; a nightmare from hell.   Something almost from a Stephen King novel, that is if Stephen King wrote about shit like this. He giggled to himself glad for the high he had gotten from smoking the weed. He knew if he didn’t laugh about it he’d fucking cry and he wasn’t some stupid little faggot who cried at the drop of a hat.

He was Brian Kinney for fuck sake. So what if his partner of three years had fucked around on him when he traveled for National Geographic. So what if Matthew had left a string of broken hearts in every damn country in the world. So what if Matthew had lied and cheated in every exotic and outlandish place he went on his assignments. They were fags and fags didn’t do monogamy. 

Of course, this time was different,  Matthew came home ‘in love’ and in love with a woman for gawd’s sake. Not only in love, but fucking married to her. Telling him that their time together had been a phase that he’d gone through. A fucking god damned three-year phase filled with lies. Matthew expected him to suck it up and go back to being on his own with a smile on his face. 

Brian had believed in him and for the first time in his life, he’d put aside the walls around his heart. He’d quelled the unrest in his brain and had fallen for another man. Even though everything he’d ever believed in was screaming that he was crazy for believing in it. Even then, he’d fallen for the gray eyes, the crooked smile, and the hard body of Matthew Brun. 

Now, after four months, he’d lost damn near everything he’d worked for. He’d wallowed in self-pity, doubt, and whiskey long enough to lose three of the largest accounts his firm had ever pulled in and they’d fired his ass. Admittedly, he deserved to be fired. Hell he would have fired him himself if that were possible. The first rule of business was to keep your damn personal life out of the business world and firmly in place at home. 

To top it all off, he was damn near broke. Oh he owned the loft he was in free and clear. But he’d paid off Debbie’s mortgage when Vic had gotten sick and he’d given his best friend Mikey a loan of a hundred and twenty five thousand to start his comic book business when no bank would touch him. It would be years before Mikey would start paying him back let alone give him any interest. (And) Then there were his personal expenses; it cost a mint to keep himself in the lifestyle he had grown accustomed to. Keeping Gus in private school was costing him a fortune too, but damned if he was going to let him endure what he had going to public school in Pittsburgh.

To add insult to injury, damned if Matthew didn’t take him to court and demand half of Brian’s assets and damned if the fucking court didn’t give them to the son of a bitch; Brian still couldn’t get his head wrapped around that one.  All boyfriends were nothing more than a bunch of fucking money-grubbing bastards. He’d never make that mistake again. “NEVER AGAIN,” Brian screamed out loud and then cringed as the sound reverberated and echoed in the empty room.

He rolled over and searched the ashtray for a roach big enough to light without burning his fingers, let alone his lips.  Being thoroughly baked when the phone rang it didn’t register at first, no one had called him all week.  He wasn’t at work and his cell phone had died when he’d thrown it across the room in a fit of temper,  Brian didn’t know what the sound was.

Finally the ringing penetrated his weed-addled brain, Brian crawled over to the phone where it sat in the corner. “Hey,”  he mumbled.

“Dad,” Gus began. “I have to talk to you about something important.” 

“No you can’t have a car.”  Brian rolled onto his back again. He liked the feel of the cool wood on his body. Gus had turned sixteen two months before and was determined to have his own car.

“That’s not why I’m calling,”  he sighed. “I have this fabulous opportunity and my moms aren’t going to let me take it.”

“Listen to your mothers, they have to put up with your shit every day.”  Brian wished he had another toke. He hated dealing with his teenage son. He wanted to give him everything but he knew that Lindsay and Melanie would kill him. It was a constant battle he waged inside himself to remain impassive with Gus.

“Remember before my birthday when I came to visit you and we went to the art show at your friend’s gallery?” 

“Yeah, I remember. You kept dragging me to see that guy’s stuff; Justin Taylor the one who painted that cute chick. Much as I’d love to buy you that painting, I just can’t afford it right now.”  Damn Brian hated admitting that to his son.

“I don’t want the painting. I never have wanted the painting but I wouldn’t mind the girl who posed for it though,”  Gus laughed. 

“What did I do wrong to have a straight son?”  Brian joked.

“Anyway dad,”  Gus ignored his father’s teasing. “I told my art teacher about the gallery showing and he said that Justin Taylor is kind of famous for a technique he came up with. There was a whole feature about him in Art News magazine when he was still in school. My teacher had the magazine and the article was great. I’ll save it for you to read.”

“Gus, will you get to the point?” Brian hauled himself up off of the floor and headed toward his kitchen. He hoped there was some leftover food that might be still edible in the fridge.

“Justin Taylor takes one student a year. You have to be really, really good for him to teach you. AND HE ACCEPTED ME FOR THIS YEAR,”  Gus yelled into the phone.

“Uh, Gus, you have another year of high school.”  Brian pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and threw out two cartons of take out that he couldn’t remember putting away they were so old.

“I can finish in Rocky River.” 

“Where the fuck is Rocky River, I never heard of it?” Brian massaged his temple.

“Rocky River, Tennessee, you must have heard of it. It’s famous for all the artists who settle there,”  Gus sighed heavily.

“Gus, I have to agree with Linds and Mel, you’re too young to go off to bum fuck Tennessee and live with some nut case of an artist for a year while attending a school that’s probably in a shack somewhere.” 

“Daaaaaaad,”  Gus whined. “You aren’t working now, couldn’t you come with me. I bet the moms would let me go if you came too.”

“Sure they will,”  Brian said without conviction. “I tell you what, you get your moms’ to agree to this little scheme and send me some information about what kind of training you’d be getting and why it’s necessary to do this and then I may consider this little idea of yours.”  Brian was actually hoping that Gus would forget about it. The kid was a teenager after all.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Brian found himself three weeks later checking real estate listings on the Internet for the Rocky River area.  Apparently Rocky River only had a population of less then twelve hundred and Brian suspected that they were counting the dogs and cats as well after he’d spent some time on the net trying to discover something about the place. 

Its claim to fame was a combination the ‘famous’ artist JR Taylor and the largest kohlrabi ever grown in the world. Brian had snorted coffee through his nose when he’d read that. He discovered that the newspaper was a weekly one and that there were no housing rentals within a twenty-mile radius. In fact, the lady he spoke to at the paper was incredulous that he’d even think about renting a house; it just wasn’t done. You either owned your home or if you were unable to do that, there was  a couple of older trailers at the trailer park you might be able to rent. 

Brian was sure hell would freeze over before he’d live in an ‘old trailer’ in a trailer park. 

“I’m sorry Mrs. Crane, but I don’t think a trailer would suit Gus and myself,” is what he actually said through gritted teeth. 

“Well Mrs. Anderson’s place could be for sale. I don’t believe her kin wants to live in it. They’re from away you know.  If you’d like I could ask about it,”  the kindly woman at the paper said. 

“What’s wrong with it?” Brian asked, he didn’t trust anybody these days.

“The house is perfectly fine I’m sure. It was in Mrs. Anderson’s family for six generations. Why  I believe she was born in that house.” 

“And died in it too I suppose,”  Brian said dryly.

“No dear, Mrs. Anderson died in the barn. She’d taken it into her head that it needed a lick of paint. Which of course was silly, it had been painted only ten years before and had weathered just fine. It was a lovely shade of red, faded like an old rose and was really rather beautiful. My Arnie was proud of that barn; he’d painted it himself. He’d even painted the design over the big barn door. You could see that design shimmer in the sunlight; it was beautiful.”

“Was, what happened to it?”  Brian asked. As someone who had devoted his life to advertising, Brian always listened for hidden messages in people’s speech.

“Why Mrs. Anderson painted part of it out. How she got that old ladder up there, I really don’t know. She was eighty-four after all but that’s what she did, they found her at the bottom of the ladder, all covered in paint with a big streak of blue paint running through the design and all the way to the ground. It looked like she threw the paint on it instead of using a brush like any civilized person. My Arnie said she had a most peculiar look on her face. Of course, falling off the ladder would do that.” 

“So this house, is it in good repair other than the barn with its paint problem?”  Brian asked. 

“Well, it could use a bit of a scrub down. Mrs. Anderson lost interest in keeping it tidy after Susie Ann died. That girl broke her mother’s heart.”

Brian sighed; he didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength with this woman. “What kind of a price do they want for the house?” he asked. He and Gus had to live somewhere. It couldn’t be that bad. He could think of it as an investment of sorts. 

“Why I’m not sure dear. It could be as much as twenty five thousand,” she said the words in a hushed voice. “Mrs. Anderson’s niece is anxious to sell though and she did say that anyone who buys it could have it furnished. There are some lovely pieces. The niece doesn’t appreciate fine furniture; she’s young, only forty two.” 

“Sounds just peachy.”  Brian rolled his eyes, he couldn’t believe this conversation. Gus would owe him big time some day and he planned on collecting. “Would you have her give me a call about the house. I need a place for my son and I for a year. He’s going to be one of JR Taylor’s students.” 

“Jay Boy is just the most darling young man. I don’t understand what in the world he’s thinking about when he’s making his pretty pictures. You know he doesn’t take a bit of money from his students and his mother said that his pictures sell in New York City for more money than is right. I mean imagine wasting money on a piece of canvas with a few blobs of paint. Good money mind you, more than a thousand dollars I heard.”

“Yeah, imagine that,” Brian replied. “I have to go now Mrs. Crane. I’ll be waiting for the niece’s phone call.” He hung up the phone before she could begin talking again. 

“Hey Dad,” Gus said as he walked into the loft.  

 Brian looked over at his son as he came in bearing his much needed caffeine. 

“I got us latté’s but they didn’t have any lemon squares at the bakery so I bought chocolate Danish instead,” Gus said as he carried in his purchases and set them down on the kitchen counter. 

“I just want my latté,”  Brian mumbled but the smell of chocolate drifted to him and his stomach growled in betrayal.

“Any luck finding us a place to live? Mr. Taylor said we could stay with him.” 

“Not going to happen Gus. I need my own space if we’re going to be there for a year. I’m not living in some stranger’s house.” He looked around at the myriad of wardrobe boxes that were packed and ready for shipping. “And I need room for my clothes.” 

“Dad, mom says that you don’t have a job and that we’ll starve to death in Rocky River.”

“Melanie can bite me,”  Brian replied. He took a sip of his coffee. “It’s only a year and with the price of housing and what I’ll get for this place, we’ll do okay.” At least he certainly hoped so. “Not to mention I won’t have to pay Saint James, since you’ll be attending the regional high school.”

“Wow, I never thought of that,” Gus grinned. He’d been wanting out of Saint James Academy since his first day there. He hated the uniforms and he hated the fact that the student body considered themselves better than everyone else in the city that went to high school.

“And you never know, I may come up with something to do. It’s not like I’m some kind of moron.”  

“Duh,” Gus replied and giggled. “Tell me about the house you might have found.” 

“It might turn out to be nothing. I’m waiting for the owner to call me.”  Brian took another sip of his latté and then reached over and broke off a piece of the chocolate Danish. “I wish you wouldn’t bring this shit in here Gus, you know I can’t resist chocolate.” 

“I know,” Gus grinned at him. “It makes you human. Something most people aren’t sure of.” 

Since the bar stools had been sold, Gus moved to sit on the kitchen counter and quickly became serious, as he looked at his father.  “Dad, I really, really, really don’t know how to thank you for doing this for me. I mean no other kid I know would have a dad who would take a year out of his life for his kid.” 

“Gus, I’m not so sure I would have been able to do it except for the way life has turned out,” Brian said honestly. 

“Dad that’s called the luck of the Irish; I’m Irish and so are you. See it all worked out,” Gus grinned at him and finished his  Danish. He looked at his father’s with longing and Brian pushed the plate toward his son, not before he broke off one last piece.

The phone rang and Brian answered it without bothering to look to see who was calling. “Brian,” he barked into the phone and smiled when Gus winced. He knew his son hated it when he barked.

“Mr. Kinney?” a female voice asked. 

“Yes.” 

“This is Mrs. Anderson’s niece, Mary Ann Campbell. Mrs. Crane from the paper asked me to call. She said that you may be interested in purchasing my late aunt’s property. I haven’t had time to list it yet, she just died a couple of weeks ago and it’s been almost thirty years since I was in Rocky River. The fact that my late aunt left me her property was a big surprise.”

“My son and I will be there for a year. I’d prefer to live in my own space. If you would name a price, I’d consider buying the place,” Brian said as he got right to the point.

“My aunt really hadn’t done much to her house in years.  You do know this don’t you Mr. Kinney?”

“So Mrs. Crane said.” Brian grinned at Gus as he said , “I’ll have lots of time to make some improvements. I’m sure I can get it up to date in no time.” He almost laughed out loud at the look on Gus’ face. 

“I’d really like to get at least twenty five thousand for it. There are fifteen acres as well as a barn if I remember correctly.  But if there is not real estate person involved, I suppose I could take some money off the price. After all there would be no commission to pay.”

Brian did something he never thought he’d ever do. “Miss Campbell, why don’t I just write a cheque for the twenty five thousand and we’ll have our lawyers deal with the rest. I’m not going to quibble about a thousand dollars here or there. I’m sure the house will be fine and Gus will love the barn,” Brian replied as he smiled at his son who rolled his eyes. 

“Why that’s very generous of you Mr. Kinney.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “Did Mrs. Crane mention that the furnishings are included with the house?” 

“Yes she did, but I’m sure you’d want to keep them. After all they’re part of your family heritage.”

“Frankly I couldn’t stand the old bat,” Mary Ann laughed. “I doubt there is a damn thing I’d want out of the house. You can burn it all for all I care.”

Brian was slightly taken aback by her candor, but knew the feeling. He felt that way about his own mother’s house, why should this woman be any different. 
”Gus and I will deal with it,” Brian assured her. The next few minutes were spent exchanging lawyers names and addresses and Brian assured her that his cheque would be couriered to her lawyer tomorrow. He hung up the phone and turned to Gus, “Well Sonny Boy, there’s no turning back now. We own a house in the thriving metropolis of Rocky River.” 

“I wonder what it looks like?” Gus asked. He moved over to where Brian’s laptop sat on the floor. In minutes he was surfing the web to see if he could discover any pictures of typical houses in the Rocky River, Tennessee area.


“It’ll be a surprise,” Brian laughed. “I’m not sure what kind of one, but considering the price, which by the way is damn cheap, I wouldn’t care. We can always have it demolished and build a new house. I still have enough money for that.”

“Or we can fix it up; you and I together, kind of a father/son project,” Gus laughed out loud as he continued to surf. So far he wasn’t having much luck finding out about Rocky River.

“We’d kill each other and then your mother’s would kill the one left.” Brian walked over to where his son sat cross-legged on the floor. “I have a thought; look up the artist guy you’re going to study with. Google him, there could be some information on Rocky River attached to him.”

“Dad, I did that already. He’s got an awesome website.” Gus quickly found it and showed his father. “Look at all the stuff he’s done. He’s really famous and he’s gotten lots of awards.”

Brian watched as Gus scrolled through the artist’s web site. “Isn’t there a picture of him?” he asked.

“Dad, what does it matter what he looks like. I’m going there to learn from him. I get credit for this year at PIFA, it’s going to shorten the time I spend getting my degree by six months and I can do it and finish high school at the same time. I mean how cool is that.” He leaned over and kissed Brian’s cheek, “You’re the best dad in the world doing this for me. Even mom said you were doing something nice and you know mom, she kind of doesn’t like you much.”

“No shit,” Brian huffed a laugh. “Melanie and I are too much alike to get along. I think she’s jealous because I have a dick and she doesn’t.”

“DAD!” Gus yelled and laughed. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard, but he didn’t like either of his parents to get away with saying anything bad about the other one. 

“GUS!” Brian yelled back. He laughed and stood up stretching to his full length. “I’m going to the gym. The truck should be here for my clothes this afternoon.”

“Oops, sorry Dad, I forgot to tell you. The moving company called and they had to cancel; they were overbooked. I figured, since it really isn’t all that far to Rocky River that we couldn’t drive there, I used your credit card and rented a moving truck that even lets us take your Corvette. It’s real cool and we can pick it up early tomorrow morning.”

“I am not fucking driving a U Haul to Tennessee,” Brian almost squealed. “Shit Gus, it’s bad enough that I’ve lost most of my shit.”

“A temporary set back, Gus said quietly.

“But to leave New York driving a U Haul van with my car towed behind it. Fuck, why don’t I just take out a full page add in the New Yorker with the word loser written across my face.” He stomped around the empty loft and kicked one of the boxes filled with his clothing glaring at Gus and anything else he could find.

“Are you finished throwing a hissy?” Gus asked calmly. “It makes sense to move ourselves. We have to stop in Pittsburgh and get my stuff, which by the way is a lot of stuff. I am going to be gone a year. Mom and Moms are planning a going away party and you have to come. Uncle Mikey, well you know Uncle Mikey, he’d be heartbroken if you just flew there without stopping to see him. Besides, there isn’t a close enough airport; we’d have to drive anyway.  You might as well bring our stuff with you; it’s really the best way.” 

“Fuck Gus, Brian Kinney driving a U Haul filled with his shit through Pittsburgh.” He shook his head but he also knew that what Gus had to say was the truth. They did have to drive there and really was no point in hiring a moving van when he could take everything himself. It’s not like the truck would be full of furniture. He looked around his loft; all of his designer furniture had gone to the auction house. He’d actually made a profit with the sale of his things which vindicated his penchant for buying quality. “When did you say we pick up the truck?” 

Gus grinned at his father. He’d actually cancelled the other moving company. He was determined to save his father money and to make this year a positive experience for the man. Maybe his dad would actually fall for Justin Taylor. His research had told him that his teacher was single and while it didn’t say he was gay, Gus’ gaydar was pretty damn good. After all he’d lived with gay his entire life. 

“We get the truck tomorrow. I figure we can load it up and then drive to Pittsburgh. Mom said you can stay at our place until we’re ready to leave in a couple of weeks or you can stay with Uncle Mikey or even Grandma Deb.”

“Or a hotel,” Brian mumbled. 

“Dad, we’re saving money. You can stay with us. It won’t kill you.”

“Melanie might.” 

“Do all gay guys act like such babies, or is it just you and Uncle Mikey?” Gus looked at Brian with one eyebrow raised in an exact imitation of one of his father’s famous looks. 

“I’ll treat that question as rhetorical and trust that you didn’t mean to insult me.” Brian walked to the window and looked down at the city he’d grown to love. “I’ll stay with your moms, but I’m warning you, Melanie had better keep her mouth shut or I’m out of there.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The next day seemed to never end as far as Brian was concerned. Gus had him organized and things should have gone smoothly. Apparently loading a U Haul truck and attaching his precious Corvette, wasn’t a usual occurrence at the building his loft was in. He had to endure the snotty stares of the other tenants as he and Gus loaded the van. The loft closure was taking place that afternoon as well as having to sign everything for the farmhouse in Rocky River. The balance of that transaction could be completed in Pittsburgh and for that he was thankful.

Driving the loaded five- ton truck with his car attached to his lawyer’s office had Brian at the end of his tether. Only Gus’ presence kept him from exploding. The resulting paperwork was a minor thing compared to the irate glares and honking of horns from the New Yorkers who resented his hulking presence. Finally, three hours behind schedule they were ready to leave the city, right at the height of rush hour traffic. Brian quietly fumed and cursed the day he’d given up cigarettes. Only the fact that they were gridlocked and he couldn’t get to a store to buy a pack kept him from smoking.  Of course, having to face Gus’ disappointment if he started up again was also a determent. 

Gus having a lifetime of experience in manipulating and placating his father kept up a steady chatter discussing everything from the weather to his aspirations as an artist. He ignored the wince his dad made each time someone would get too close to the Corvette that was being towed behind them and did his best to get his father’s mind focused on the positive aspects of moving to the country for a year. So far Brian hadn’t found much about the move to be positive, although he didn’t say anything to his son. After all Gus’ heart was set on the excitement that was sure to happen to them during their year in Rocky River, Tennessee. 

The evening traffic leaving the city was horrendous and by the time they were on a clear highway heading toward Pittsburgh, Brian’s nerves were shot. He checked the time and looked out at the changing color of the sky and made note of the fact that the sun was about to set. Not risking Gus’ objections, he turned into the first decent looking motel he found on the way.

”Hey, why are we turning here?” Gus asked suddenly alert when the heavy truck lumbered into the parking lot of the Super 8 Motel. His eyes lit up at the site of the busy diner that was attached.  A fact that Brian didn’t miss, he too had years of manipulating and placating Gus behind him. 

“I thought we could get something to eat and spend the night. We can get an early start tomorrow.”

“But Dad, it costs money to stay at this place.”

“I don’t think the forty bucks it’s going to cost me is a deal breaker Sonny Boy. I could use a good night’s sleep and I know you have to be hungry.”

“But the moms are expecting us,” Gus began though his mouth watered at the smell of burgers coming from the diner.

“I’m sure they still have a telephone. We’ll call them.” Brian parked the truck and went into the motel to register for the night. When he got back, Gus was over by the swimming pool chatting with a couple of girls.  “Gus, time for dinner,” he called and smiled at the boy’s posturing in front of the girls. 

“Hey Dad, after dinner, I’m going to take a swim,” Gus announced. “The water looks good.”

“That’s fine with me, but the girls will be gone by the time we’re finished eating,” Brian smiled at his son. 

“No they won’t, they’re going to meet me in an hour,” Gus grinned back. “This is a cool place you picked to spend the night.” 

The food in the diner made the Liberty Avenue Diner look like a gourmet restaurant. Brian picked at a salad that hadn’t been rinsed well and wiped the lipstick off of his coffee cup before taking a sip. Gus on the other hand had a double burger with fries and gravy and a chocolate milkshake all of which he inhaled. Leaving Brian alone he went back to their room to change into something suitable to swim in. Brian didn’t worry about Gus actually swimming so soon after eating. He knew the boy would never get wet as long as the girls were there; heaven forbid it might mess up his hair. 

“Will that be everything?” the gum-chewing waitress asked as she refilled Brian’s coffee cup.

Brian was about to make a snarky comment about the food when he noticed how tired she looked. The woman reminded him of Debbie, his surrogate mother back in Pittsburgh and he didn’t have the heart to say anything. Instead he reached into his wallet and left her a ten dollar tip after drinking another cup of tepid coffee.

Feeling mellow, Brian walked out of the diner and looked around. Gus was already in his suit and lounging at the edge of the pool with four girls. There didn’t appear to be many cars parked in the motel lot and he wondered where the girls had come from. The night was warm and he could hear crickets chirping despite the noise from the highway, that is until his cell phone rang. Brian thought it must be Lindsay or Mikey before answering it. “Hey,” he said quietly. The night was too nice to bark at the disturbance.

“Brian, where are you?” it was Mikey. “You were supposed to be here by now.”

“Plans change Mikey, we’re running late and Gus and I decided to spend the night at a motel before heading to Pittsburgh. I just didn’t feel like driving for six more hours only to end up at the muncher’s in the middle of the night.”  Brian wondered idly why he was explaining himself to his old friend. It was none of Mikey’s business. 

“I wanted to go out tonight to Babylon with you, like old times,” the other man whined. 

“I wouldn’t have gone even if I did drive through to the Pitts. Maybe tomorrow night Mikey.” The two of them talked for a few more minutes while Brian lounged in front of his room and watched his son sweet talk the girls. The next call he made was to Lindsay who understood about wanting to arrive in the morning rather than the middle of the night. Brian finished talking to her and went back to watching his son in action.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Rocky River Tennessee 

“Jay Boy are you sure you’re doing the right thing taking on such a young student this year?” Justin was standing in front of his easel painting and his sister Molly was acting as his model. She couldn’t help but ask this question. Usually her brother’s students were old enough to spend the year without having a parent with them. 

“Gus is the same age as last year’s student Molly. It’s his parents who don’t want him here alone. His father has bought the Anderson place.”

“No shit, that place gives me the creeps.” Molly shuddered dramatically. “Everyone says it’s haunted.”

“I doubt that,” Justin laughed. “But I admit it could use a touch of something.”

“Yeah, dynamite.” 

Justin giggled, “It’s not that bad. I’m sure that Gus and his father will have it ship shape in short order.”

“Mom says that the place is still full of cats. She said that the ladies in the Church are going over next week to try and clean it up some but that the cats won’t let them catch them so they can’t find them homes.”

“Seal up the house and make them a spot in the barn. If they take their food and water to the barn, the cats will eventually follow.”

“We could take the T’s,” she said. The T’s were six cats who had all been given names beginning with the letter T as they were all gray tabbies and all looked alike. Mrs. Anderson had felt that she would have some success calling them if she forgot which cat was which as long as the name had a ‘T’ sound. 

“Shit Molly, I don’t want six cats living here.” He looked around at the chaotic order that was his studio. He couldn’t imagine throwing six cats into the mix. He’d never find anything. 

“They would be outside most of the time.” She tried to bat her eyelashes at him but he ignored her.

“I think that Mr. Kinney bought not only the Anderson house, but the T’s and their friends.” Justin put his brush down and declared, “Finished for tonight.” He stepped back and looked at his painting with satisfaction. 

Molly got up off of the stool she’d been sitting on and stretched. “I’m glad, I was freezing. A nice warm kitty would be nice.”

Justin rolled his eyes and laughed, “I notice you aren’t bugging mom to have the damn cats.”

“Like mom would let a cat into her house. Well she might let a white cat in.” 


Jennifer Taylor’s decorating was predominately white and elegant, though impractical for the country. She was the proud owner of Rocky River Dress Shoppe and her dream was to design clothing. Lately, she’d been sending out hints to her husband Craig and the rest of her family that she’d like to go back to school and get her degree in fashion design. Molly and Justin both gave her encouragement, but Craig is of the old school where a wife stayed at home. It was bad enough that she’d convinced him to let her open a dress store, but going back to school wasn’t happening as far as Craig Taylor was concerned.

“Maybe a ‘shoppe’ cat.” Molly put her fingers up in quotation marks when she said the word shoppe, it was a standing joke with her and Justin about the spelling of the word.

Both of them dissolved in giggles. Molly was nineteen and worked in her mother’s store when she wasn’t painting. She was as talented as her brother, but didn’t have the same drive he had regarding art. At nineteen she hadn’t decided what she wanted to do with her life and had refused to go to University until she was ready. 

Justin was happy to have her around and more often than not she stayed at his house rather than her parents. It was a bold move for a nineteen-year old single girl in Rocky River, Tennessee and most of the towns people considered her rather wild for doing it.

“I wonder what the kid’s father is like?” Molly asked. “I mean what kind of a guy can just drop everything and spend a year away from his job?”

“One who likes his kid?” Justin asked.

“You know what I mean.” Molly flounced over to the fridge that sat in the corner of Justin’s studio and pulled out a can of soda. “Our dad sure wouldn’t do something like that.”

“I repeat, one who likes his kid,” Justin grinned at his sister. Craig Taylor had been a cold fish of a father. One who was unbending and uncompromising, which was one of the main reasons Justin wasn’t ‘out’ to his parents. He suspected his mother knew, but it was like the military, don’t ask, don’t tell.

Molly laughed out loud and handed her can of soda to Justin so that he could have a drink. “Maybe he’s hawt. Maybe he likes girls.”

“Maybe he likes guys, which would make him even hotter,” Justin laughed. “Or maybe he’s fat and bald and can’t hold down a job which is why he can take a year off.”

“But he bought the Anderson place.” 

“Molly they were practically giving it away. The place is a dump. It doesn’t even have running water or electricity to it.”

“It’s not a dump. It’s a classic home built more than a hundred years ago. It’s got good bones,” she grinned at him. “But it does kind of suck. I hope this Gus’ father is handy with a hammer.”

“If he isn’t now, he sure will be quickly,” Justin laughed. “He has to keep the T’s, or they’ll be over run with mice. I wonder if he knows about the other animals. I heard that the sale of the house included everything. That has to mean the all of Mrs. Anderson’s animals.”

“They’re so damn old, they should have all be put down and buried with her like the Egyptians used to do,” Molly said as she shook her head. “I know that Arnie is feeding them all. I think he’s still living in the lean-to behind the barn that’s what Sue Ellen said at the hairdressers. 

“Well why shouldn’t he stay there. It’s his home. Mr. Kinney will just have to let him stay. I don’t ever remember Arnie living anywhere else.” Justin was cleaning his brushes as he talked. He liked old Arnie, the man was a fixture around Rocky River. Some people say that he was Mrs. Crane’s husband and when he returned from the war he was never right in the head. He moved over with Mrs. Anderson to help her out and never left. He had issues with loud noises, but was amazing with his hands. Arnie could fix anything and he was the reason Mrs. Anderson’s place wasn’t falling down. He would fix things despite the old lady’s objections.

“Hey I’m not arguing with you,” Molly held up her hands in protest. “I know how you feel about the old man. I never did see what you and he found in common, but who am I to object. It’s not like Craig would ever be voted father of the year.”

“Arnie is a character, but he’s been a good friend and a great teacher. He knows a little bit about everything. It was Arnie who told me not to be afraid to be what I am.” Justin stretched and said, “Gus called me yesterday. He’ll be arriving in a week. It seems his father is driving them here in a U Haul truck. Gus sounded excited about the adventure, but I’m not so sure his father will be as pleased driving a truck through the mountains.” He looked at his sister, “I have to confess, I Googled Brian Kinney and Molly[…] he isn’t fat and bald.” 

“Oh?” she asked raising her eyebrows. 

“Nope, definitely not bald and fat,” Justin grinned. “Now if he’s gay, this could be an interesting year.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Brian I’m glad you’re doing this for Gus.” Lindsay laid her head on Brian’s shoulder. They were standing apart from everyone at the farewell barbecue. Brian hated eating outside so to him barbecue’s were a special kind of hell and he tried to distance himself however he could.

“I’m doing this for both of us Lindsay.” Brian took a drink of his now warm beer and grimaced at the taste. “Gus is just an excuse. I needed to get away from my life in New York and I’m not ready to return to Pittsburgh. This is a hiatus of sorts to get my life figured out.”

Lindsay laughed quietly, “I just can’t picture you in Rocky River, Tennessee. You do know that it’s rather rural not to mention out of the way?” 

“Why do you think I’m driving a fucking truck with our stuff in it?” Brian shook his head. “There isn’t even a decent airport near the place.” 

“Gus told me that you bought a small farm.” She actually giggled at the thought.

“It’s a farmhouse. There isn’t much land and I’m certainly not planning on farming it no matter how much land there is. Considering it’s on the side of a damn mountain, I don’t imagine it ever did well as a farm.”

“I think it’s cute. Brian Kinney living on a farm.” 

Brian turned at the sound of a snicker. “Hey Melanie, glad I can provide you with some amusement,” he drawled and looked around. “I think I’ll get a fresh beer ladies.” He strolled over to where Ted was tending bar. “Anything stronger than this horse piss?” he asked.

“Sure Brian.” Ted reached under the table and pulled out a bottle of Jim Beam. “I made sure that I brought this. I knew you’d need it eventually,” he grinned.

“You might have mentioned it before now,” Brian said and almost grabbed the half filled glass out of the other man’s hand. He took a long swallow enjoying the burn. “Thanks Ted, I owe you one.” He turned and looked out over the friends and family who had gathered to say goodbye to Gus and him. 

“It’s quite a party,” Ted observed. “Everyone is talking about you giving up your life in New York to spend a year with Gus.”

“Yeah, well why not, he’s my kid.” Brian had never let any of them know the problems he’d had in the big city and he sure would never have let them know how he’d been fucked over by Matthew. 

“Still, Rocky River isn’t New York.” 

“Thanks for reminding me,” Brian huffed. He smiled when Gus walked over to him. “Hey Sonny Boy,” he said and ruffled his son’s hair and then laughed when Gus glared at him. 

Gus stood an inch taller than Brian and he hated it when his father messed up his hair. He often wondered what his dad would do if he did the same thing. “Hey Dad, what time are we leaving tomorrow?” 

“I’d like to leave early. It’s close to a ten hour drive and I don’t want to be looking for a place to stay in the dark.”

“We could sleep in the truck,” Gus said and then laughed out loud at the look on Brian’s face.

“Or not,” Brian answered. 

“You’ll never get up early, you’ve been drinking too much and you’ll have a hangover.” 

“Are you channeling your Uncle Mikey, because it’s not a good idea?” Brian sighed. Gus was right, he’d better stop with the booze, tomorrow was going to be hell.  “I’ll tell you what, if you can get all these people to clear the fuck out of here in say fifteen minutes, I’ll stop drinking and be a nice friendly sober dad.” 

“You’re an asshole Dad,” Gus glared at him. “But I understand I guess.”

“Don’t start Sonny Boy.” Brian hated when Gus tried to psychoanalyze him. He turned and headed toward the house. At least it was quieter inside. Brian found a cold beer in the fridge and sat in the living room on the sofa. He placed the cold beer against his face enjoying the relief it brought. 

“Uncle Brian are you really taking my brother away for a whole year?” 

Brian jumped at the sound of the voice. He turned and looked behind the sofa. Jenny sat on the floor hugging a worn teddy bear. “Hey Jenny, what’s up?” he asked the young girl.

“I’m sad,” she said. “You’re taking my brother away.” 

“Gus has to go to school. He’s studying to be an artist. Besides, it’s really not that faraway. I’m sure your dad will be visiting us. He’ll probably bring you along too.”

“Really?” she asked brightening up. “I’m almost twelve, I could stay with you and Gus without daddy.”

“But then your dad would be sad,” Brian reasoned. “Why don’t you come out from behind the sofa and sit with me. We can watch television.” He watched the young girl that looked so much like her father walk around to sit with him. Jenny Rebecca was a younger version of Mikey. He hoped that innocence that she had would never leave her, just like it had never left his long time friend.

“Dad?” Gus looked in. “Hey Sis,” he called as he strolled into the room and flopped on the chair beside the sofa, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Gus leaned his head back and shut his eyes and sighed. “I’m tired of smiling and getting hugged,” he said with a deep sigh. “If I smile one more time my face is going to crack and fall off.”

“Everybody in our family hugs; I like it,” Jenny said. 

“I kind of like it too,” Brian added. “Although today is kind of overkill I have to admit. You’d think we were going to Siberia instead of down the road ten hours.”

“Dad, you know what I’d like to do?” Gus opened one eye and looked at his father. “I’d like to go right now while they’re all having fun. We could just drive for a couple of hours and stay in a motel like we did on the way down.”

“Gussy,” Jenny’s voice was soft. “I packed your stuff in the bag over there and yours too Uncle Brian. I kind of thought maybe you’d like to leave quietly.”

“Jenny Rebecca I love you to pieces.” Brian pulled the young girl into his arms for a hug and kissed her on the top of her head. “You have all the wonderful parts of your daddy’s family inside of you without the whining and screaming. Do you think we could clone you?” he laughed and kissed her again. 

“You’re my favorite sister,” Gus drawled lazily, but his eyes were sparkling with the excitement of leaving now.

“I’m your only sister Gussy,” she said with a teary smile. “I’m going to miss you so much.” 

“Let me and dad get settled in and then you can visit.” Gus stood up, “Come and give me one last hug.” He held out his arms and Jenny got up and fell into them. She cried silently for a minute while Gus held her and rubbed her back in comfort. “I promise to email you all the time and you can IM me. You are on the top of my favorite contacts.”

“I know, I put me there,” she giggled and wiped her tears. “You guys better get moving, I’ll hold them all off as long as I can.” 

Brian was already by the front door. He picked up their bags and headed out to the big truck that was parked in front of the house. He loaded the cases inside placing them behind the seat. By then Jenny and Gus had joined him and he kissed his surrogate niece on the forehead. “I love you Jenny Rebecca,” Brian whispered. He kissed her on the nose like he had since she was a baby and climbed into the truck. 

Jenny stood on the sidewalk in front of her house and watched her brother and his dad until the truck pulling the Corvette disappeared around a corner. She sighed and wiped away a tear before straightening her shoulders and heading back to the party that was still in full swing in the backyard. 

Tbc.