The final bell rang for the day and Gus breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly gathered his stuff shoving it into his backpack, grabbed his coat and headed out the door. He sped up when he saw his friend Rachel just in front of him, calling out, "Hey Rachel, wait up."
The petite blonde girl stopped and turned around, grinning at her friend. "Gus, hurry up. My mom's meeting me outside so we can go shopping. So, how did you do on the math test?"
Gus flinched as he thought of his score. "Not very well. I got a ninety-two on it. Stupid multiplication tables. I always get stuck on the seven times."
His friend laughed, "Idiot. Only you would think a ninety-two isn't any good. Here I was happy I got an eighty-seven on it. Sometimes I really hate you, ya know?" Rachel shot Gus a mischievous look from the corner of her eye.
Gus responded by blowing a raspberry in her direction.
"Oh, real mature, you jerk." Rachel looked around the front of the school as she and Gus exited the building. "Hey, it looks like my mom's not here yet. Do you see your Pops?"
"Naw, he must be running late. Wanna go sit over there under the tree?" Gus gestured to a large oak tree nearby. At his friend's nod, he walked over, dropped his backpack and flopped to the ground. Rachel sat down next to him, shoulders touching as they both leaned against the broad tree trunk.
Rachel peeked at the boy beside her and asked, "Are you excited about your trip? When do you leave?"
"You have no idea how stoked I am about it. We're going to leave on Saturday, and won't be home until the Sunday after Thanksgiving." Gus pulled a bottle of water from his backpack and took a big gulp. "Sixteen days with my dads, plus a birthday party on Friday and a trip to Disneyland to top it off. I sooo can't wait."
"You are so lucky. You get good grades, have two cool dads, live in a neat home and have just about every toy and gadget known to man."
Gus watched as a look of sadness passed across Rachel's face. "What's the matter, Rach?"
"When Daddy dropped me off last night, he and Mommy got into a huge fight. He missed a child support payment last month, and she asked him to make it up this month. He started yelling he had another family to take care of and that she wasn't his responsibility any more. Said she needed to get a second job. They said some pretty mean things to each other."
Gus reached over and squeezed her hand in sympathy as she wiped her tears away. He knew that Rachel and her mom didn't have much money; in fact that was the reason she had spent the last summer over at his house.
Mrs. Sylvester worked during the day as a secretary at a local construction company. At the end of school last year, Pops overheard her asking the third grade teacher for a recommendation for cheap summer daycare. Pops was quiet on the way home that day, and after a brief discussion with Dad, he disappeared into his studio where he placed several phone calls.
The next day, the blond man approached Rachel's mom and requested that Rachel be allowed to keep Gus company for the summer. He explained that he had volunteered to teach some summer art classes at a local school and that both children could be enrolled for free. Stunned, the woman happily agreed.
Her mom dropped off Rachel at the loft each morning on the way to work. Pops would fix the kids breakfast before the three of them headed off to the school. Rachel took classes in puppet making and watercolors while Gus attended the classes in photography and video editing. They both took a drawing class that Pops taught and had enjoyed the friendly competition for the role of teacher's pet.
After the morning classes were over, Pops would normally take them to the diner on Liberty Avenue for lunch. Sometimes after lunch they would go to the zoo or the children's museum, or spend the afternoon at a nearby swimming pool, but usually they just hung around at the loft while Pops worked in his studio. The two friends watched movies or played on the computer until Mrs. Sylvester got off work and picked Rachel up.
The sound of a blaring car horn brought Gus out of his thoughts. Looking up, he smiled as he saw his dad's Corvette pull up to the curb. He swiftly stood and picked up his backpack, then glancing at Rachel, quietly asked, "You going to be okay?"
Nodding, she also stood up and collected her things. "Yes, I'm fine. In fact, there's mom now." She waved at her mom then reminded Gus, "Don't forget we have to turn in an outline of our project by Friday. Do you have any ideas yet?"
"No, but I'll let you know when I come up with one." Gus hugged his friend and headed toward the car. "See you tomorrow." When he got to the Corvette, he opened the door and climbed in. After buckling his seatbelt, he looked over at his dad and beamed.
Brian reached over and tousled his son's hair. "Hey there, Sonny Boy. How was school today?"
"Same old, same old. Where's Pops? I thought he was picking me up today." Gus fiddled with the radio as he waited for his dad's response.
"Your Aunt Molly had car trouble, so he went to pick her up." Brian put the car in gear and carefully pulled away from the curb. "Okay, you have two choices. You can either go to Kinnetik with me, keeping in mind that I still have two meetings left today, or I can drop you off at the diner and you can go home with your Grandma Deb. Either Justin or I will pick you up as soon as possible from her house."
Gus thought for a minute then said, "I think I'll go to the diner. I can sit at one of the booths and do my homework while Grandma Deb brings me food."
Brian shook his head ruefully and snarked, "Geeze, sometimes I think you're really Justin's son, the way you eat. Okay, the diner it is."
"Oh, Dad? Can you please remind me to ask Pops to talk to Mrs. Mitchell tomorrow? She has a form he needs to fill out so I can get the work I'll miss while we're on vacation."
Brian nodded. "Sure, Gus. Are you going to miss anything important?"
"Not really. There's a field trip to the museum next week but you know how many times Pops has dragged me there, so that's no biggie." The two Kinneys grinned at one another; each one thinking about how enthusiastic their resident artist was about art of all kinds. "There is also a test in science, but Mrs. Mitchell told me I could make it up when we get back. She thinks the trip is a great idea—she said it would be 'educational'. Guess she wanted to ruin it for me!" Gus laughed.
Father and son quietly talked about their day as they drove through the busy Pittsburgh streets. Brian stopped the car directly in front of the diner, then warned his son, "Remember, no goofing around until all your homework is done, and be good for Deb."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Gus jumped out of the car and stuck his head back in the door. "You know I'm always good for Grandma, cause if I'm not, she'll just smack me up side of the head."
"Get out of here, brat. If you have any problems, call me on my cell. I'll see you tonight, Gus."
"Later, Dad." Gus grabbed his backpack and turned towards the diner. Brian waited until he was safely inside before heading back to the office.
Gus breezed through the door with a cheery, "Afternoon, Grandma." As he walked through the diner to his dads' usual booth, several of the regulars called out a greeting to the small boy. He responded with a smile and a wave. He tossed his backpack onto the table and slid across the seat just as Deb arrived at his side.
"Hi, sweetie, I hear you're stuck with me this afternoon until either Sunshine or your dad can rescue you. That'll be fun, won't it? Hungry?"
Gus smiled at the redheaded woman and replied, "I'm not stuck with you—more like you got landed with me. Anyway, I'm starving. Can I have a chili-cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake?"
"Sure baby. Do you have any homework? We can't leave here until my shift is over at five, so you should have plenty of time if you do."
"I probably have a couple of hours of homework, so I'll just sit here and work on it."
"Let me go put in your order. Be right back." With that, Deb leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, then went back to the kitchen to get his food.
Gus removed his textbooks from his pack and laid them out on the table. Deciding to start with his math, he piled the other books to the side and pulled his math book closer to him. He checked his assignment then quickly began to work.
Ten minutes later, he was halfway through his problems when a mouthwatering odor caught his attention. Looking up, he found Deb standing there, holding his food.
"Okay, Gus, put that away and get started on this." Deb placed the plate and glass in front of the boy as he shoved his math on top of his other books. She looked around the nearly empty diner, deciding she could take a few minutes to talk to Gus while he was eating and sat down in the booth opposite of her grandson.
"Ready for your trip, honey? Justin said you were leaving on Saturday and won't be at the house for Thanksgiving. We're gonna miss you guys."
"Come on, Grandma. It's not like you don't see us all the time! I'm really excited about the trip. Dad told me we could spend two whole days at Disneyland. He promised me Pops would ride every ride with me."
Deb had a confused look on her face. "Wait a second, let me get this straight. Brian promised that Sunshine would ride the rides with you. What's wrong with him getting that skinny ass of his on the rides?"
Gus fidgeted with his silverware, darting a nervous look around the diner. "You gotta promise me not to tell anyone, Grandma, but dad gets pretty sick on the fast rides. Pops took us to the state fair last year and when we rode the Hurricane, Dad turned all these weird colors. Pops had to practically carry him back to the car. By the time we got home, Dad was feeling a bit better—well enough to promise all sorts of horrible punishment for both of us if anyone found out."
Deb had started laughing halfway through Gus' speech. "Sweetie, I won't tell a soul that your dad is human—we wouldn't want to ruin his reputation for being an asshole."
"Thanks, Grandma." Gus smiled sweetly at the woman, then ate a few of his french fries. After taking a sip of his milkshake he inquired, "Grandma, can I ask you something?"
"Sure Gus, what is it?"
Gus broached the subject he'd been preoccupied with for the past few weeks, "Why do people hate that Dad and Pops love each other?"
The redheaded waitress studied the young boy in front of her, noting his serious expression. Wondering what had caused the question to be asked but deciding not to probe, for now, she asked, "Do you mean your dad and pops in particular or the fact they're two guys?"
"Two guys. No one has a reason to hate them for themselves," Gus answered, not believing anyone could find fault in the two men he adored. They were perfect in his eyes.
Deb smiled faintly as she thought back to how tumultuous the first few years of the pair in question had been. Brian's fucking of Kip Thomas, the bashing by Hobbs, Justin's relationship with Ethan and the whole Stockwell mess had all caused hard feelings, but the two lovers had finally settled down and were in a monogamous relationship. Mostly. She decided these were subjects best left until Gus was older. Instead she tackled the more general question posed to her.
"Baby, I've been trying to figure out the answer to that question for the past thirty years or so. The best I can come up with is ignorance and a fear of the unknown. It's like they don't realize that a gay man or woman is just a regular person, with regular lives."
"Regular lives?"
"Gay people get up every day, get dressed, eat, go to work, fight with their families and have fun with their friends, just like straight people. Unfortunately, the media has emphasized other aspects of gay life, and many people haven't bothered to learn the truth. What they don't know, they fear and hate."
"What other aspects are you talking about, Grandma?"
Deb flushed slightly when she realized which can of worms she had inadvertently opened. She could just see herself having to explain to Brian and Justin how Gus had learned about sucking and fucking. Not a pretty thought. She decided to take the easy way out, "I'll explain it to you when you're older."
Yep, Gus had heard that comment—a lot.
Deb continued, "A few years ago, I dated a detective who worked for the Pittsburgh PD. His name was Carl Horvath and I met him while he was investigating a murder of a young gay man. When we first met, he was a homophobic jerk, but as he got to know the folks around Liberty Avenue, his views began to change. Now you have to realize, he never got to the point where he was willing to join PFLAG or march in the Pride parade, but he did become more accepting."
"So you think if more people knew about gays, there would be less hatred?"
Deb considered Gus' question for a minute then said, "I think it would help, but unfortunately, there will always be people who disapprove." Deb looked around the room and stood up. "Well, sweetie, I need to get back to work. The dinner crowd will be here soon, and I need to set up for the late shift. Finish your homework, okay?"
Gus swallowed the last of his cheeseburger and handed Deb his empty plate. He quickly went to the restroom and washed his sticky hands, then returning to his booth, pulled out his math. He only had a few problems left to finish, then he had English and science worksheets to complete. He also needed to come up with an idea for his project, since the outline was due at the end of the week.
The afternoon passed quickly, and at ten to five, Gus neatly placed his completed work into his backpack. The only thing left for him to do was figure out his project, but he knew he still had a couple of days before he needed to panic.
Just then, the bell rang above the door and Gus heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey Deb. I understand you have custody of a certain possession of mine. I'm here to collect it."
"SUNSHINE!"
Gus turned to see Deb engulf the young blond man in a tight embrace. He laughed when he heard his Pops say, "I can't breath, Deb." The redhead released Justin and pushed him toward Gus' booth.
"Go on. He's been watered, fed and has finished his homework."
"Hey, buddy. Sorry about this afternoon. Aunt Molly's car wasn't running and with Uncle Jake out of town, I had to go get her and take her to her doctor's appointment. She's waiting for us in the car, so shake a leg."
Gus jumped up and quickly grabbed his things, anxious to see his Aunt Molly. She was eight months pregnant and Gus was looking forward to the infant's arrival—mostly because he wouldn't be the baby of the family anymore.
Dashing out of the diner, Gus approached the blue SUV and knocked on the passenger side window, making a face at the strawberry blonde sitting in the front seat. He then opened the back door and climbed in, buckling his seatbelt as questions poured from his mouth. "So, what did the doctor say? Any new pictures of the baby? Is it a boy or a girl?"
Molly twisted in the seat the best she could and exclaimed, "Whoa there, brat. One question at a time, please. The doctor said the baby is fine—growing like a weed. No, no new pictures today, and you know Uncle Jake and I want to be surprised, so no finding out if the baby is a boy or a girl."
"Spoilsport. Have you picked out names yet?"
Molly looked hesitantly over at Justin as he maneuvered the SUV out into traffic. "Well, we were thinking about Victoria if it's a girl and…"
"Craig if it's a boy. It's okay, Molly. I know you and Dad get along and I understand you wanting to name the baby after him." Justin smiled over at his sister and, removing a hand from the steering wheel, gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "His attitude doesn't bother me any more, Mollusk, okay?"
The young woman smiled and then began teasing Gus about naming the baby after him if it was a girl. Justin shook his head, knowing that whenever his two passengers got started bickering, he never would get a word in edgewise.
They soon reached the modest two-story brick house that Molly shared with her husband. Justin pulled into the driveway and cut off the engine.
"Alright, Mollusk, we're here. Don't worry about the car—the garage said they would call me when it was finished, hopefully late morning tomorrow, then we can go pick it up. If you need to go anywhere before then, give me a shout, okay?"
"Sure, Jus. I don't think I have anything scheduled for the morning, but I'll call if something comes up." Molly awkwardly got out of the car and turned to close the door, saying, "I'll see you Friday, Gus, at the party."
"Is Uncle Jake going to be there?"
"He should be home by then, but whether he is or not, I'll be there. Later, guys." She closed the door and carefully waddled towards the front door of her home, blissfully unaware of the two sitting in the car, laughing at her progress.
"She looks like a duck, huh Pops?"
"Yeah, but you better not tell her that—she's downright scary when she's angry." Justin pulled away from the house and they headed for home.