April Fool's Day 2016: Part V
As Beats and Elliott made the most of their few moments of privacy in the office at the Spotlight, Sebastian was finally settling down with a coffee and his books in his little apartment in Murray Hill. He might have completed his practical exams for his second year at NYADA, but he still had to prepare for his written assessments on such delights as music theory and stagecraft. Dave was not home, as he was also being kept busy, running a coaching session out in Queens; his performance there was also being assessed, and he would not be home until much later. He probably was blissfully unaware of all of the day's events, as he stored his phone in a locker whilst he was working.
Naturally, the peace that Sebastian was finally able to enjoy after his busy and stressful day lasted no longer than it took him to read a couple of pages of his first book. That was when he heard the knock at the front door, and with a sigh, he went to answer it, knowing that where he was sitting was in full view through the window, so he could not just ignore it. His annoyance did not last however, once he saw who was standing on the threshold. He flung the door open and invited Julian in. Since his brother had moved to New Jersey a few weeks ago, Julian had become a fairly regular visitor, and Sebastian and Dave had been over to his place in Maplewood a few times too. His brother's new house was every bit as attractive as his previous one in Las Vegas. There was a part of Sebastian that had to admit that he would love to live in something similar in the suburbs one day, but for now he craved the bustle of the city, where there was always something going on, and his friends were close by. In a decade or so, he could picture himself, Dave and their kids in the 'burbs, but not right now.
He made a fresh pot of coffee, then settled down with his brother, his books set to one side, for a fraternal catch up. "So this is an unexpected pleasure on a Friday afternoon Jules. Are you playing truant from the office?"
"I was owed a day's leave, so I took it, actually. Plus, I do have a dinner date with Isabelle, so I decided to head over earlier and catch up with my little brother. At least that was my original plan…" replied Julian.
"Ok, so that sounds ominous. What's going on Jules? I hope that it is nothing too drastic, as I have already had to contend with hours of practicals, fixing everything after a Niff joke went badly wrong, and dealing with a number of stressed out Warblers on the phone."
"A Niff joke gone wrong… So Nick will have had a trying day as well. That's not a good thing, given the news I have to tell you, as it does impact on him as well, probably even more than it does on you." Sebastian cocked an eyebrow and wondered what on earth had happened that could concern both him and Nick. "Ok, so I was talking to my mom, who said to say hello by the way, and she broke the news to me last night. You know how dad retired at our insistence as State Attorney?"
"At the prompting of his two sons that had had enough of his lying, and had more than enough blackmail material to sink him forever…"
"Well, it seems that he has found himself a new role. He is getting involved in party politics in a big way. He has positioned himself right behind the presidential bid of Donald Trump."
"Now that is no shock at all. He and father would probably get along famously. Wait, please tell me that he isn't actually…"
"Oh, no, he isn't running for election to Congress. He knows full well that if he even tried that, that the two of us would sling so much dirt about him to the media that he would be lucky to make it out alive. No, he is running the electoral campaign for the 12th District, the one that contains Westerville, for a man that is also a strong supporter of Trump. A man that has his own ideas about how America can be made great again, starting with a complete ban on gay marriage, and forced annulments of all those marriages that have already taken place; he wants to axe all funding for the arts and colleges like NYADA; and he also wants to see anti-bullying policies in schools made illegal."
"Ok, so I will stop you there. If I didn't know better, I would say that Gordon Clarington is alive and well and the candidate. The policies that this nut job is proposing certainly sound like the idiotic ideas that he would foster. He and father dear certainly sound like a match made in heaven. Can I ask how our father met this nut? Was it at the gun club by any chance?"
"He first met him at a meeting that was held after the steroid scandal engulfed Dalton Academy…" said Julian.
With those words, it dawned on Sebastian who the candidate was. It had to be, given all that Jules had said. "It's Nick's dad, isn't it? He is the ultra right wing nut that is supporting the Donald, isn't he?"
"Yup, it is. He was in New York in January, apparently, and from what mom told me, he went to pay a visit to Nick…"
"And from what I heard, a naked Jeff gave him a flea in his ear and sent him packing."
"That was the day that he wandered into a pro-Trump rally in an old church in Bushwick; a rally that was being addressed by the man himself. That was how it all happened. The two of them talked, and Duval was sent back to Ohio with a list of contacts, and before you know it, he was put up as their preferred candidate for Congress. At the Republican selection meeting, he brought up how close he was to Mr Trump, and that was it; he was selected. He fully expects to be in Congress in December…"
Sebastian looked at his brother for a moment, then let out a sigh that came from the depths of his soul. "I take it that Mr Duval has policies that concern things other than the persecution on the gay community, and allowing kids to be beaten up just for fun? I'm guessing that even in parts of Ohio, that would not be enough to get you elected to the federal government."
"He's doing all of the Trump stuff about bringing back jobs, and making America great again, so the less liberal minded will love him and accept all of his other policies. Plus it helps that the district that he wishes to be elected to has a Democrat candidate that is unpopular even within his own party, let alone amongst the undecided electorate. That is why he has chosen to try and get elected in that district of Ohio; even our father was astute enough to realise that his original plan to stand against Burt Hummel in Lima was doomed to failure. After all, Burt is popular with all the groups within his district, and he will be re-elected with no problem whatsoever; would be even if The Donald himself was standing against him. My mom seems convinced that Mr Duval will win, unless someone comes along that can split the Republican vote, or some big scandal emerges that will make him unpopular amongst his key constituency."
"It would have to be a hell of a scandal to turn off the white, uneducated, illiterate redneck slobs though," mused Sebastian, making Julian smile. "Given that, we need to find a strategy to keep him out of Congress, that is both legal and above board. We could encourage a 'write in' campaign so that another person dilutes his share of the vote, I guess…"
"True; that might work, but it would be finding such a candidate. They have to be alive to start with, and human. After all, even the worst idiots wouldn't vote for, say, a dead gorilla." Sebastian laughed at Julian's new suggestion, but part of him wasn't entirely convinced that what his brother had surmised was true.
It was then that he realised something else. "So, your mom knows, because someone that knows dad told her. Mr Duval has had a few meetings with Trump supporting Republicans, and they have selected him. But it hasn't been announced to the public at large yet, has at, because otherwise, Nick and Grace would know…"
"I guess that is true, although they have probably had to register him as a candidate with the electoral board by now."
"So, I guess I am going to have to be the one to break the news to Nick. After all, if his mom or her parents knew anything about this, they would have passed the news on to him and Grace. They have a right to know what is going on, so that they can begin to deal with this in their own way. Nick needs to be warned before he and Jeff are dragged in, as they inevitably will be, to the mud slinging of an election campaign. As for Grace, she might be able to find some legal loophole that can stand in the way of her dad ever getting to Washington DC."
"I don't think that even she would be able to stop his candidacy, Bazzy. He's an American citizen; he has the weight of a political party behind him, and he is a slick operator, all the more so with out father behind him. All we can really do is hope that the good people of the district have more common sense than to elect him. Now, let's set the bad news aside for a moment and get back to us as brothers. How did your practicals go?" Sebastian smiled, and for a while they ignored the situation in Ohio, and just caught up on events in their own lives, laughing and joking as brothers should do.
Once Julian left for his date with Isabelle, however, Sebastian had to return to the matter in hand. He grabbed for his phone, and sent a text to Nick, telling him that he had to speak to him as a matter of urgency, and if he could Skype with him, he would be eternally grateful. In less than two minutes, Nick's face was on the screen of his laptop, although he looked more than a little flustered. "Ok, Sebastian, this had better be important. I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but I am in the middle of making an apology dinner for Mike, and I can't leave Jeff unattended in the kitchen for too long, so what is going on?"
"Julian came to see me, and he brought with him some frankly disturbing news from Ohio, which I think that you ought to know, but I wish that the task of telling you had fallen to someone other than me… So, anyway, your dad is standing for Congress, and he is backing Trump. My dad is apparently his campaign manager, and that connection is how Jules found out."
"My dad is standing for…" Nick stopped and shook his head. "You do realise Sebastian that pranks have to stop at noon today, or they don't count for the whole April Fool's Day concessions?"
"I am aware of that, but I'm afraid that this isn't a joke. I have gone online, and his name is there; his registration documentation is all in order. Your father is standing as a Republican candidate for the 12th District of Ohio."
Sebastian looked up and saw that Nick had gone white as a sheet. "I don't know what to say at this point Seb… I never in a billion years imagined that my father would go into politics. I.. I need to speak to Grace. She needs to know. Will you thank Julian on our behalf? If he had not passed this information on to you, I doubt that we would ever have found out until it was all too late."
After he had ended the Skype call, Nick sat in silence at the computer, staring at the blank screen, mulling over what he had just been told. The very idea of his father being in any sort of position to wield any kind of influence, no matter how small, over the future of the country filled him with horror and fear. He knew that in Ohio there were probably more than enough people who shared at least some of his principles that would happily vote him into office, particularly in that district; as he recalled it, the Democrat candidate had done badly the last time in terms of votes. He knew that he should be doing what he had told Sebastian he would do, and should be on the phone to Grace, to share the 'joy' with his big sister, but just now he felt completely numb and full of despair. He had to do something to prevent his father getting into Congress, but what?
He was still sitting there, deep in thought, some ten minutes later, when Jeff hurried into the room in search for him. He might no longer be a total disaster area in the kitchen, thanks to a lot of patient tuition from Nick, but he had no idea what needed to be done next for the meal they were cooking. Jeff took one look at him, and knew something was wrong. "Nicky, what is it? What has happened now?"
"It's my father, Jeffie," said Nick quietly. "He has done something that I never could have predicted. He is trying to get himself elected to Congress, as a Republican, naturally, and he is 100% behind Trump."
Jeff stared at him for a moment, then slumped down on the couch, his head in his hands. "That is the worst thing I have ever heard, potentially… Ok, there is nothing we can do right this minute. So, first things first, we have a dinner to prepare for Mike. We owe him for all of the stuff we put him through this morning, and so I need the chef back in the kitchen ASAP, as things were starting to smoulder. You come and tell me what to do, and then I am guessing you will need to call Grace; you can talk to her whilst you supervise me in the tasks you delegate. Then after dinner, we can sit down and decide what we are going to do to prevent this travesty from taking place, because as far as I am concerned, that man takes a seat in Congress over our dead bodies, Nicky!" Nick nodded, and followed his husband back into the kitchen. He was right; there was nothing they could do right now, so he had to carry on as best as he could.
His call to his sister ended up being short, and her reaction was much as he could have expected; anger that something like this could actually be happening, given all that they knew about his history. It was safe to say that the party did not know about the violence he had used and threatened to use on his son in the past, Grace thought, or more likely they just did not care, given his policy statements… After Nick had rung off, Grace went on to her office computer and performed the same search that Sebastian had done. Seeing the evidence there in black and white for herself made the whole thing no easier to deal with. She feared the worst already; the policies and statements of Mr Trump had been proving very popular amongst certain sections of society, and there were a heck of a lot of people like that in the 12th District. The notion of that man being in Washington made her blood run cold, and she could only imagine how it would make Burt Hummel feel, given what he knew about the man's history. Like Nick, she had to resign herself to dealing with it later, and thus returned to her final preparation work on the case that she would be arguing in just a few weeks; a case that would also impact on her brother in some way, but a case he still knew nothing about.
Mike returned home that evening to be greeted by the sight of a contrite and apologetic Niff in the hallway. His coat was taken from him and hung up; his bag stowed in the closet, and then, after he had freshened up a little, he was escorted to the fully laid dining table. He sat down to enjoy the meal that had been prepared for him as an apology, although if truth be told, Mike had already forgiven his two roommates before they had even appeared at the diner, once he had been told the truth by Sebastian. He also knew that at least some of the blame for that day's debacle lay firmly at his and Sam's door, but he did like being waited on hand and foot for a change, and if it made them feel better, he was not going to stop them.
It wasn't until after dinner that he finally discovered the reason that Nick had seemed distracted and quiet all evening. The news upset Mike too, as he had witnessed the man in action at the start of the year. Like the man that he was throwing everything behind, Mr Duval was not squeaky clean, polished material in any sense of the word.
"He has to be stopped from reaching Washington DC!" said Nick, passion evident in his voice. "Maybe I could press assault charges for what he did when I came out…"
"I'm not a lawyer," said Mike, "but even I know that it was a long time ago. Plus there is the fact that you didn't go to hospital for treatment of the injuries you sustained, so there is no official record. I doubt the case would stand up."
"You're right, I know, but… We just need something to spoil it for him; something that will ensure that he has no hope of winning."
"But what that might be, I do not know," replied Jeff. "I'm sure that things will sort themselves out in the end, Nicky. We could always call on Wes for advice."
The three of them sat in silence for a moment, continuing to eat and think. Then, suddenly Mike shouted out. "A rival! We need to find an alternative candidate for those Republican voters that detest Trump and all that he stands for. I've seen the news reports, and there are a lot of them. We need to find somebody that is right wing, but not a borderline fascist."
"That might work," Nick conceded. "Problem is, how do we find someone in Ohio who would be prepared to stand for election to Congress, and who we could trust not to turn on us in a heartbeat if it suited them?"
"I might already have someone in mind, actually…" said Mike, a grin on his face. Nick and Jeff looked at each other, then back to Mike in anticipation. "She stood for election to Congress once before, but that decision and her attitude then prompted a far better man to join the race to ensure that she did not succeed. She isn't a friend, per se, but she does like the two of you, and she abhors a bully. I think that she would agree to do it just to see that your father suffered for all that he did to you, Nick. Plus, she did see him in action at your wedding. If you haven't already guessed, I am suggesting that we run the idea by Sue Sylvester. She might well agree to do it, if for no other reason than the fact that she craves the kind of influence that a place in Washington DC could give her. I admit that I do not know her opinion of Mr Trump, but I have a hunch that she will not be a big fan of his, given his forthright views on women."
Nick was left sitting in open mouthed silence as he looked straight at Mike. He actually had a very good point, and he had the feeling that the presence of another Republican candidate might well dilute the vote enough to ensure that his father could not win.
"I think that I might be in agreement with Mike on this one, Nicky," said Jeff. "She does like us, and if she does end up in Congress - well, should the unthinkable happen and that man actually wins, then hers will be one vote that no house leader could ever control. I would suggest that we need to have a chat with Burt, check out the rules on nominations and stuff. We might even ask Kurt to go and sound her out, as we all know how much she loved her sweet Porcelain. If he asks her, she would be even more likely to agree."
"I admit that it is the best suggestion that we have, although the idea of Sue in Congress does not fill me with undiluted pleasure. It's getting late now, so I think we should leave calling Burt until tomorrow, and see how the land lies. After all, there may be some rule that we are unaware of that says that we cannot have her register as an alternative Republican… I do hope not though. All that remains for me to say is a hearty thanks to you Mike, for being brilliant enough to suggest this."
As the three young men drank a toast, they did not notice that Kurt was standing in the corner. He had heard his name being mentioned and had arrived just in time to hear the tale end of the conversation. He had worked out what was going on, and he had a few reservations. He was not sure for starters how pleased his dad would be at the prospect of Sue sitting in the opposite side of the house, although he was certain he would see her as a better choice than the obnoxious Mr Duval. He was sure that Sue would probably relish the chance to beat a man like him into the ground, but only if she was approached properly - and that would have to be by someone on earth, not just him.
All things considered, it had been an eventful day, Kurt mused. From what Wes had told him, the three young men in the room in front of him had had quite an eventful time of it before the latest bombshell had been dropped. What had come as a surprise to him and Blaine had been the identity of the mature person that had managed, almost single-handedly to defuse the situation that had blown up from the whole prank affair, and had then proceeded to deliver the bad news about Nick's father in a calm and sensitive manner. They had been the last person that Kurt had ever anticipated being the voice of sanity. Wes had always had faith in Sebastian, and it seemed that he had been right. He would never have the wisdom of Kurt's fellow angel, and he would never have made a good Head Warbler, but he had all of the attributes now of a mature man, not a teenage boy. That made him unlike the two married men in front of him, at least when it came down to jokes. He knew that the two of them felt suitably chastened by all that had happened that day, but he also knew that if the opportunity presented itself, they would still take it and try to get a laugh.
Shaking his head at the foibles of young men, he suddenly realised that he was being watched intently. He knelt down and held his hand out to Caleb, who came up and nuzzled his head into it lovingly. "Your humans do get themselves into fixes, don't they? I think that they have a big fight on their hands now, and that isn't necessarily a bad ting. If nothing else, it will distract them from ill-thought out jokes." Caleb looked up and stared at him. He knew that the angel was right - and he only hoped that in all of the fighting, they would remember to feed him…
As the three roommates in Bushwick debated the issue of how to defeat Nick's father, Beats and Flint were preparing for another Friday evening at the bar in Princeton. It was true that their journey here that evening had been different, in that they had not been as talkative as usual. As Beats had imagined, his arrival back to the apartment they shared in Princeton had been interesting. He had just had a discussion with his tutor, and he had been extremely sympathetic to his issues; he had contacted several other members of staff at once to make them aware, and almost all of them had agreed to allow Beats to redo some of his work, or had given extensions on the due date on the papers he still had to complete. It was a great relief to both Beats, and his tutor, who had been wondering why his marks had been declining, and had been about to schedule a one on one session to investigate potential issues. All in all, that meeting had gone well.
The meeting at home had gone almost exactly as he had expected, although it had been tempered slightly by the intervention of Ethan. He had been the only one home when Beats arrived; he had noticed the fact that his friend was now wearing glasses immediately, and had listened patiently as the reason why was explained. "It must be a relief to have found out what was wrong," Ethan had sympathised, "but I am guessing that you are dreading the moment that our other roommate finds out…" As if on cue, they heard the front door being opened, and Flint calling out a greeting to them. "Ok, so I will stay here, and I want you to know that I will have your back, and intervene if he gets on his high horse with you." Beats nodded, as he heard the footfalls of his best friend coming down the hallway, then took a deep breath.
"Ok, so where were you today, Beats?" came his voice before he had even stepped into the room. "A couple of people asked me if you were ok, as you hadn't been in class, and I didn't know what to tell them. I hope you had a good excuse…" Flint's voice stopped as he stepped into the room, and was confronted by the sight of Beats sitting there with a pair of glasses on. His face betrayed his emotions in the silence; a mixture of concern, curiosity and disbelief.
"I was at the hospital," Beats replied. "I've spoken to my tutor, and he has let all the teaching staff know why I was absent. It turns out that you were right; it wasn't just an eyestrain that I had, but the start of something far more serious. The good news is that they have caught it in time to be able to do something constructive to prevent the worst case scenario, which was me going blind. The bad news is that these glasses will now be a permanent fixture on my face. Now, before you say it, yes, you told me so, and yes I should have gone to get myself checked out sooner. If it hadn't been for Mr Gilbert, I'd still probably be ignoring you, and sticking my head in the sand. So, yeah, I should have listened to you - and next time, I will."
"Yeah, maybe you should. I know that I nag, but it's only because I care… Ok, I sound just like my mother there, so I'm going to leave it at that! I bet you were expecting me to raise the subject time and time again from now on, but the fact is, you got it checked out, and they know what is wrong, so that's all good. I wish that nothing had been wrong though. So, are you keeping the glasses on tonight? I mean, some of the audience might like them, but I'd be worried they might fly off at some point in the routine…."
Ethan started to laugh. "Ok, so this is surreal. Flint is more concerned about your glasses falling off as you two strip off, than anything else. This is not a conversation I ever imagined hearing two of my former classmates having, ever…"
"That's true, but it's more fun this way," said Beats with a grin. "In answer to your question, I won't be wearing them later. I think that is taking the preppy geek chic a little too far. And for the record, you don't sound anything like your mother - you didn't mention marriage or religion casually in the sentence; and you only nag because you care, and I love the fact that you do."
"Anyway, I am going to go and freshen up, and maybe someone could make a start on dinner whilst I am. I have to admit that I have built up an appetite, and I need to keep my strength up for the physical jerks later on. Incidentally, we have had a few more applicants for the job - maybe we could go through the them before the show?"
"Ok, cool," said Beats, as he got up to go and start on preparing a meal. Without warning, Flint walked over and hugged him, then vanished towards his room. "Well that went a lot more easily than I imagined," he whispered to Ethan. "Maybe Flint is getting more mellow in his old age…"
Now in the dressing room, the two of them waited for the moment they had to go on stage. They were quiet as they had been shocked by the applications they had received for the job of being the new Preppy Boys. Shocked by the graphic photos in some; by the lewd suggestions in another; and horrified by the fact that two had asked how much they should charge for extras, even though they had explicitly stated that they did not do that, nor would they allow their replacements to do so. With only two months to go, it was beginning to look as if they would never find anyone to replace them…
