"The Enchanted Cottage" -- Part 16
Prints.
Las Encantadas Estate, Erie, Pa., October 2006
"Justin, I didn't expect you again this afternoon," said the Major from his desk. Justin had been into the winery office earlier in the day to pick up the mail.
He bent down to pet Harvey. "I wanted to pr... print out this graphic I made," he said, slipping the diskette into the machine. "I've been w... working on it especially and I want to see how it turned out."
"Don't you have a printer in the cottage?" the Major asked.
"Y... yes, but this is a surprise for Brian." Justin smiled to himself as he brought the picture up on the screen. "I don't w... want him to see it until it's finished."
The Major frowned as he stared into space. "What is it of?"
"I took a picture of Br... Brian by the window of the cottage and then I sort of b... b...borrowed a photo of his son G... Gus from his computer and added it. It's like he's thinking about G... Gus. I used Ph... Photoshop. I'm getting pretty g... good with that program."
"Sounds interesting," said the Major. "I wish I could see it."
"I th... think Brian will like it. He really m... misses his son." Justin made a few adjustments and then put a piece of heavy-stock paper into the laser printer. "He was t... telling me last night about how much Gus liked some p... pictures I took of the rabbits up on the b... bluff. I e-mailed them to Lindsay -- that's Gus' mother -- and added some f... funny captions a six-year-old would enjoy. G... Gus thought they were a riot."
"Listen, Justin -- I know this is none of my business, but..." The Major hesitated. "But, you and Brian... is there something going on between you?"
Justin glanced at the Major, surprised by the question. They'd never talked about anything like relationships before. Or sex. The Major knew he was gay, but they'd never discussed that, either. Of course, there'd been no reason to discuss it before. That is, before Brian.
"Are w... we lovers, do you mean?" Justin replied. "Yes. And I couldn't be happier."
The Major cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Brian is quite a bit older than you. Are you certain that... that you know him well enough to..." He stopped, disconcerted.
"To be having s... sex with him?" Justin offered. "I love him. That's all that m... matters."
"Does Mrs. Minnett know about this?"
Justin shrugged. "Whether she does or doesn't, it's n... none of her business."
"Your mother entrusted her with your care, Justin," the Major said sharply. "I don't know if she would approve of this... homosexual entanglement."
"I'm not a child!" Justin retorted. "I'm a g... grown man and I can make my own decisions! And it's not an 'entanglement' -- it's a real r... relationship. We love each other! I never thought you, of all people, would be homophobic, M... Major!"
"I'm not homophobic!" the Major replied as if stung. "I'm only concerned for your well-being! You're still young. And you're... you're..."
"B... brain-damaged, you mean?" Justin put another sheet of paper into the printer to print out another copy.
"No!" said the Major. "Inexperienced. Naive, perhaps."
"I'm n... not naive!" Justin snapped. "B... besides, I already told you it's none of your f... fucking business!"
"What on earth is going on in here?" Mrs. Minnett came into the room, frowning.
"Just a discussion, Abigail," said the Major.
"Quite a loud discussion," said Mrs. Minnett. "I could hear you two from outside."
Justin spread out one of the prints on the table. "The M... Major doesn't think I should be having sex with Br... Brian. And I told him it was none of his f... fucking business!"
"Well..." Mrs. Minnett took a deep breath. "I imagine it isn't, my dear. But there's no need to use profanity. The two of you have been good friends for a long time. I'm sure you can agree to disagree."
Justin nodded. "I a... a... apologize for my language, but I'm not s... sorry for what Brian and I are doing. It's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me! And, although Br... Brian would never admit it, I think it's the best thing that's ever happened to him, too. He's like a different person these days. He's... he's h... happy."
"That's wonderful, dear," Mrs. Minnett soothed. "Is this one of the pieces you've been working on? May I see it?"
"Sure." Justin hadn't shown any of the graphics he'd done on the new computer -- except the doodles he'd sent to Gus -- to anyone but Brian. "I don't know if they're any g... good. But since I n... never thought I'd make art again, they're a beginning."
"I like this," said Mrs. Minnett. "And I'm not merely being kind. I like the way you've integrated the photos with other elements."
"I tried to do a c... collage effect in some of the other pieces. This one is m... more straightforward."
"May I see some of the others? If you'd be willing to share them."
Justin bit his lip. "I d... don't know. They're mainly f... for us. For m... me and Brian."
"Please?" Mrs. Minnett nudged.
Justin opened up another file on the diskette and printed it out. It was a nude of Brian, shadowed with color and light. Justin hadn't printed it before and was surprised at how well it looked.
"This is good," said Mrs. Minnett. "I'm impressed. I didn't think you could do this with a computer! Of course, I'm technically inept. E-mail is almost beyond my ability!"
"It was h... hard at first. My hand is still shaky on the mouse and it gets tired quickly. But Br... Brian said I should keep t... trying and be patient. I have some ph... photos of the lake and objects around the cottage, but m... most of my work is of Br... Brian. He's the most b... beautiful subject I can think of."
Mrs. Minnett gazed at the young man and then at the graphics of Brian he'd created. "You really do love him, don't you?"
"Yes," said Justin sincerely. "More than anything else in my life. I thought I'd never f... feel this way. That H... Hobbs and his pals had taken that away from me. But they didn't. For the f... first time since I was bashed, I feel like a real p... person. Like a normal person."
"You are normal!" the Major interjected.
"I'm trying," said Justin. "I'm sorry I g... got upset with you, but I want you to understand about us. I want you to accept us. And b... be happy for us!"
"We are," said Mrs. Minnett. "Aren't we, Major?"
"I suppose so," he grumbled. "Yes, I'm happy for you, Justin. It's difficult for me to understand it, but if it's right for you, that's all that matters."
"Thanks," said Justin. He began rolling up the prints. "I want to have the one of Br... Brian and Gus f... framed as a gift. He's already g... given me my computer, so I want to give him a gift in return. I know he'll love this."
"I'm sure he will," said Mrs. Minnett. "Justin, have you considered submitting a few pieces to the Gay and Lesbian Center Art Exhibit? Lindsay sent me a flyer about it. I think a few of your older drawings, along with your new work, would be very well received."
Justin was taken aback. "M... my pieces? In an art show? Except for a display at school I've n... never been in one before. Do you think they're g... good enough?"
"Yes, they are certainly good enough," Mrs. Minnett maintained. "I'll call Tannis and find out some more information. The show is right after Thanksgiving, so that gives you about a month to prepare for it. I think the GLC will welcome your work. May I keep these to look at? And the Center will need samples of your work, too."
"Th... that would be amazing! I can g... get you anything you need!" said Justin with excitement. "My mother has m... more of my old stuff at home. And I have lots of new pieces on my computer!" Justin popped out his diskette and buttoned up his sweater to go outside. "W.w.. wait until I tell Brian about this! He'll be so proud! S... see you, Mrs. Minnett, Major!"
Mrs. Minnett watched Justin bolt out the door and then, through the window, move across the lawn towards the path to the cottage. He was almost running, his limp barely noticeable.
"You should have realized this would happen, Abigail," said Major, the disapproval heavy in his voice. "That man Kinney has a dreadful reputation and yet you served innocent Justin up to him like a tasty dessert!"
"It's what the boy needed, John," she replied. "It was time that he move forward with his life -- and falling in love is part of that."
"That Brian Kinney will break his heart!" the Major warned.
"Perhaps," Mrs. Minnett mused. "But I think it much more likely that Mr. Kinney will be the one whose heart is broken in this affair. But that's the chance we all must take in love, isn't it, my dear?"
***
Las Encantadas Estate, Erie, Pa., October 2006
"Justin, I didn't expect you again this afternoon," said the Major from his desk. Justin had been into the winery office earlier in the day to pick up the mail.
He bent down to pet Harvey. "I wanted to pr... print out this graphic I made," he said, slipping the diskette into the machine. "I've been w... working on it especially and I want to see how it turned out."
"Don't you have a printer in the cottage?" the Major asked.
"Y... yes, but this is a surprise for Brian." Justin smiled to himself as he brought the picture up on the screen. "I don't w... want him to see it until it's finished."
The Major frowned as he stared into space. "What is it of?"
"I took a picture of Br... Brian by the window of the cottage and then I sort of b... b...borrowed a photo of his son G... Gus from his computer and added it. It's like he's thinking about G... Gus. I used Ph... Photoshop. I'm getting pretty g... good with that program."
"Sounds interesting," said the Major. "I wish I could see it."
"I th... think Brian will like it. He really m... misses his son." Justin made a few adjustments and then put a piece of heavy-stock paper into the laser printer. "He was t... telling me last night about how much Gus liked some p... pictures I took of the rabbits up on the b... bluff. I e-mailed them to Lindsay -- that's Gus' mother -- and added some f... funny captions a six-year-old would enjoy. G... Gus thought they were a riot."
"Listen, Justin -- I know this is none of my business, but..." The Major hesitated. "But, you and Brian... is there something going on between you?"
Justin glanced at the Major, surprised by the question. They'd never talked about anything like relationships before. Or sex. The Major knew he was gay, but they'd never discussed that, either. Of course, there'd been no reason to discuss it before. That is, before Brian.
"Are w... we lovers, do you mean?" Justin replied. "Yes. And I couldn't be happier."
The Major cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Brian is quite a bit older than you. Are you certain that... that you know him well enough to..." He stopped, disconcerted.
"To be having s... sex with him?" Justin offered. "I love him. That's all that m... matters."
"Does Mrs. Minnett know about this?"
Justin shrugged. "Whether she does or doesn't, it's n... none of her business."
"Your mother entrusted her with your care, Justin," the Major said sharply. "I don't know if she would approve of this... homosexual entanglement."
"I'm not a child!" Justin retorted. "I'm a g... grown man and I can make my own decisions! And it's not an 'entanglement' -- it's a real r... relationship. We love each other! I never thought you, of all people, would be homophobic, M... Major!"
"I'm not homophobic!" the Major replied as if stung. "I'm only concerned for your well-being! You're still young. And you're... you're..."
"B... brain-damaged, you mean?" Justin put another sheet of paper into the printer to print out another copy.
"No!" said the Major. "Inexperienced. Naive, perhaps."
"I'm n... not naive!" Justin snapped. "B... besides, I already told you it's none of your f... fucking business!"
"What on earth is going on in here?" Mrs. Minnett came into the room, frowning.
"Just a discussion, Abigail," said the Major.
"Quite a loud discussion," said Mrs. Minnett. "I could hear you two from outside."
Justin spread out one of the prints on the table. "The M... Major doesn't think I should be having sex with Br... Brian. And I told him it was none of his f... fucking business!"
"Well..." Mrs. Minnett took a deep breath. "I imagine it isn't, my dear. But there's no need to use profanity. The two of you have been good friends for a long time. I'm sure you can agree to disagree."
Justin nodded. "I a... a... apologize for my language, but I'm not s... sorry for what Brian and I are doing. It's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me! And, although Br... Brian would never admit it, I think it's the best thing that's ever happened to him, too. He's like a different person these days. He's... he's h... happy."
"That's wonderful, dear," Mrs. Minnett soothed. "Is this one of the pieces you've been working on? May I see it?"
"Sure." Justin hadn't shown any of the graphics he'd done on the new computer -- except the doodles he'd sent to Gus -- to anyone but Brian. "I don't know if they're any g... good. But since I n... never thought I'd make art again, they're a beginning."
"I like this," said Mrs. Minnett. "And I'm not merely being kind. I like the way you've integrated the photos with other elements."
"I tried to do a c... collage effect in some of the other pieces. This one is m... more straightforward."
"May I see some of the others? If you'd be willing to share them."
Justin bit his lip. "I d... don't know. They're mainly f... for us. For m... me and Brian."
"Please?" Mrs. Minnett nudged.
Justin opened up another file on the diskette and printed it out. It was a nude of Brian, shadowed with color and light. Justin hadn't printed it before and was surprised at how well it looked.
"This is good," said Mrs. Minnett. "I'm impressed. I didn't think you could do this with a computer! Of course, I'm technically inept. E-mail is almost beyond my ability!"
"It was h... hard at first. My hand is still shaky on the mouse and it gets tired quickly. But Br... Brian said I should keep t... trying and be patient. I have some ph... photos of the lake and objects around the cottage, but m... most of my work is of Br... Brian. He's the most b... beautiful subject I can think of."
Mrs. Minnett gazed at the young man and then at the graphics of Brian he'd created. "You really do love him, don't you?"
"Yes," said Justin sincerely. "More than anything else in my life. I thought I'd never f... feel this way. That H... Hobbs and his pals had taken that away from me. But they didn't. For the f... first time since I was bashed, I feel like a real p... person. Like a normal person."
"You are normal!" the Major interjected.
"I'm trying," said Justin. "I'm sorry I g... got upset with you, but I want you to understand about us. I want you to accept us. And b... be happy for us!"
"We are," said Mrs. Minnett. "Aren't we, Major?"
"I suppose so," he grumbled. "Yes, I'm happy for you, Justin. It's difficult for me to understand it, but if it's right for you, that's all that matters."
"Thanks," said Justin. He began rolling up the prints. "I want to have the one of Br... Brian and Gus f... framed as a gift. He's already g... given me my computer, so I want to give him a gift in return. I know he'll love this."
"I'm sure he will," said Mrs. Minnett. "Justin, have you considered submitting a few pieces to the Gay and Lesbian Center Art Exhibit? Lindsay sent me a flyer about it. I think a few of your older drawings, along with your new work, would be very well received."
Justin was taken aback. "M... my pieces? In an art show? Except for a display at school I've n... never been in one before. Do you think they're g... good enough?"
"Yes, they are certainly good enough," Mrs. Minnett maintained. "I'll call Tannis and find out some more information. The show is right after Thanksgiving, so that gives you about a month to prepare for it. I think the GLC will welcome your work. May I keep these to look at? And the Center will need samples of your work, too."
"Th... that would be amazing! I can g... get you anything you need!" said Justin with excitement. "My mother has m... more of my old stuff at home. And I have lots of new pieces on my computer!" Justin popped out his diskette and buttoned up his sweater to go outside. "W.w.. wait until I tell Brian about this! He'll be so proud! S... see you, Mrs. Minnett, Major!"
Mrs. Minnett watched Justin bolt out the door and then, through the window, move across the lawn towards the path to the cottage. He was almost running, his limp barely noticeable.
"You should have realized this would happen, Abigail," said Major, the disapproval heavy in his voice. "That man Kinney has a dreadful reputation and yet you served innocent Justin up to him like a tasty dessert!"
"It's what the boy needed, John," she replied. "It was time that he move forward with his life -- and falling in love is part of that."
"That Brian Kinney will break his heart!" the Major warned.
"Perhaps," Mrs. Minnett mused. "But I think it much more likely that Mr. Kinney will be the one whose heart is broken in this affair. But that's the chance we all must take in love, isn't it, my dear?"
***