"The Enchanted Cottage" -- Part 23
Eyes opened.
Las Encantadas Estate, Erie, Pa., November 2006
"Darling!"
Jennifer Taylor jumped up and ran over to embrace her son.
"Hi, Mom." Justin blushed and tried to pull away.
"I'm so glad to see you!" Jennifer couldn't let go. "I've missed you so much! It's been -- what? Six months?"
"Seven," said Justin. "It was Easter."
Jennifer wiped a tear from her eye. "Where does the time go? But, honey! You look wonderful! So wonderful!"
Justin now beamed. "I know! It's... well, I'll explain later. What do you think of me being in the art show at the Gay and Lesbian Center?"
Jennifer hesitated. Even after all this time, she still felt uncomfortable with the whole gay thing. But she wanted to be supportive. "I... I think it's marvelous. The Gay and Lesbian Center is... it's such a nice place. The people there have been so helpful."
"Have you been going to the PFLAG meetings?" Justin asked. He glanced at Brian, who rolled his eyes.
"Not exactly," she admitted. "But I've been so busy, darling," said Jennifer. "I sold a house yesterday! It's going to be a fine Christmas! I'm so looking forward to all of us being together this year!"
"I... I don't know about that." Justin frowned. "Mrs. Minnett needs me here to help decorate the house. And... and Brian and I might have plans." He turned to his lover. "Mom, I want you to meet Brian."
Brian swallowed. Here goes nothing. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs. Taylor." He stepped forward and held out his hand.
Jennifer Taylor stared at the man who was sleeping with her son. She had tried not to look at him as they came in, hoping he might disappear. But he didn't disappear. He was a reality she was going to have to deal with. And he... he...
Jennifer blinked. She tried not to flinch as she stared at the angry scars on his face. Abigail Minnett had warned her that Brian Kinney had been badly injured in the bombing at the gay club, but being told about it and seeing the actual damage were two very different things. It was such a shame, too, because it was obvious that he'd been a very handsome man. Well, it could be worse, she thought. He's not completely disfigured. And it's only one side of his face. Mrs. Minnett had said the scars had faded -- a little -- although apparently he also had burns on his back. He was probably a very... fine man. Yes, but still, it was a shock to look at him.
And upsetting to think about Justin sleeping with him. Living with him. Thinking he was in love with him.
Jennifer gritted her teeth. "I'm... pleased to meet you, too, Mr. Kinney."
"Call me Brian," he said. But then he looked away.
His face. She was staring at his face. Staring at his scars. And recoiling from them.
There was no fucking miracle. He and Justin had only been fooling themselves.
"Yes... Brian." Jennifer pulled her hand away. "So... isn't this nice?"
"Mom, what's the matter?" Justin demanded.
"Nothing," Brian interrupted. "You know, I'm not feeling too well. I think I'll say goodnight and go back to the cottage. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Taylor."
"Brian! No!" Justin cried. "You c... can't go! We have to explain what's h... happened! About the m... miracle!"
"What's going on?" asked the Major from his chair by the fire. "Abigail? What's happening?"
Mrs. Minnett stood up and went over, gently taking Justin's elbow. "Come and sit down, my dear, and we'll talk about this."
"N... no!" he shook off her touch. "D... don't you all see? Look at m... my hand!" He held up his right hand. "It's c... cured! And Brian's f... face! The sc... scars! They're g... gone!"
Jennifer glanced in dismay at Mrs. Minnett and then at Brian. "What's he talking about? I don't understand!"
"There's nothing to understand, Mrs. Taylor," Brian said sadly.
"M... my hand!" Justin clenched and unclenched his right hand, but it was trembling. "F... fuck! Wh... what's wrong with it? Brian! Wh... what's happening?"
Brian pulled Justin into his arms and held him. "Nothing, Sunshine. Nothing happened. This is the truth. I was afraid this would be the end of this whole charade, but I hoped it wouldn't be. Hope... hope is a fucking scam! And miracles are nothing but lies. There's no miracle. There never was."
"N... no!" Justin buried his face in Brian's chest. "M... miracles can happen! They d... did happen!"
"No," Brian whispered. "Look at me, Justin. Look."
Justin looked up at his lover's face. He softly stroked it and then he kissed one scar and then another and another. "B... but they were g... gone! They were!"
"They weren't," Brian said. "They're right here, where they've always been. This is the reality."
"B... but in the cottage... Th... that's it! It's the c... cottage," said Justin. "The Enchanted C... Cottage! L... let's go back! We'll be s... safe there!"
"We can't." Brian held Justin away from him. "You can't. It won't make any difference. This is the way things are. I'm going back now. I'm sorry for missing dinner, Mrs. Minnett, but I know you'll understand."
"I'm sorry, too, Brian," said Mrs. Minnett. "I wish you'd stay."
"No, but thank you." Brian turned to go.
"Br... Brian!" Justin began to follow. "I'm g... going, too!"
"No," Brian said, holding out his hand to stop him. "Your mother came all this way to see you. Stay and talk to her."
"B... but..."
"No, buts, Justin. Come back to the cottage tonight. I'll be waiting."
Justin nodded in defeat. He felt limp and exhausted, as if all the energy had been drawn out of him. The spell was broken. There was no miracle. There never had been.
Then he watched Brian leave, knowing nothing would ever be the same again.
***
Las Encantadas Estate, Erie, Pa., November 2006
"Darling!"
Jennifer Taylor jumped up and ran over to embrace her son.
"Hi, Mom." Justin blushed and tried to pull away.
"I'm so glad to see you!" Jennifer couldn't let go. "I've missed you so much! It's been -- what? Six months?"
"Seven," said Justin. "It was Easter."
Jennifer wiped a tear from her eye. "Where does the time go? But, honey! You look wonderful! So wonderful!"
Justin now beamed. "I know! It's... well, I'll explain later. What do you think of me being in the art show at the Gay and Lesbian Center?"
Jennifer hesitated. Even after all this time, she still felt uncomfortable with the whole gay thing. But she wanted to be supportive. "I... I think it's marvelous. The Gay and Lesbian Center is... it's such a nice place. The people there have been so helpful."
"Have you been going to the PFLAG meetings?" Justin asked. He glanced at Brian, who rolled his eyes.
"Not exactly," she admitted. "But I've been so busy, darling," said Jennifer. "I sold a house yesterday! It's going to be a fine Christmas! I'm so looking forward to all of us being together this year!"
"I... I don't know about that." Justin frowned. "Mrs. Minnett needs me here to help decorate the house. And... and Brian and I might have plans." He turned to his lover. "Mom, I want you to meet Brian."
Brian swallowed. Here goes nothing. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs. Taylor." He stepped forward and held out his hand.
Jennifer Taylor stared at the man who was sleeping with her son. She had tried not to look at him as they came in, hoping he might disappear. But he didn't disappear. He was a reality she was going to have to deal with. And he... he...
Jennifer blinked. She tried not to flinch as she stared at the angry scars on his face. Abigail Minnett had warned her that Brian Kinney had been badly injured in the bombing at the gay club, but being told about it and seeing the actual damage were two very different things. It was such a shame, too, because it was obvious that he'd been a very handsome man. Well, it could be worse, she thought. He's not completely disfigured. And it's only one side of his face. Mrs. Minnett had said the scars had faded -- a little -- although apparently he also had burns on his back. He was probably a very... fine man. Yes, but still, it was a shock to look at him.
And upsetting to think about Justin sleeping with him. Living with him. Thinking he was in love with him.
Jennifer gritted her teeth. "I'm... pleased to meet you, too, Mr. Kinney."
"Call me Brian," he said. But then he looked away.
His face. She was staring at his face. Staring at his scars. And recoiling from them.
There was no fucking miracle. He and Justin had only been fooling themselves.
"Yes... Brian." Jennifer pulled her hand away. "So... isn't this nice?"
"Mom, what's the matter?" Justin demanded.
"Nothing," Brian interrupted. "You know, I'm not feeling too well. I think I'll say goodnight and go back to the cottage. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Taylor."
"Brian! No!" Justin cried. "You c... can't go! We have to explain what's h... happened! About the m... miracle!"
"What's going on?" asked the Major from his chair by the fire. "Abigail? What's happening?"
Mrs. Minnett stood up and went over, gently taking Justin's elbow. "Come and sit down, my dear, and we'll talk about this."
"N... no!" he shook off her touch. "D... don't you all see? Look at m... my hand!" He held up his right hand. "It's c... cured! And Brian's f... face! The sc... scars! They're g... gone!"
Jennifer glanced in dismay at Mrs. Minnett and then at Brian. "What's he talking about? I don't understand!"
"There's nothing to understand, Mrs. Taylor," Brian said sadly.
"M... my hand!" Justin clenched and unclenched his right hand, but it was trembling. "F... fuck! Wh... what's wrong with it? Brian! Wh... what's happening?"
Brian pulled Justin into his arms and held him. "Nothing, Sunshine. Nothing happened. This is the truth. I was afraid this would be the end of this whole charade, but I hoped it wouldn't be. Hope... hope is a fucking scam! And miracles are nothing but lies. There's no miracle. There never was."
"N... no!" Justin buried his face in Brian's chest. "M... miracles can happen! They d... did happen!"
"No," Brian whispered. "Look at me, Justin. Look."
Justin looked up at his lover's face. He softly stroked it and then he kissed one scar and then another and another. "B... but they were g... gone! They were!"
"They weren't," Brian said. "They're right here, where they've always been. This is the reality."
"B... but in the cottage... Th... that's it! It's the c... cottage," said Justin. "The Enchanted C... Cottage! L... let's go back! We'll be s... safe there!"
"We can't." Brian held Justin away from him. "You can't. It won't make any difference. This is the way things are. I'm going back now. I'm sorry for missing dinner, Mrs. Minnett, but I know you'll understand."
"I'm sorry, too, Brian," said Mrs. Minnett. "I wish you'd stay."
"No, but thank you." Brian turned to go.
"Br... Brian!" Justin began to follow. "I'm g... going, too!"
"No," Brian said, holding out his hand to stop him. "Your mother came all this way to see you. Stay and talk to her."
"B... but..."
"No, buts, Justin. Come back to the cottage tonight. I'll be waiting."
Justin nodded in defeat. He felt limp and exhausted, as if all the energy had been drawn out of him. The spell was broken. There was no miracle. There never had been.
Then he watched Brian leave, knowing nothing would ever be the same again.
***