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Debbie slammed the large bowl down in the middle of the table, "Fucking Asshole! I mean, come on, you're not asking for the fucking moon... just enough for a down payment on a new car. Can't the selfish prick understand that all your cash went into the move back home?"
Debbie flopped onto her chair and looked at the faces around her table. "Am I right, you're damn right I am? Selfish Prick!"
"Hell, he probably spends that much on food for Boy Wonder." Michael said, fingers and thumb tightly gripping his spoon as he shoveled his pasta into his mouth.
Mel snorted, "He spends three times that on those stupid pretentious designer clothes. The ones he thinks make him look so hot. He's nothing but a fucking selfish asshole, I've been saying that for years, but does anyone listen to me, hell no. It's all about fucking Kinney; the son-of-a-bitch has never done a God damn thing for anyone but himself."
Ben looked at Ted and shook his head. He could tell the other man was also getting sick of the subject. He glanced at Hunter and noticed how the boy was slouched over his bowl blocking out most of the conversation. "Well, sitting and yelling is not going to help the situation. Michael and I talked about it and we might be able to come up with some extra cash and..."
Michael abruptly interrupted his husband; his eyes sparkled with un-shed tears. "But Ben you said we were going to use that money for our vacation this year. We've never actually gone away anywhere, this was going to be just the two of us..."
Lindsey smiled, "Ben thank you, but no, Mel and I had already talked to Michael back when we started thinking about a car. Michael has already explained to us your plans for your extra cash this year. It's wonderful that you want to help us out but don't worry about it. We'll make do with only one car. It'll be hard, but Jenny Rebecca and I will get used to taking the bus..."
"The fuck you will! My granddaughter is not taking the fucking bus." Carl felt Gus's tiny body jump as his wife's loud voice filled the small kitchen. "Calm down Debbie."
"Sweetie I doubt very much if you will have to take the bus, I mean we all have cars now, even little old me with Drewsie's help bought myself my sweet wonderful Escalade, did I mention that all the individual seats heat up on their own?"
Ben smiled, "still wished you would have listened to me Emmett, those new hybrid SUVs aren't as polluting as those big gas-eating tanks."
"Gas-eating tank!! You did not call Ms Adelaide a gas-eating tank. My baby is the sweetest thing on four wheels." Emmett using his napkin pretended to whip Ben for his insolent remark. "Not my beautiful baby."
"It's pink and silver Em, who the fuck drives a pink and silver car?" Michael snapped peevishly.
"Emmett Honeycutt does, that's who," Ted smiled, he now wishes he would have stayed home since Blake couldn't make it due to work. Plus, he knew Brian and Justin had plans with Jennifer and Molly, he just knew he wasn't going to enjoy this evening.
"Well I think it's ugly and stupid..."
"Ugly and stupid, you're calling my car stupid, you who have giant size cardboard cut-outs of make-believe people in your home... you think..."
"Can we get back on track here, how the fuck are we going to get King Asshole Kinney to give the girls the money they need. You'd think he'd be more than willing to make sure his fucking son is riding around in a new car." Debbie said.
Emmett glared at Michael for a few moments longer.
"Yeah, his little fuck toy has a better car than we have." Mel's viciousness was getting darker with each gulp of wine that passed her lips. She'd drunk most of the bottle herself, but she'd never admit to it.
Mel looked up and caught Lindsey's attention. The others could hear harsh whispers passing back and forth between the two women. Mel didn't even bother whispering after a few moments. "No I won't watch my mouth; Gus has to learn the truth sooner or later."
Carl suddenly lifted Gus from his chair and stood up; quietly removing JR from her highchair he placed her on his hip, taking Gus's hand he headed towards the stairs. "I'm just going to go up-stairs and get the kids cleaned up, you want to help me, Hunter?"
Hunter jumped up so quickly he dropped his napkin and left it lying on the floor. "Gladly, anything to get away from this fucking conversation."
"Hey, watch your fucking language, you're not too big to wash your mouth out you know." Michael told his foster son. He turned to Ben, "What the fuck was that all about?"
"Michael you've got to admit that we've been going over and over this for hours and it's not getting us anywhere. Frankly, we shouldn't even be discussing it. It's none of our business."
"None of our business, of course it is, it's the girls, the mother of my daughter. Why shouldn't Brian help out? He's got the money. The girls don't." Ben was a bit surprised by what his husband had just said, Michael was naïve, he understood that it's one of the things that had attracted him to the other man in the first place, but sometimes his naivety even surprised Ben. In Michael's world, if he needed something, Brian got it for him, that's all Michael understood.
"Michael, Brian is not responsible for everything this family needs." Ben tried to reason with him. "He's not our personal bank account."
"But Brian likes doing things like this for us." Michael told him.
"Apparently he doesn't, because he told the girls no. So that's it. It's not our business to get involved."
Debbie fork was suddenly in Ben's face. "It's family, and if it's family we are involved."
While all of this was going on the two women at the end of the table had been whispering again. When the whispering ended Mel held her hand out at Lindsey and shook it at the other end of the table. Lindsey told her to shush and the others could see the blond woman try to collect herself.
Lindsey looked up from her end of the table and smiled, "Ted..."
Ted Schmidt looked her directly in the eye and said one word. "No."
"But... but you don't even know what I'm going to ask you." Lindsey stammered.
"Yes, I do, I'm not stupid nor am I a pushover Lindsey, no matter what Mel just told you." Ted calmly folded his napkin and stood up. "I am not going to try and talk Brian into giving you money for a down payment on a used car. Because you know damn well Brian has already agreed to pay in full I might add, for a brand new car for you. All he asked is that you buy one of the cars on the list he presented to you. A list, I might add that was made up of the safest cars on the road. Safe and environmentally kind, I know because Justin and I made up that list. But no, Mel couldn't have that could she, that dickhead wasn't going to be telling her what kind of car she could buy. It didn't matter that he did it because all he cared about was keeping his and your child safe."
Silence filled the room as Ted moved to gather his coat and scarf. He was halfway to the door when he started muttering.
"Fuck it." Turning back he walked back to the table, "And let me just add this into the mix too while I'm at it. As for Brian Kinney being a selfish son-of-a-bitch, asshole and prick, well fuck you. Was he being selfish when he paid to have your roof fixed this past winter, Debbie? Or, Mel and Linz was he being a prick when he footed the bill for your entire re-wiring a few months ago? Not to mention he paid for you to move home, and gave you the money for your down payment on the house. Hell, he practically footed the entire cost of your forage into the Great White North. And boy what an asshole, think about it Michael, he made four out of the twelve payments on your mortgage for the store this year alone, what a fucking asshole. Plus, he paid for Health and Life insurance for Gus since the day he was born, and now he has added Jenny Rebecca onto the policy because the four of you couldn't afford it, but you could afford to buy more toys for your store. And let's not forget how the bastard paid for each and every one of us to spend Christmas in Toronto last year, us and our partners. Hell no; let's just forget about Hunter's tuition and the kids' new clothes and all the toys he's bought. And let's forget about all the charitable donations he's made in your fucking names for your fucking pet charities; let's just forget about all that shit. Because it doesn't matter because Brian Kinney's never done a fucking thing for any of you, you're all right, he's a fucking selfish bastard who only thinks of himself."
He turned and headed for the door again, he made it as far as the steps when he suddenly turned around. "And Michael let me ask you something how much money have you put in the bank account you share with your husband for this fiscal year, because let me tell you Brian's little 'fuck toy' put almost six figures into their shared account, so just remember next time you need your fucking mortgage paid that it might be Justin's money paying for the GOD-DAMN THING!!"
He actually made it to the door this time and was gone with a bang.
All heads remained on the door; they were waiting to see if he would come back, when it became apparent that he wasn't coming back they all turned back to the table, most of them kept their eyes down, too ashamed to raise them, they were afraid that they might see their own shame reflected back at them.
"Well it's been fun but I think I'm going to go to Woody's and have a drink in celebration." Emmett said standing, moving around the room he collecting his coat and carry-all bag.
Ben stood and moved to help Emmett with his coat. "What are you celebrating Emmett?"
Emmett turned to Ben and smiled. "I'm celebrating Teddy, he proved himself a good friend today. And I think having a good friend is a good thing, a very good thing."
Ben smiled. "If you let me, I'd like to join you Em."
Emmett laughed, "The more the merrier sweetie."
"But Bennnn…"
And with that the two men left the house, leaving their friends sitting alone with their shame.
The End