SCENES FROM A POSSIBLE FUTURE: 1: LIFT EV'RY VOICE AND SING
Josh had never been in better voice than at the final rehearsal.
... fly away
Glad you're goin' my way:
I love it when we're cruisin' together...
Chris and Joey applauded and whooped and smirked. 'More like "when we're cruisin' each other,"' Chris snickered. James was blushing so furiously he couldn't possibly respond.
'You guys ' Josh began.
'Hey, we're just you two's backup singers.'
'Are you sure you want to do this, really?' James was concerned for his friends.
'You couldn't stop us if you tried, Poofu.' Joe put him in a bearhug so that Chris could noogie him.
'C'mon,' Josh laughed, 'leave my hubby alone. Pick on Ju hey. Where is Justy?'
'He ducked out '
Chris interrupted James, as per usual: 'Got all pissy that the spotlight was on someone else '
'He GOT,' James said sternly, 'bent out of shape because y'all two dipshits kept riffin' on his maybe bein' bi-curious and how even though y'all are just backup tonight the guys in the audience would all be undressin' him with their eyes.'
'Shit,' Josh said. The other two hung their heads.
'You were busy singin', hon, you can't mother-hen him twenty-four-seven.'
'Yeah, but we better find him.'
'I'm here.' Justin slumped against the doorjamb.
James looked levelly at him. 'If you don't want to be if you're not comfortable with this '
'I swore I'd always be here for you and C, man. And that's that. I could do 'thout Tweedle-dumb and Tweedle-dumber tossin' shit dat happened five-years-back in my face, but, I ain't used to their shit now, I never will be. I just ... I just needed a break for a minute.'
'It's okay to be tense about this,' Josh said reasonably. 'Guilt by association, that sort of thing.'
'Fuck that,' Justin snorted. 'Anybody thinks what you to have is sumpin' t'be guilty about, fuck 'em.'
'Does this mean Eminem won't be at the after-party?' Chris was irrepressible.
'No one made his bond,' James shot back. 'Now, Juju seriously. Are you sure you want to be a part of this? 'Cause we are your friends, right back atcha, and we don't want you having problems on account of us '
'My only problem with this is, I still think lemme hear your solo pick again, Lansten.'
The shyness would never leave James entirely, but after the first few bars, nothing was real to him except the song and his husband, to whom he had sung every song he'd ever sung, even before they'd met....
Could you coo? Could you care
For a cunning cottage we could share?
The world will pardon my mush
'Cause I've got a crush, my baby, on you
Yes, I've got a crush, my baby, on you....
'It sucked, didn't it?' James was looking at the expression on Justin's face, and the glance Josh shared with Justin, and it knocked all the confidence out of him.
'Huh? Oh SHIT no,' Justin assured him. 'In fact, transposed down to there, you do it better than anybody ever has. It's just ... maybe it's because what you guys have ain't no crush.... Technically, it's perfect, but I just don't think it's the right choice. What about that other one, the all-day-all-night one?'
Chris rolled his eyes. Justin had an instinct for music, but as far as an education, well....
James grinned at Chris. Imagine Justy not knowing Cole Porter.... He got the note from Josh at the keyboard, and began.
Night and day you are the one....
Justin cut him off. 'Naw. My bad. How about the movie one?'
It was Joe's turn to grunt. Justin really was an idiot-savant, by God. 'The movie one' the kid knows nothing ... except music....
James knew what Justin meant, though.
You must remember this,
A kiss is just a kiss,
A sigh is just a sigh,
The fundamental things apply,
As time goes by....
The other four looked at each other and nodded.
It's still the same old story,
A fight for love and glory,
A case of do or die,
The world will always welcome lovers,
As time goes by.
James opened his eyes and looked into the smiling gaze of his love. 'If that didn't bite too bad, it does seem it might be awful fitting....'
'It was perfect, hon.'
'Break it up,' Justin snapped, 'we have a schedule. Now the duet. Sorry about having to drop the Gershwin "call-it-off" thang, C, but you want something we can back you on you're down to two choices and the damn thing's tomorrow.' He paused, realizing he sounded too much like Wade the Impaler. He gave them The Grin, saying softly, 'I just want everything to be right for you two, 'cause I loves ya.'
Josh and James exchanged a glance and suppressed their laughter. Joe didn't bother to suppress his, especially when Chris huffed, 'Leave the puppy-eyes stuff to Busta, kiddo, it's not gonna work on me when you try it.'
'Yeah, yeah. Always has 'til now. C'mon! Let's run through the duets and make a fuckin' choice, 'kay?'
They'd gotten to
... Rock the boat
Don't rock the boat, baby
Rock the boat
Don't tip the boat ovah...
when Justin halted them. 'Enough. Jesus, Chris, your generation was fuckin' WEIRD. Let's try the other one. Lansten, C, get ready.'
Sugarpie, honeybunch:
You know that I love you
I can't help myself
I love you and nobody else....
'I say we go wit' dat.'
The others acquiesced. 'But it's up to these two. Guys? Guys!'
The Bass-Chasezes broke their kiss. 'Huh? Oh. It's fine. Works for us.'
'Obviously,' Chris snorted. 'Oh well, I was the one determined back when to start a doo-wop group. Funny how things come around.'
Joe grinned. 'Good thing we didden include any Marvin Gaye you know how Scoop gets....'
'They'd be fuckin' on stage,' Justin said.
Josh shot him the finger. And James tilted his head and said, 'Well, for this appearance, no one would mind, so....'
'Don't even think about it!'
And now it was showtime. No flashing lights, no costumes, a jazz quartet for backup and that was all; all five in dinner jackets (or in Josh's case, a sort of perverse riff on formal attire, but Josh was just Josh). They'd slipped away during the preceding speech and were now waiting in the wings, listening to the chairwoman.
'As you all know, tonight's honorees have been called the "Gay Power-Couple of the Millennium." They hold a dominant position in the arts and popular entertainment, a position achieved at considerable personal cost. They've had what one of them called "a hard row to hoe" even aside from the backlash from their coming out anyone here old enough to remember the brief rise and sudden fall of Eminem? ' the audience laughed 'and it is partly that perseverance that makes them role models. But we honor them this year for much more personal and hands-on work in and with and for the community. An example of that work is, they insisted with all donations going to community causes on performing here tonight, even though this is our night to thank and honor them, and their bandmates ' here the chairwoman gave in to the rising tide of applause, and had to stop for a good minute 'their bandmates have equally insisted on appearing, outside the spotlight, as their backup singers. Collectively you know them, the world knows them, as 'N Sync ' overwhelming applause 'and our honorees you know as Lance and JC ' ovation 'but I want you tonight to give a welcome to them as themselves, the 2004 GLAAD Awards honorees, James and Josh Bass-Chasez!'
And nothing could quiet the black-tie and ball-gown crowd until the lights dimmed, the music began, and Josh took James's hand, looked into his jade-colored eyes, and sang:
Baby, let's cruise ... away from here:
Don't be confused, the way is clear,
And if you want it, you got it, forever.....
Cruisin': Smokey Robinson / Marvin Tapplin
Night and Day: Cole Porter
As Time Goes By: Herman Hupfield
I've Got a Crush On You: George & Ira Gershwin
I Can't Help Myself: B. Holland/L. Dozier/E. Holland, Jr.
Don't Rock the Boat, Baby: The Hues Corporation
THE END ... AND THE BEGINNING....
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