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A tired-looking woman hustles into the shop. Her ankles are swollen, she looks like she hasn’t slept in a week, and she has a streak of something across her left cheek. “Finn Hudson,” she demands, “what have you done?”
Finn slinks down in his chair. “Who’s covering for you?”
He looks as if he fears the answer.
“It doesn’t matter,” she answers. Her eyes fall on Burt. “You’re Kurt Hummel’s father, aren’t you? Finn, what have I-”
“I didn’t do anything to Kurt,” Finn protests.
“Ma’am, some boys were trying to throw my son into a dumpster. Your boy refused to let them.”
“Oh.” She sighs, pulls up a chair, and reaches over to hug Finn. Kissing him on the cheek, she tells him, “I’m sorry, baby. And I’m very proud of you.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Finn says. He squirms away. “Um, Mr Hummel just wanted to make sure I got home safely, even though I told him I could take the bus. Shouldn’t you get back to work?”
“You don’t have money for bus fare,” Mrs Hudson says.
Burt waits for her to realise Finn told him he could take the bus while fully planning on walking or hitching home. Keeping Kurt safe or not, Burt hadn’t appreciated the attempt and had called her instead of giving the boy a ride himself.
He’s starting to regret this.
“Finn,” she says.
“I could if I had the money,” is Finn’s unapologetic response. “Mom, would you please get back to work? You promised you’d come to my game, and you can’t if you get stuck working on Friday.”
“If you want, I can take him home,” Burt offers. “I’m sorry to call you at work.”
Finn looks as if he wants to give a smart remark, and Burt isn’t sure he doesn’t deserve it.
0
“Thank you for what you did,” Burt says.
Finn sighs. “You should talk to Kurt. This isn’t the only thing that’s been happening.”
Unfortunately, this will be easier said than done. As soon as he had turned, Kurt had disappeared from the shop; he’d told the new assistant to tell Burt he was going to take the bus home. When he gets there, Kurt will be in the basement and declare he’s already eaten. He’ll have to study or work on some project requiring no distractions. His answers to how school is will be he’s making straight As and a lot of chatter about who’s wearing what and dating whom.
He’s going to have to bring up the fact some boys tried to throw his son in a dumpster, and he’s terrified Kurt will manage to distract him.
“Anything you’re willing to tell me?”
“He doesn’t like girls,” Finn says. “I mean, he’s friends with a lot of girls, but- he doesn’t like girls like normal boys do.”
Burt has suspected this for a long time.
“And I guess that shouldn’t matter,” Finn continues. “I mean, I like this really scary girl who still wears her hair in puppy dog ears and doesn’t shave her legs. But they think it does matter, and that’s why they pick on him.”
“Have you talked to this girl, yet?”
In the corner of his eye, he sees Finn shrug. “No, she’s, like, really scary. Even Kurt’s kinda scared of her, and he doesn’t get scared of anything.”
“Not even being thrown in dumpsters.”
“No,” is Finn’s simple answer. “He just uses a lot of big words and makes everyone feel like he’s better than them, even if they don’t want to admit it.”
Feeling a swell of pride, Burt says, “That’s my boy.”
He stops in front of the Hudson trailer. “You going to be okay?”
“Yeah,” Finn says with what seems to be a genuine grin. “Thanks, Mr Hummel.”
“You can call me Burt,” he says.
0
The two fabrics look exactly the same.
“Whatever makes you happy,” he says. “We need to talk about what happened today.”
“I’m fine, Dad,” Kurt says.
“Who were they?”
“I don’t know.”
Burt hates being lied to, but the last time he lost his temper, Kurt drug out an old tent, snuck out, and was found sleeping in the park. He knows he shouldn’t let his son do this to him and knows this isn’t how parenting is supposed to be done, but he can’t lose Kurt. He has to try his best to keep his son, no matter what.
“Well, we need to find out. How many times has this-”
“Dad!”
“Hummels don’t get pushed around, Kurt. I want to know who’s been picking on you so that I can do something about it.”
“They were just being boys, Dad.”
“Just being-” He takes a deep breath.
“There’s right and wrong, Kurt,” he softly says. “Burping and making armpit farts,” his son makes a disgusted face, “that’s being a boy. Picking on someone, bullying them, that’s not.”
“I can handle it.”
“Yeah, how you gonna do that?”
He can tell Kurt is rapidly thinking. “I’ll talk to the guidance counsellor if it happens again.”
“Why didn’t you before?”
“Because I thought it was just boys being boys,” his son answers in frustration. “It’s fine, Dad.”
Burt has a feeling he isn’t going to get any further tonight.
0
“Here.”
Burt looks up from the cup of coffee placed in front of him.
“Carole,” she says. Sitting down with a heavy sigh, she continues, “You gave my son a ride; the least I can do is give you a cup of coffee.”
“Your boy saved mine,” he says. “Thank you.”
She smiles, and Burt sees she’s a pretty woman. “Finn- hasn’t always had kind things to say about Kurt,” she carefully tells him. “But I’m proud of him for doing what’s right.”
“Kurt’s never said anything about Finn,” he answers.
Giving him a sympathetic look, she reaches over and touches his hand. “Finn’s going through the teenage boy stage, too.”
“If you have any advice, I wouldn’t object to hearing it,” he says.
Kurt hasn’t been truly open with him since he was about nine years old, and Burt realises he’s more-or-less given up a long time ago.
“Sorry,” she says. “I’m still trying to figure this all out myself. Finn’s been trying to get me to help him find a job, lately, and he wants advice about shaving, and then, there’s his games.”
“Is he any good with cars? I’m looking to hire some new-”
“No,” she says. “I mean- I don’t know. Finn is fourteen, he’s not getting a job. I didn’t have a job until I started college. I’m not sure if college is right for him, but he needs to be a kid right now.”
Burt remembers Finn following an obviously agitated Kurt into the shop, looking Burt straight in the eye, and telling him some boys had tried to throw Kurt in a dumpster. Finn’s obviously decided now’s the time to start trying to being a man.
He’s not going to say anything against Carole’s parenting. She seems like a nice woman, and it’s clear she loves her boy. Besides, his own record hasn’t looked good in a long time. Still, he doesn’t feel right just letting it go. Finn needs something- maybe not a man to help him, but at least, for his mom to let him start heading down the path to manhood.
“You might want to let him find a part-time job,” he suggests. “I could help, if you’d like.”
She scrunches her face up at him, and Burt’s aware his first thought shouldn’t be she looks really cute when she does. “Your call,” he says. Finishing the coffee and slipping a tip on the table, he tells her, “Have a good day, ma’am.”
0
“You called the school.”
Burt looks up from the accounting figures. He does need to hire some new people with the first being an accountant he can trust.
“People tried to hurt you. What was I supposed to do?”
“Let me handle things on my own!”
“Kurt-”
His son continues glaring.
Sighing, Burt sets his pen down. “Look, buddy, I can’t make you talk to me. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let anyone hurt you. I’m going to find out who those boys were, and I’m going to do my best to make sure I know when anyone else does something like this.”
Kurt sighs and fixes his hair. “They were on the football team. I don’t actually bother to learn their names.”
“Okay,” Burt says. He feels a tentative hope. “What else are you willing to tell me?”
0
“Here,” Carole says. She sets a plate down in front of him.
“Kurt’s started occasionally eating dinner with me,” he tells her. “It’s not much, but it’s something.”
Giving him a sympathetic smile, she says, “I’m not asking for any favours, but Finn is determined to find a job. He skipped three classes yesterday. If-” She trails off.
“I’ll talk to him, see if we can’t come up with a solution,” Burt offers.
“Thank you,” she says. “Burt- I don’t know if this is my place, and I don’t know how you feel about- Have you ever talked to Kurt about girls?”
“I know my son’s most likely queer,” he says. Leaning back, he continues, “I’d have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to. I hate how the world’s always going to be against him, but as long as he never brings home a boy like I once was, things’ll be fine. It’s just that I made a promise to his mama that I’d let him tell me in his own time.”
She nods and shifts on her feet. “Maybe,” she suggests, “you can let him know that you’d be okay with it without directly making it about him.” Then, squeezing his shoulder, she says, “And I don’t know. Look at who you are, now.”
“I deserved to be chased down the road with a tire iron,” he replies. “Give me my wallet back.”
“Your wallet is in your pocket.”
“Give me the money you took, then.”
“You’ll get it back when you pay up front.”
“Carole-”
“I left you three dollars extra,” she says with a wink. “That’s enough for a tip, Burt.”
She walks away, and he can’t help but laugh.
0
While Finn drinks root beer, Burt says, “Your mama told me you skipped three classes.”
Finn doesn’t say anything, and he’s sporting a look Burt recognises all too well.
“Here’s the deal, kid,” he says. “I’m not your dad or your teacher. I’d like to be your friend, though. So, unless you tell me something really big, like you’re planning to hurt somebody or yourself or doing something illegal, I promise you I won’t tell your mom whatever you tell me.”
Finn’s quiet for a minute, and then, Burt sees him come to a decision. “I used to hurt Kurt, too,” he says with his eyes twitching while he looks into Burt’s.
“I figured,” Burt sighs. He’d had his suspicions based on how careful Kurt’s been whenever Finn’s name comes up and some of the things Carole’s said. Some part of him is still angry, but he’s gotten to know Carole, and as far as he can figure out, Finn hasn’t bullied Kurt in a long time and is a good kid who’s trying his best to do right.
This is more than Burt can say for when he was a teenager.
“Obviously, I’m not happy about it,” he says. “But that’s the past.”
Playing with the bottle, Finn says, “I didn’t like me. I don’t know if I do, now, but everything was good, you know? I played football, hung out with Puck, and practised on my drums. And I picked on people and tried to be popular. Then, one day, I was looking at my dad, and I was trying to imagine what he was when he was fourteen. I want to be like him.”
Burt stays quiet.
“Mom’s always tried to- there’s never been a lot of money, and she’s never wanted it to bother me. She works all the time, though, and she never has treats for herself. It’s been, like, forever since she dated. I just think that if I get a job, I can start helping, start being better.”
“You’re already on your way,” Burt says with a bump of his shoulder. “Here’s my advice, if you want it: Tell her most of what you’ve just told me. It might take some time for her to accept you’re growing so fast, but once she does, she’ll help you, and she’ll be even more proud of you than she already is.”
“Thanks,” Finn says with a bright smile.
“No problem, buddy.”
0
Kurt is helping with a car, and Burt steels himself. “Any girlfriends?”
“No,” Kurt answers.
“Any questions?”
Part of him wishes he could just ask if there’s any boyfriends.
“No,” Kurt answers. “Talk to Finn. Rachel Berry has started shaving, and she’s insane, but I think she has a crush on him.”
The problem is, Burt isn’t sure if there is a subtle way to say, ‘Hey, kid. I know that you're gay, and even though I'm not exactly sure how we're going to handle some of the things that entails, I'm still going to love you and be here.' He supposes he could just say this, but-
There’s a ‘but’, and he’s not even sure what it is.
0
Carole comes over.
With her shoulder touching his and her feet propped on the coffee table, they sit on the couch, and she tells him, “Finn won’t give up. I just want him to enjoy his childhood.”
“He has,” Burt says. “And now, he’s ready to start leaving that behind. He can still have fun and work.”
“I wish you could make the same amount of progress with Kurt,” she tells him.
“Me, too,” he answers. “Hey, these things take time.”
Her hand finds his, and he closes his eyes.
She learned how to pickpocket from watching old detective movies (he’s still not sure how this works) and refuses to let him leave more than a three dollar tip. She has her son, and he has his. Aside from his drinking buddies, she’s the closest thing he’s had to a friend in a long time.
“What about the shop,” he asks.
“Finn is always going to be a C student,” she says. “In the past, I’ve helped him, but on his own, if he works hard, he gets C and the occasional B. I’ve made it clear that him starting to fail isn’t an option.”
“I’ll talk to him tomorrow?”
“Thank you.” She wiggles against him.
0
“I do not like David Karofsky!”
Burt pops his head out to find Kurt glaring at Finn. “Who’s David Karofsky, and why don’t you like him, buddy?”
Smirking, Finn informs him, “Karofsky’s a hockey player, and he let Kurt borrow his letterman jacket today. Now, Kurt’s in-”
“He didn’t let me borrow it, I forcibly confiscated it,” Kurt corrects with his face an interesting shade of pink. “He’s a Neanderthal.”
Making a sceptical sound, Finn continues, “I- made fun of Karofsky, once, and I talked to him, today, trying to make things right, like we talked about? Anyway, Kurt came over during lunch because he accidentally got grape juice instead of his apple juice, so, he wanted to see if I’d already drank some of my soda, and Karofsky- he wasn’t trying to harass Kurt, he just doesn’t- anyway, he pointed out how cold it is outside, and-” Finn gestures towards Kurt’s outfit.
“And I embarrassed him into handing over his jacket for the rest of the day,” Kurt declares. “That’s all. End of the story.”
“Right,” Burt says. He’s not ready for this in the slightest. “Well, Neanderthal or not, if anything- develops, I expect him over for dinner.”
For a moment, Kurt looks at him in puzzlement.
Then, he blurts out, “I’m not gay!”
Finn starts to wander off, and Kurt kicks him.
“I don’t care,” Burt says, and Finn stops. “You can be whatever you are, baby boy, but I do get a say. It’s my job to protect you, to make sure you find someone who treats you right. Who deserves you.”
“You- don’t care,” Kurt repeats and stares at him.
Walking over, Burt puts a hand on his shoulder. “I guess I’m not totally in love with the idea,” he says, and he can already feel himself blowing it, “but if that’s who you are, there’s nothing I can do about, and I love you just as much.”
Suddenly, his son is hugging him, and he closes his eyes, pats Kurt’s back, and tries to remember the last time Kurt let him hug him. “So, tell me about this Karofsky kid,” he says while trying to remember exactly where he left his best wrench.
“He’s just a stupid, straight boy,” Kurt’s muffled voice informs him. “He knocked me into a locker, once.”
“What,” Finn demands. “Dude, why didn’t you tell me? Burt, can I borrow-”
“No,” Kurt says. He breaks away and frowns. “It was one time. And you aren’t going to ruin your ‘becoming a better person’ resolution over it.”
0
“My son likes a hockey player.”
“Would you rather he like one of Finn’s teammates?”
“I’d rather he like someone I can easily overpower.”
“Well,” Carole says with a grin, “they say girls marry their daddies; I suppose in Kurt’s case, the same principle applies.”
He sighs.
“Are you sure he likes this hockey player?”
“No,” he answers, “but it wouldn’t surprise me. Ever since last week, David Karofsky is always popping into our conversations. He keeps saying that this Karofsky kid is just a stupid, chubby boy who sweats too much and will be bald by the time he’s thirty. I do know Karofsky isn’t picking on him. I’ve talked to Finn to make sure.”
“Aside from wanting to kill a fourteen-year-old boy you’ve never met, how are things going?”
“Good,” he answers. “Kurt’s talking to me more and more every day. You?”
“Finn seems happier,” she tells him. “I’m very proud of him. Now, when did you learn how to slip money into my apron?”
He smiles, and she shakes her head and reaches over to push his shoulder.