Goodnight, My Angel - Georgeotown Book IV - 8. GMA VIII

“Our next guests have taken the publishing world by storm. Their new book, Bullies Beware, has been atop the non-fiction bestseller lists since its release. Please welcome, Trip Houston and CJ Abelló.” Music played, the crowd applauded, and CJ and Trip waved at the audience as they walked on stage.

CJ recognized Christina Aguilera’s anti-bullying anthem “Beautiful,” but not the specific dance remix. He was familiar enough with the show to know the cool guests danced their way to the sitting area. He grasped Trip’s arm, handed over the gift bag he carried, and half-shoved his writing partner toward their host. While the older man chuckled and shook his head, CJ grasped the edges of his blue blazer, flapped them a couple of times, and busted out some of the same moves he had displayed at The Abbey a few nights before. The crowd roared.

Both men hugged and kissed the host of the uber-popular, eponymous talk show, and sat on the white sofa after waving at the crowd one last time. “Well, that was definitely an entrance. Nice moves, CJ.”

“Thanks, Ellen. Maybe you and Portia”—Portia De Rossi was Ellen’s wife—“should come dancing with us sometime.” CJ retrieved a bandana from his back pocket and dabbed away sweat drops from his forehead.

“I think you missed a couple on your chest hair, CJ.” Ellen was the most popular talk show in the United States, and the host was well known for flirting and encouraging male guests to disrobe. “We don’t want that nice t-shirt under your jacket to get wet. Why don’t you take both off?”

The majority-female audience cheered with abandon. “I don’t think so, Ellen. My other half may not approve.” He reached for the bag Trip placed on the couch and handed it over to the woman. “Speaking of my other half, we brought you a present. It’s a bottle of Liston Vineyards Semillon from my husband’s family winery.”

“Thank you! For those of you who may not know, Portia and Owen were both born in Australia. We discovered the coincidence a little earlier in the green room. Owen Liston is CJ’s husband, and he’s in the audience. Owen? Where are you, Owen?”

When the big blond stood and waved, he was pelted with wolf whistles. Ellen came to his rescue. “Down, people. Down. Remember he’s married.”

Ellen DeGeneres smiled while reaching toward the small round table next to her armchair and held up a copy of the book. An image of the cover appeared on the display screen behind them and on the monitor in front.

“Well, this is a nice way to start the year; I have two very good-looking men on the show.” Applause and wolf whistles returned. “I understand CJ’s had an eventful 2018, but I want to start with his co-author. Trip, you’re a reporter for The Washington Post and have also published several magazine articles. However, this is your first book. What inspired you?”

“That’s an easy one to answer, Ellen. It was CJ. He was the initial inspiration for the book. For as long as I’ve known him, he’s been an advocate for the downtrodden. For those taken advantage of by others. Best of all, he’s always backed up his words with actions. CJ’s always exuded an inner strength and raw courage I thought could serve as inspiration to others not lucky enough to see him in action as I have.”

Ellen pointed at CJ and winked. “We’ll get to you in a minute, handsome.” The crowd cheered again, and CJ felt his face grow warmer; the screeching from a section of young women was something new to him. “So, Trip, when and how did you first meet your writing partner?”

“Oh, this is going to embarrass him to no end.” Trip chuckled, took hold of CJ’s knee, and gave it a reassuring shake. “What were you? Fifteen?” When he received a nod, he returned his attention to the host. “CJ had just moved to Washington. The day I first heard about him, he’d been at the Rolling Thunder Rally with his parents, and afterward headed to Rogo’s Bar and Grill.”

“What’s Rolling Thunder?”

“Ohhh, it’s a huge, annual, motorcycle ride honoring Vietnam War vets. It starts at the Pentagon and ends at the Vietnam Memorial.”

“Were you riding motorcycles at fifteen?” Ellen’s face registered surprise at CJ.

“Not back then. I rode behind one of my dads. But—“

“That’s enough for now. You can go back to sitting there looking pretty. I’ll be back to you.” The quip had the entire audience cackling. “So, Trip, you first met CJ at a bar when he was fifteen”—those in the studio responded with renewed laughter—“tell us about it.”

“Crap! You’re making all this sound bad. It wasn’t. Honest! Anyway, I wouldn’t call it a bar… More like a restaurant serving adult beverages.” Trip snickered when Ellen nodded but did not look convinced. “Anyway, his parents and the owner were and still are close friends. A large group of bikers landed at Rogo’s after the rally, and I started hearing snippets about some kid taking a big, burly biker down. Turned out they were talking about CJ. I was fairly new in town myself and always on the lookout for interesting stories to tell. What I was hearing sounded like a possible winner.”

“What was it he did?”

“It took me a while to get the whole story; I didn’t approach him at the time since he was surrounded by people. But even after I knew what he’d done, it took forever to get him to talk about it with me. He made me sweat it out.” The fist Trip waved under CJ’s nose was batted away. “CJ’s always been reticent when the conversation’s about him.”

“That’s ’cause everyone always exaggerates!”

“Hush. Ellen said to remain quiet. Let me finish.” Trip gave him a dismissive wave. “When I finally had enough information, this is what I discovered happened. A young man was being harassed by one of the other bikers. The kid was pushed and ended up on the ground. CJ ran to help him, and then confronted the bully. When the man charged CJ, I doubt he expected to tangle with a black belt in whatever martial arts discipline my friend here specialized in. I know he’s good at a few different ones. So, in front of who knows how many people, the bully ends up on his back himself after a few well-placed kicks and slaps. From what I heard, he had scrapes thanks to the parking lot, his nose was a bloody mess, and I’m certain his ego was severely bruised.”

“So, a fifteen-year-old kid battled and defeated a grown man. Quite a story. And I guess it proves size isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” The explosion of applause and laughter was louder this time. “Get ready, CJ. Your turn when we return from commercial break.”

While their make-up was freshened, CJ tried to teach Ellen how to pronounce his last name. He gave up laughing after the third try.

“And we’re back! During the break, CJ tried to teach me the correct way to say his name. It wasn’t long before he figured out I’m useless when it comes to Spanish. I have a feeling this won’t be his last appearance on the show. I promise to practice before you come back. Okay, I mentioned at the beginning you had an eventful year. You’re a junior at Georgetown University and you got married last summer.” A groan erupted from the section screeching moments before. “Sorry girls, I don’t think you had a chance with him anyway. Tell me about your husband, CJ.”

His eyes went to Owen sitting in the front row to the side; both smiled at the same time. Until Owen jumped in his seat when Danno elbowed him. “As you already mentioned, his name’s Owen Liston. He’s from Australia but on his way to becoming a US citizen. An attorney, back in school for a third degree. And he’s the most wonderful, caring, loving man in the world.”

The applause was so loud Ellen motioned for Owen to stand again. When he did and waved at the audience, she leaned into CJ and mock-whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. “He’s cute!”

“Darn right, he is.”

“Okay, girls, settle down. Remember, they’re both married… To each other. So, when did the two of you meet? And how?”

“On my sixteenth birthday! One of my parents’ best friends is Ozzie’s cousin. He was going back home for a visit and invited us to tag along. Our first night in the country, we went out to dinner with his parents and Ozzie was with them. He moved to Washington a few months later to attend law school.”

“That was it? Love at first sight? You met, and he decided to move to the US?”

“No, no, no. Not quite like that. Anyway, there’s no such thing as love at first sight.” Boos peppered the studio. “Wow, they turn real fast, don’t they?” Ellen’s head bobbed as she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you can’t fall in love with someone unless you get to know them first. Otherwise, it’s just lust based on appearances.”

The ovation was loud and prolonged. “Nice save, kiddo. You were telling me about Owen moving to the US…”

“When we met, he was already going to move. He’d been accepted to law school and planned on living with his cousin. To be honest, we had a great time while I was in Australia, but then I was kind of a jerk to him.”

“It seems to have worked out. I understand you keep telling everyone you’re not romantic, but in reality, you are. What did you do right before you got married while you were in Amsterdam?”

CJ was a little confused. “I… I don’t know… We went sightseeing, we went out partying with friends, we watched a bunch of rugby games because we were there for a tournament… Did I tell you my husband plays rugby? He’s good too. He’s a great hooker.”

Ellen tried to speak, but the crowd’s noise drowned her out. “That might be worth another appearance on this show. But I’m going to assume that’s a position. Like quarterback or something.” The monitor in front of them showed Owen nodding.

“Nice try. But don’t change the subject. Don’t forget I do this interviewing stuff for a living.” Ellen’s eye roll elicited further laughter. “Right before your wedding. While you were in Amsterdam. What did you do that required you to shave your chest?”

“Oh! That! I had the Southern Cross tattooed above my heart with his name underneath the stars. That’s the constellation on the Australian flag.”

Ellen had to wait until the applause died down before speaking. “Right. And you’re not romantic at all.”

CJ tried to look innocent while shrugging.

Ellen raised a hand to silence him when he tried to speak. “Hold that thought. Okay, so the tattoo thing sounds great. Take off your shirt so we can see it.” The noise level reached new heights.

“Ummm, I don’t think so.” Booing filled the studio.

“Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you’re shy. It looks like you’re in great shape. I think the audience wants to see.” Ellen gave CJ a smirk and turned her attention towards the audience. “Would you like CJ to take off his shirt and show us his tattoo?”

His immediate reaction was to cover his ears with his hands, the response was so loud. “Sorry, Ellen, but if I did that on national TV both my grandmothers would kill me.” Looking at the host, he suspected she was up to something based on her grin.

“Fine! Be that way. Fortunately, we raided your Instagram account.” The monitor underneath the camera flashed a picture of a shirtless CJ pointing at his tattoo. Based on the audience reaction, he assumed it was also displayed on the giant screen behind them. The image remained on the monitor while the audience cheered and then switched to one of CJ and Owen in suits, arms around each other, both holding martini glasses aloft. “And this one? Want to tell us about it?”

“I’m going to kill whoever gave you my account name. That one was taken last month. At my twenty-first birthday party.”

“You’re a college student, right?” She waited until CJ nodded. “I’m guessing that martini was the first time ever you drank alcohol.”

“Ummm, well… maybe…” CJ shook his head, not believing what she was putting him through. However, he was enjoying himself, unlike most appearances he made during the Clinton campaign. “Look, I’ve been back to Australia a few times. Drinking age is eighteen there. And Ozzie’s family does own a winery so…”

“Another good save.” She momentarily returned her attention to Trip. “What about you, Trip. You have any tattoos we should know about? You look to be in great shape too. Why don’t you take off your shirt and show us?”

While the audience yelled encouragement, CJ nodded. Trip did not sound amused. “Sure, Ellen. As soon as you convince CJ to do so, I’ll follow right along.”

“Liar… Okay, enough frivolity. “You’ve had more than your fifteen minutes of fame, my friend. You were a spokesperson for Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign.” The image switched to one of CJ shaking hands with Barack Obama. You were a guest of President Barack Obama when he was awarded the Profiles in Courage Award in 2017.” The famous picture of CJ placing himself between a man wielding a baseball bat and an older, black woman flashed on the screen. “Later that year, you were in the news again when you saved the life of an elderly woman in Charlottesville. In 2018, you got tattooed, married, and drunk. Ooops, scratch that last one. It’s me projecting. I can’t wait to see what you have planned for 2019.” Ellen paused while the applause died down.

“Some have called you the next John Kennedy. A charismatic, good-looking, wealthy young man who's destined for high elected office. What do you say to them?”

There was no hesitation on CJ’s part. “That I don't want to be the next anybody. President Kennedy was a great man unable to reach his full potential. I hope I reach mine. I want to be a positive force within my community. I want to set a good example for the youth of America. I hope years from now, someone wants to grow up to be the next CJ.”

“I think you’re well on your way. And this book’s a step in the right direction. The two of you have managed to paint a clear picture of what so many go through, and how it’s up to all of us to step in and put a stop to it.”

“That’s right, Ellen.” CJ spoke to the camera. His experience being interviewed was coming in handy. “Bullying comes in many forms. My martial arts training has come in handy more than once. Although I don’t encourage violence, I believe kids should be able to defend themselves. However, not until other efforts have failed. Parents, teachers, and clergy should be the first option.

“Bullying doesn’t have to involve fists. Social media has given cowards a new platform. Whether it’s an idiot on Twitter or a classmate on Facebook. We need to teach our children those people don’t matter. That we’re all worthy of respect. We need to ignore the haters.”

The standing ovation surprised CJ. Previous TV appearances during the book tour had been in a studio without an audience. This was definitely different. Once the noise abated, Ellen focused on her other guest. “Trip, tell me about the Trevor Project.”

“Although bullying affects anyone, gay and lesbian kids suffer more than their fair share. GLBT youth contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of their heterosexual counterparts. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth.

“It’s an organization CJ and I both believe in and support. It’s the reason we included it amongst the list of resources at the end of the book. And why we’re donating a portion of the proceeds from book sales to it.”

Ellen reached behind her armchair and slid a large, rectangular piece of cardboard alongside it. “It’s also one of the organizations I support. And so do our sponsors.” She lifted the white cardboard and turned it around to reveal a facsimile check for ten thousand dollars. “We’re making a contribution to the Trevor Project in honor of both of you.”

As the applause and cheering reached a crescendo, she raised a hand to quiet the audience. “We’re also sending everyone in the audience home with a copy of Bullies Beware and encouraging all of you to support the Trevor Project. CJ, Trip, thank you for stopping by to both of you. I can’t wait until you join us again sometime soon. We’ll see you all next show, and remember to be kind to one another.”