Alternate ending to story. Got it?
All she had to do was ignore it. Not listen. Forget it. It was supposed to be that easy.
She knew they were worried about her. She had been avoiding them. Trying not to be seen. She even quit her job at Cat Scratch Club, knowing that would be the first place they'd look for her.
After Angel's death…she couldn't handle herself anymore. She felt like she was crashing inside. She needed more and more smack. But Roger was trying to stop her. Their relationship fell apart due to that.
And once Roger left for New Mexico, if she didn't get away from it all, she might've ended up doing something she regretted.
She felt so helpless, so ashamed. She didn't feel good enough to be around them. She wanted to be alone, to get her life together. So she got some money from her mother and found another place to live for a while.
She found a new place to pick up her AZT, so she didn't worry about letting the old place know she wasn't coming back. She then lost touch with Benny, Mark, Maureen, Joanne, and Collins.
She stopped going to Life Support. She knew Angel would be scolding her for it, but if she knew why Mimi was doing this, maybe she'd understand.
She missed Roger so much. She thought about him everyday as she worked her new job as a cashier under the name 'Lana'. If she hadn't changed her name, word would've gotten around. She knew she was betraying everything she thought and fought for, about living for the moment and no day but today, but she really didn't care.
She saw the signs with her picture. She heard the talk about her. She even saw Mark one day. She was walking down the street, staring at the ground when she heard his voice.
"…Have you seen her? Well, if you remember anything, call me and my roommate," Mark stated as he handed a neon pink paper to a grocer. Then, almost as if he sensed her, he turned his head in her direction.
Mimi froze. She tried to hide her face with her hat and her long hair, but he had turned around and walked the other way. She then turned around quickly and pushed through the crowd.
It had been almost 4 months before she returned to her old apartment, feeling a little more in control of her life.
It was dark when she walked in, for the power had been shut off. But a small blinking red light confused her. What was that, and shouldn't it be off?
It was her battery-powered phone with an answering machine. She bought it last year when Benny turned off the power on Christmas Eve. She tried not thinking of that day, for she felt guilt coming up and pushing its way into her mind. She shut her eyes tightly, as if it was a way to get rid of it.
She dropped her coat and small bag on the couch while she walked to the answering machine. She was amazed the batteries had lasted for four months. She stepped back slightly when she saw it. Awed, she pushed the button.
"You have 77 new messages," the computerized voice said.
"Mimi, it's Benny. I'm wondering where you might've gone. Give me a call when you get the chance."
Mimi skipped the next couple, knowing that they'd all be from him.
"Mimi, it's Joanne. Listen, we're all getting a little worried. No one's seen you in two weeks. If you need to talk to someone, I'm right here."
Mimi became saddened at the thought.
She skipped a lot more.
"Mimi, it's me, Roger. I'm back from New Mexico. The gang tells me you've been missing ever since I left, which was a month ago. I just want to tell you…I'm so sorry. I need to talk to you to tell you how sorry I am. I love you so much. If you get this message, come back. I need you."
She became extremely choked up. She grabbed a chair before she fell into it. She felt like a monster. She did this because she felt like she'd be lifting a burden off of them. But little did she know that she was going to be adding a bigger one.
Pressing the skip button once more, she heard a voice that usually brought comfort, but not now. It was harsh and accusatory.
"Mimi, this is Mark. Um, I'm not really sure how to say this. You probably won't even get this message. But, I think I saw you today."
Mimi's head snapped up. He couldn't have. It couldn't have been her.
"You see, while the rest of us are thinking that there is something really wrong with you while you're perfectly fine, we've been handing out these flyers. So today, I gave this one to a grocer today. And I'm almost positive you were there. You need to come out of your fake hiding and admit what you've done. I'm not going to tell them what you've done because I know that they won't believe me. Because, Mark is an idiot in their minds. So you need to do that yourself. I hope you will do that. You're destroying lives by doing this…" he said angrily before trailing off.
Mimi tried to press the stop button, but she ended up pressing the fast forward. She ended up going to the most recent message, which had been from a little earlier today.
"Mimi, it's Mark. I have no idea when you're going to get this message, but I'm hoping it's soon. You need to call me. It's very urgent. Please. Just, call."
The tone in his voice had changed from abrasive to pleading. Mimi shook her head and placed her head in her hands. By trying to correct her life, she had screwed it up ever more.
She took some deep breathes, hoping that if she did, she may be able to see that she did something positive by doing this.
But the phone rang, and it pulled her out of the meditative state. She let the answering machine pick up. "Mimi. Oh, god. You're still not there. Please, if you're there, pick up. I need you to pick up. It's extremely important." Mark declared, sounding like he was going to cry.
Mimi stared at the phone for a moment. She stood up. "Hello," she answered meekly.