Guilty Pleasures
Author's Note: Reviews are amazing, so don't forget! Also, I do not own RENT in any way, shape, or form. That honor goes the one and only Jonathan Larson. I will be doing a list for each character of their "guilty pleasures" so enjoy! I will begin with one of my favorites…
Angel Dumott Shunard
Rain:
Angel loved the rain. She would actually wake up in the middle of the night, and Collins as well – much to his chagrin – and go out to dance amongst the droplets.
He would roll his eyes and object, saying how they were going to catch a cold or something.
She would laugh and say, "Honey, we're already dying. Might as well enjoy it!"
Now that she was gone, Collins would give anything to go out and dance in the rain, just once more, with her in his arms.
Sunshine:
You know that song, "You're my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are gray?"
That one?
The one that has the bright, cheery melody, but the sad, almost dismal lyrics?
It was one of Angel's favorite songs. Collins would sing it to her every now and again.
The last time she ever heard it, was at the hospital.
She was lying in the bed, wrapped up in his arms, when he began to choke out the words.
It was the last thing she ever heard, and the memory of that night was still engraved in her head.
Lipgloss:
She loved her liploss.
She had a collection of about fifty different shades of reds, pinks, oranges, and even purples.
They all had various flavors and scents – cherry, orange, grape, strawberry, cotton-candy, bubble gum…collecting them was a hobby.
She would pour over her shoebox, filled to the brim with the sticky tubes, and ask,
"Sugar, which should I wear today?"
Collins would come up behind her, wrap his arms around her tiny frame, and say,
"I don't know, baby, why don't you try all of them, and I'll taste and see which one is the best."
Pumps:
Not like tire-pumps or those pumps that blow up soccer balls and basket balls, but pumps like the high heels.
She must have a hundred different pairs.
Roger once asked her if she honestly needed all of them.
Looking at him as if he were mad, Angel scoffed and said,
"Sugar, a girl can never have to many pairs of heels."
There were pumps in red, yellow, hot pink, lime green, black, blue, purple, orange, white, zebra print, and green and purple polka dots.
She liked wearing those, the polka-dotted ones, with her crazy tights.
"Angel, this is ridiculous,"
Collins had said one say, tripping over a pair that she had left in the middle of the floor.
"Collins,"
she pouted,
"don't make me get rid of them, please?"
And so that was that.
The shoes stayed.
It had been almost six months after she had died, and the shoes were still in the closet, lying around the apartment, and even sitting on one of the kitchen chairs.
Collins just didn't have the heart to get rid of them.
Besides, he knew if he did, he would have hell to pay when he met up with his Angel in heaven.
Blue Nail Polish:
She had worn blue nail polish since she was a little kid.
Angel was seven when his older sister had painted his nails upon his request.
She hadn't looked at him weird, she hadn't said no, she only smiled, took him into the bathroom, and began to paint his nails.
His father wasn't too happy when he got home and saw his son with blue nails.
It was the first time Angel found himself in the emergency room of the hospital, and wouldn't be the last.
So wouldn't blue nails be a bad memory for our favorite drag queen?
Nope, she loved them, because for the first time in her whole life
– even if it meant two broken ribs –
she could be herself.
Mimi:
Mimi was Angel's best friend.
From the first time they laid eyes on each other, Angel knew that Mimi was special.
It was just the way she carried herself with such confidence and such faith that life would someday be better, that made Angel want to reach out and hug her.
The two spent many nights together, talking, doing each other's nails, and watching movies like Sixteen Candles and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Mimi didn't bat an eye towards Angel's choice of attire, language, or attitude.
She loved her for her, and that's what Angel liked the most about her.
Collins:
Well, duh.
Stealing Mark's Scarves:
She loved it!
For some reason, she thought it was hilarious to sneak a scarf out of the Loft.
Mark would go mad searching for it.
He would drag them all to the Loft and force everyone to comb over every square foot of the place searching.
The next day, Angel would show up wearing one around her head
(after all, she invited the Tyra Banks look even before Tyra Banks)
or around her neck,
or as a shawl.
Once, Angel unfolded the infamous blue and gray one, and wore it around her waist as a skirt.
The vein in his forehead looked like it would burst when she walked into the loft in one of his scarves.
"ANGEL!"
he would yell,
but of course, she was Angel and no one could ever stay mad at her for long.
Even Mark, when one of his scarves would sneak off.
Kettle Corn:
It was one of her vices.
She would pop like twenty bags of them, sit down, and eat every single bite.
Collins thought she was insane for it,
she thought it's perfectly normal.
I mean, what's wrong with eating twenty bags of kettle corn?
Skittles:
Especially the red ones.
She liked to sort them by colors, and eat them according to how they appear in the rainbow.
OCD?
Not really, she just was very orderly when it came to her eating of Skittles.
Once, Roger walked in and she randomly shouted "TASTE THE RAINBOW" which caused him to back away slowly with his hands up in the air.
Pearls:
They were so elegant. She thought she looked like Audrey Hepburn when she had them on.
Playing the Drums:
Because Angel Dumott Shunard without that giant, plastic, pickle tub, just isn't Angel Dumott Shunard.
Want to know why she started playing the drums?
To get out her frustration and anger.
We NEVER see Angel get mad,
not towards the skin heads,
not to those staring at her on the street,
not to anyone who makes a snide comment about her,
ever.
She doesn't have it in her to hit another person, so she beats her drums.
It calms her down and makes her feel like she is in control.
She loves that power.
Shopping:
"Can I please, please, please, please, please, please, please go shopping today, Collins? Please, please, please, please, please, please say yes."
Dancing:
Not just in the rain, but anywhere.
If she was in the mood, she would just randomly stand up and start twirling around.
She loved the free feeling she got when she would twirl.
Sometimes it would happen on the street, at the Life, in the loft, on the subway.
She just had to stand up and dance.
Life:
No day but today so might as well love what you got, was her motto. Sure, Angel had been through a lot during her lifetime
– abuse, homelessness, rape –
it wasn't new to her, but despite all the hate that had been thrown at her,
despite all the anger,
she still loved life.
Sometimes Roger thought it was weird.
They were dying.
What was the point?
But to Angel, that WAS the point.
Cinnamon:
She loved the smell of cinnamon.
She would raid the pantry to find SOMETHING that could be made into either cookies or brownies, or something close to them, and dump cinnamon all into the batter.
She loved the way it would make the apartment smell.
She would stand in the kitchen, shut her eyes, and smile, allowing the cinnamon to claim her nostrils, and fill them with warmth.
It was almost like a scene from a perfect little life
– like one of those Leave it to Beaver scenes when June is making cookies and Beav and Wally walk through the door and they say,
"Golly, Ma, that smells SWELL!"
Well that's the end of Angel's list. I will do Collins' list next :)