Hello, here´s another story on Rent. The same storyline of my other stories here, but this time involves around Collins and takes place whitin ''His Eyes'' so, the time while Roger was on the Rehab for the blind.
As for tis storyline, i don´t know if you are enjoyng reading it, but i´m pretty much enjoying writting it, so, this is it, i will write what i want and contribute with one of the oldests fandoms in this site.
Thank you very much for thhe colaboration and reviews are always welcome.
YOU LOOK FAMILIAR...
It's been nearly six months since Roger started at the Instituted for the Blind. He is currently learning how to handle money as a visually impaired adult. He has been assigned one thing for the weekend. To go to the grocery store and buy something on his own. Something the former frontman was not thrilled about. Mark usually helped him with stuff like that, but ever after Rosie and Tanya incident, refrained from returning to the Institute out of fear of it becoming awkward, so it was Collins who usually took his friend there when Mimi had to work. So it was Collins who forced him to comply with his homework.
It was early morning when Collins decided it would be a good idea for Roger to go. Being early, Roger didn't have the strength to fight him too much and he needed to pick up a few things anyway, so off they went. Not to say Roger didn't bitch and moan the whole way there, because anyone who knew Roger would have expected nothing less, but he wasn't as resistant as he would have been had he waited until after Roger's second cup of coffee. Once there, Collins led Roger to the produce aisle. Mimi wanted some fruit and was trusting Roger to pick it out for her. He walked around touched almost every piece of fruit in the entire place. Collins watched as he felt the difference between each fruit in their various states of ripeness. Roger found it quite comforting.
Plastic bags in hand, they went to the register. "Did you find everything OK today?" the young man asked smiling at his customers.
"Yeah, thanks." Roger grumbled as Collins gave the young man an apologetic smile. He noticed that the young man was about Mimi's age and he was smiling at them. He wore light mascara and nail polish, indicating that he was transvestite, much like his love Angel.
"That'll be 10.72 please." the man smiled as Roger fumbled to get his wallet out of his pocket. "Do you need help, sir?" he asked noticing that Roger was visually impaired.
"No, I got it. I… I have to learn how to do this myself." he mumbled looking in Collins direction.
"Oh, stop your bitching and just do it." Collins told him before directing his attention to the cashier. "He's got it. He needs the practice." he smiled at him as Roger tried to get a feel for the money.
"Take your time, sir. No one's behind you and I'm certainly in no hurry." he smiled before winking at Collins. "Hi, I'm Sam." he smiled holding his hand out to Collins.
"Collins. Tom… Tom Collins. This is my friend Roger." he stuttered taking the younger man's hand.
"It's so nice to meet you, Tom. Roger." Sam flirted with Collins, but there was something about him that took him by surprise.
"Do I… do I know you from somewhere? You look so familiar to me." Collins asked looking over at him.
"I don't think so. Could it be that I look like someone you used to know or something?" Sam asked. He had heard that everyone has a doppelganger, so he thought that might be the case here.
"Yeah, that… that's probably it." he smiled as Roger handed Sam the money. He gave him a 50 dollar bill which is what Mimi gave him for the food.
"You know you gave me a 50, right?" Sam smiled at Roger. He was used to dealing with people of all disabilities, so a visually impaired man coming to his register was not unusual.
"Yeah, um… can I get that back in 10's please?" he asked Sam before leaning towards Collins. Rose said it's easier for the blind to identify. Something about it feeling different." he muttered to him before Sam gave him back his change.
"Have a nice day, sir." Sam smiled. First at Roger and then at Collins.
"You too Sam." Collins smiled as the two men left the store.
"What the hell was that all about? Did he really look familiar or was that just a pick up line? If it was a pick up line, it was a bad one. Dude, no one uses that one anymore." Roger informed him as they stood on the street outside the grocery store.
"How the hell would you know what a good and bad pick up line was? All you had to do was look at a girl and her panties would come flying off, so don't even start that conversation with me. But yeah, he… he did look familiar. He looked like Angel. A lot like Angel." he looked over at him.
"First off, don't hate the player, hate the game." he laughed, remembering the women who used to flock at his feet when he was performing in the clubs. "Secondly." he started, remembering his point. "Go back in there and ask him out. It could be good for you. Then maybe you'll leave my blind ass in peace for a while." Roger told him, trying to lighten things up while at the same time being encouraging to his best friend.
"I don't know, it's… it's been a while." Collins stuttered looking over at him.
"That's why you should take a chance. You deserve to move on. It's what Angel wants you to do and you know it." Roger told him. Collins wondered when he became so insightful. He realized that losing his sight made Roger really have to listen to people. Not only their words, but the tones in which those words were spoken. He had really been paying attention to Collins' tone these last 6 plus months.
"OK Dear Abby, I hear you. Why don't we get these home to Mimi? I'm sure she's wondering how things went and I don't want to keep her in suspense." Collins smiled as the men left to go back to the loft.
The years have come and gone and the store closed. Collins never got his chance to ask Sam out. The numerous time he went into the store, Sam was never in there. Leading him to believe that the young man moved on and had gotten another job.
It was 6 years later and Collins is with Maddie and Sophie. He was babysitting the 4 year olds while their parents worked. He had just picked them up from kindergarten and, as tradition would have it, he brought them to the store for sweets. Their father wasn't fond of his friends feeding his daughters sweets, because it wasn't allowed in the house. More like Roger envied them since his diabetes prevented him from indulging in the sugary snacks. A vice Roger once had, but was forced to abandon when he was diagnosed. The girls were let loose in the store to pick out their poison. Usually Maddie got a chocolate bar, but Sophie went for the hard stuff. Sour candies. It made him laugh how polar opposite the sisters were. Once the girls made their choices, Collins brought them to the check out. It took Collins by surprise when he saw a familiar face. Sam. He was talking to another customer when Collins caught his eye as well. His smile got even bigger.
"Hey. I thought you fell off the face of the earth." he smiled as the other customer left.
"Hi...Sam? right?'' Collins asked, trying to play it cool.
''Yeah, honey. The one and only. Well, in some circles it's short for Samantha, but actually it's Samuel. Samuel Walker.'' he smiled, continuing to flirt with Collins.
''I'm surprised you remembered me. It's been a long time''
''And why wouldn't I remember you, Tom? I haven't been able to get that smile out of my head since the last time we saw each other. The first time we met when you came into the other store with your visually impaired friend. How is he? Roger, right?" Sam asked, but before Tom could say something, Sophie and Madeline tugged at their uncle's coat.
"Uncle Collins, can we have that coloring book? The one with the princess' in it?" Sophie asked, flashing her puppy dog eyes at him.
"They are so cute. Are they yours?'' Sam smiled down at the girls.
"Mine? Um… no. Not likely. Their father is the blind guy I was with when we met.'' Tom smiled down to the girls "Say hi to the nice man, munchkins."
"Hi." they said in unison when Sophie added. "Nice man." it made Collins chuckle. She was so much like her father it was scary.
"And I'll take the princess coloring book. These girls are gonna kill me yet." he laughed handing the coloring book to Sam.
"They seem to have you wrapped around their little fingers. And who could blame you with these little beauties." Sam smiled down at the girls who were smiling their most innocent smiles.
"Thank you Uncle Collins." Sophie smiled, as Maddie held the bag with the candy and the coloring book in it.
"Come on, girls. I have to get you home. Your mother will be calling to check up on you. Sam, it was nice seeing you again." Collins began to walk away, when something stopped him. It was Roger's voice from all those years ago when they first met Sam. It prompted him to turn around. "Listen, maybe we can go out for coffee or something. You know, to get to know each other."
"I would really like that, Tom. Call me." Sam smiled, scrawling his number down on the receipt and handing it to him.
"I will." Collins smiled looking down at the number before shoving it in his pocket.
Once they were outside, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Since the day he met him, he thought that Sam looked like Angel. In a way it hurt his heart, but in another he believed that this was his second chance. It made him think that Angel herself sent him Sam so he wouldn't be alone anymore. So he could experience love again and it made him smile. He looked to the sky, kissing his fingers before pointing up. Sending a kiss to Angel for all she continued to do for him.
He just hoped Sam was indeed, sent by Angel.
END