Author's Note: Well, I was thinking about how Thanksgiving is never mentioned in RENT and that gave me the idea to write this. So basically this is a oneshot that takes place between Halloween and What You Own. It's totally Mimicentric. Anyhow, read and review!
Disclaimer: RENT is not mine. RENT has never been mine. RENT will never be mine. End of story.
Mimi wrapped her thin coat tighter around her small frame as she sat on the park bench where she had been sleeping, shivering in the icy November air.
It was early in the morning and there was a thin layer of frost on everything in sight. She was at the very least relieved it wasn't snowing.
She was completely tired and utterly exhausted. Mimi swiftly moved from the position she had formerly been in and stretched out across the bench. Slowly, she shut her eyes, attempting to fall asleep.
Mimi lay there for several minutes. Once she was finally about to fall asleep, a voice broke her trance.
"Daddy, why is the girl sleeping on the bench?" Mimi heard a voice say.
She opened her eyes very slightly to see a small girl with blonde curly hair, clad in a little red coat, staring at her incredulously. Her father was a tall man with a receding hairline whose remaining hair was a dyed blonde hue. He wore a gray suit and glasses.
"Some people don't have anywhere to go," the man kindly answered his daughter as he kept walking, hoping she would follow suit.
However, his plan failed and his daughter remained standing firmly in her spot.
"But, daddy, it's Thanksgiving!" the girl reminded.
"I know, Marie, let's go home and bake apple pie. What do you say?" he suggested.
"Yeah!" the small girl agreed before scampering off in the opposite direction, her father sprinting after her.
Mimi sighed to herself. It was Thanksgiving. Because God knows the day needed to get worse.
She bitterly smirked, remembering a time when Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday. That sure as hell had changed…
"Mami! Wake up!" nine-year-old Mimi Marquez urged as she shook her sleeping mother.
"You need your sleep," her mother responded, "It's early."
"But, it's Thanksgiving!" Mimi protested, pouting her lips, "Papi will be home from the supermarket soon! We need to be awake so we can start making the pie as soon as he gets here!"
"Mi hija, you need your rest," her mother pressed.
"Fine, you can sleep, but I'm getting up," Mimi triumphantly decided, prancing into their small kitchen and opening the refrigerator.
She pulled out a box of cereal, dumping it into a bowl. She began picking on the dried cereal and stared eagerly at the door, waiting for her father to come through it.
Thanksgiving was Mimi's favorite holiday. Her father always got up early and went to buy all the ingredients for dinner, at then came home around ten, when Mimi usually got up. She always begged her mother to get up too, but she usually continued to sleep until about noon. In the mean time, she and her dad would start making the pie, and then begin on the turkey once her mother awoke.
As she finished off the bowl of cereal, Mimi excitedly wondered if her dad bought the ingredients for pumpkin, apple, or pecan pie. They changed their preference every year.
Mimi waltzed over to the small window on the side of their Spanish Harlem apartment and sat at the window, watching. Her father still wasn't there.
After waiting for a good hour, she scampered into her room, changing out of her pajamas and into jeans, a t-shirt, tennis shoes, and warm coat.
She headed toward the door, and walked to the apartment, knocking on the door until a Hispanic boy who looked about a few years older than her came to the door.
"Mimichica!" the boy called.
"Angel!" Mimi grinned, throwing her arms around her friend.
"Where's your papi? Shouldn't you be making dinner right about now?" Angel inquired.
"The market must be crowded. He's not here yet. Do you wanna come over?" Mimi invited.
"Sure," Angel smiled, "Let me just tell my parents."
"Okay, and bring Monopoly!" Mimi insisted, indicating Angel's old Monopoly board that he had saved up for.
Within a few moments, Angel returned, game board in hand, and the two headed next door, and went into Mimi's room.
They continued to play, even finishing the game. Mimi had won, and she grinned triumphantly as she snatched Angel's last dollar bill from him.
"What time is it?" Mimi asked.
"It's two," Angel responded, looking at his watch.
"Where is he?" Mimi cried in frustration, "I'm waking up mami."
With that, Mimi stomped with determination to her mother's room.
"Mami, wake up! It's two o'clock! Papi's still not here!" Mimi exclaimed, shaking her mother's shoulders.
"Mimi," her mother began, as she woke up, her eyes down.
"Do you know where he is?" Mimi urged.
"Chica," she started yet again.
"Tell me! I'm worried!" Mimi lamented.
"Chica, he's gone.
"Gone?" Mimi responded, tears welling up in her large brown eyes, "Where did he go?"
"He left us. I didn't want to have to tell you today. He left early this morning. He woke me up to tell me. We're getting separated. He's going away with Esmeralda, the woman who works at the florist."
"No!" Mimi wailed, "He can't! It's Thanksgiving!"
Angel fled into the room, having heard Mimi's wails.
"Is everything okay?" Angel questioned.
Mimi's response was simply to sob into his jacket.
From that day on, Mimi Marquez never talked to her father or heard from him again. But, every Thanksgiving, she was reminded of him and she just felt so completely alone.
When Angel had been alive, he had always dragged her out of her apartment and forced her to go eat with him. Even then, she would feel depressed, but it did feel nice to know that someone was there for her. Someone cared.
But, now she had no one.
Mimi Marquez hated Thanksgiving.
A/N: Well, review! I hope you enjoyed!