Memories of and Anarchist

Now that I look back as I lay in this hospital bed, my life was great ever since Christmas Eve, December 24, 1989 9:10p.m. Eastern Standard Time. That was when I met her, my Angel. Even though she's not with me any more, I know she's watching me. In time I will be rejoined with her for I know this virus is slowly taking my life. I just now decided to write a journal, a remembrance. My name is Thomas Bayne Collins. I'm a down on your luck HIV positive gay anarchist computer genius who teaches computer age philosophy to unenthusiastic students. Wow, what at a mouthful that is to say. Anyway I had just gotten the key to the loft of my friends Roger and Mark.

Roger Davis is one of my ex-roommates and a struggling musician who found out he was HIV positive soon after his girlfriend committed suicide. He hoped to write one more great song before he died and he did write it. Mark Cohen is a film maker and one of my other ex-roommates. Not much to say about him except he was quiet and always had that camera of his. Next I will tell you about my other friends that I will mention sometime in this. Benjamin Coffins III or Benny as we liked to call him was our friend and roommates until he married Allison and became our landlord. He tried to take away our home. Maureen Johnson is our last ex-roommates and a lesbian performance artist. She is in love with Joanne a public interest lawyer who obviously happens to be a lesbian as well. They broke up and got back together a lot. And last Mimi Marquez is Roger's girl. She is a dancer at the Cat Scratch Club down on Avenue B, has AIDS, and use to have a drug problem which she overcame when she almost died.

Ok, now back to the story. The worst thing happened next, I got mugged. Man did they mess me up and they took my coat. I didn't have any of much value. I was so messed up that I was to dizzy to stand up and I felt sick. In New York it's hard to say what will happen on any street you may get something well like someone will feel sorry for you and spare you some change or in my case you could get jumped and hurt badly. I guess the outcome wasn't that bad. Angel came into the picture. She came up to me and offered me a kerchief to wipe my blood away. At first I didn't know if I wanted her help but something told me that I could trust her so we went to her place where she fixed me up and gave me hot cocoa. You see she wasn't an ordinary woman; in fact she wasn't a woman at all. She was Angel Dumott Schunard, an HIV positive drag queen who was a talented young drummer as well. She didn't stay home long; she had to go to a life support meeting for people who had AIDS. I stayed at her place and slept off the pain in her bed that smelled of lilacs and apples.

I awoke to her curled up beside me. I wonder if she stayed up and watched me sleep. I could have watched her all day. She was cute when she slept; I guess you can say it was love at first sight. I went into her kitchen and made coffee waiting for her to awake. She did about a half hour later fully dressed. She was beautiful in her Christmas ensemble, a red Santa Claus dress with the fake fur held together by a zebra print belt, zebra printed tights that clung neatly to her sexy legs, black platform heeled boots, and to top that off a black wig with a red flower stuck in it. She also wore an assortment of makeup that brought out her beauty even more. We talked for about an hour that morning then she left to run some errands.

When she returned about an hour and a half later, she had her pickle jar full of food and Stolli and a handful of money. She told me the story about the rich lady in a limousine that asked her of a favor. She asked her to get rid of her neighbor's dog. An Akita named Evita. She made $1000 dollars and a $500 dollar bonus for trimming her tree. Together we walked to the loft where she met my friends and told them the story of how she got the money. After that we went to the life support meeting where Mark filmed us for a while. Angel and I walked the park that night just talking about our lives before we met. The next day Roger actually showed up at the meeting which was a big step for him. After that in the subway we talked of our dreams of Santa Fe and the restaurant we wanted to open. Mark and Roger were off to help his ex-girlfriends lover to get ready for the protest that her now girlfriend was doing that night.

That was the day Angel and I started going out officially. She bought me a coat and talked of how much we were met to be. I told her all I had to give were one-thousand kisses. She was ok with that and we promised each other we would be there for each other for eternity. I love her still to this day and always will.

We then went to Maureen's protest where I met Mimi, a friend of Angel's and the girl Roger failed to admit he liked. After the protest was broken off by the police we all went to the Life Café where Angel bought us all dinner and we talked and had a good time.

A few days later we went to time square where we counted down to the New Year, 1990. New Years morning we found a padlock on the door to the loft of which I stayed and my friends lived. A drunken Angel used a trash can to break the padlock. That was one of the many memories never forgotten. Throughout the next few months so much happened and so much was said. Angel and I never fought. Everyone said we were meant to be and had nothing to fight over.

It was October when tragedy stuck once again. Angel was sick, she was dying. I was with her the whole time. I remember when I had to take her to the hospital, we rode the subway. I held her in my lap and carried her in. She died a few days later and we held the funeral on Halloween, Angel's favorite holiday. I cried so much and didn't want to leave her grave. Roger left for Santa Fe and I went back to teaching. Life wasn't the same without Angel and Roger gone.

Angel Dumott Schunard

Born on July 1, 1967

at 3:37p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Died October 30, 1990

at 11:35 p.m. Standard eastern time.

The next Christmas which was the one we celebrated ten months ago, we almost lost Mimi. She died but came back uttering of the warm light and how Angel told her to come back. I cried then, a lot. Angel blessed us with Mimi living and I can't wait to see her again. Maureen was right when she said that we were the lucky ones to of had Angel.

You know today marks one year since we buried Angel, to think I would be spending this Halloween in a hospital. I keep seeing Angel every where. She was in that beautiful Christmas outfit. I swear I heard her tell me Happy Halloween. I know that I am coming closer and closer to being with her again. Well that is all I really want to put in here, I'm so tired and everyone is here to see me. I don't think I will be able to write again. I am going to make Mark record my as well. All who reads this please remember "No Day but Today" and as my Angel said "Today for You, Tomorrow for me". Mimi, Roger, Mark; I love you guys. Take care and remember Angel and I will always be watching over you.

Thomas Bayne Collins

Finished:

October 31, 1991 Halloween; 8:15p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Roger wrote the following.

RIP my good Friend:

Thomas Bayne Collins

Born on Born May 11, 1962

at 6:25 a.m. Standard eastern time.

Died October 31, 1991

at 8:30p.m. Eastern Standard Time.