Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I was surprised by the positive response this story has already, so I wrote a new chapter immediately. And, luckily, this has some kind of magical effect on my other stories because they are all begging to be updated as well. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter and don't forget to review!
Joanne sighed as she glanced at Lisa, saying, "Remind me again why I agreed to go with you."
"Because I have free tickets since my date has to work tonight," Lisa said cheerfully. "It's one of the few downsides of having a surgeon for a boyfriend. So, how was work today?"
"Long," Joanne replied shortly as she gazed out the window of the taxi. "What show are we going to see?"
Lisa shrugged, "I don't remember. It's some new show that's off-Broadway. I've heard it's really good."
"You owe me dinner," Joanne moaned as she leaned her head on Lisa's shoulder.
"I'm taking you to a free show," Lisa protested, but she grinned and kissed Joanne's cheek. "You're lucky you're cute."
"I'm too tired for you to hit on me," Joanne warned as she cuddled closer to Lisa.
Lisa snorted and pushed Joanne playfully, "Don't flatter yourself, Jo. Oh, look, we're here."
Joanne pulled out her wallet and handed the driver some money before Lisa could manage to hunt down her own wallet in her huge purse.
As they got out of the taxi, Lisa said, "I was going to pay for the taxi."
"Like you said, you've given me a free ticket," Joanne replied with a shrug. "It's not that big of a deal."
Lisa shook her head and pulled Joanne after her, handing their tickets in at the door. They collected their small programs and found their seats as people milled around the small theatre. Joanne flipped through the program, perusing the list of the cast members, her eyes focusing on one name.
"Maureen?" Joanne murmured when she saw the name of the lead actress.
"What did you say?" Lisa asked as she leaned over.
"Nothing," Joanne said quickly, shaking her head.
It couldn't be Maureen Johnson; she couldn't be the same woman Joanne had dated. The lights dimmed, and Joanne settled back into her seat as the show began. She started to relax and enjoy the show, and suddenly a very familiar brunette woman appeared on the stage. Joanne shot forward in her seat as the woman began to sing. She was unmistakably Maureen. Joanne's eyes followed her across the stage, unable to look away. Joanne was only brought back to reality when Lisa nudged her as the audience erupted into applause.
"Earth to Jo," Lisa said, waving her hand in front of Joanne's face. When Joanne looked up at her, she said, "The show is over, Joanne. Come on, we can go to the stage door and get some autographs."
Joanne hesitated for a moment; it might not be the best idea for her to see Maureen again.
"All right," Joanne agreed as she followed Lisa outside.
As they stood outside in the cool night air, Lisa asked, "So, what did you think of Maureen?"
Joanne started and stammered, "I don't know what you're talking about. She was good, I guess."
"Chill, Jo," Lisa said playfully. "You didn't really think that I would forget about the Maureen Johnson, the woman who managed to turn your entire life upside down with a smile?"
"One can only hope," Joanne muttered, rolling her eyes.
Lisa laughed, "I've missed you."
"Please tell me you didn't know that Maureen was in the show when you invited me," Joanne said suddenly.
"Of course not," Lisa replied. "Look, there she is. Do you want to talk to her or do you want to just leave?"
Joanne looked up and saw Maureen had just walked outside, a smile on her face as she greeted the small crowd of people around the door.
"I don't know," Joanne admitted as she stared at Maureen.
Lisa sighed, "We'll stay. You're absolutely hopeless."
Joanne ignored her as Maureen slowly made her way in their direction. Her hair was a little longer, but it was still as curly as ever. She looked thinner and tired, but Joanne dismissed that because she was sure that working in a show was a lot of work, and Maureen had never taken very good care of herself.
When Maureen reached them, she smiled and said, "I hope you both enjoyed the show."
"Maureen," Joanne began, but when Maureen looked at her, the words got caught in her mouth.
"Joanne," Maureen whispered, her smile fading for a moment before she suddenly beamed and pulled Joanne into a hug. "How have you been?"
"Fine," Joanne replied, stunned. "How about you? No one told me that you were acting now."
Maureen shrugged, "I guess they thought you wouldn't really care since we broke up. What are you doing back in New York? Are you here to stay or are you just visiting?"
Joanne started to answer her, but Lisa interrupted, saying, "I really enjoyed the show, Maureen. I think I'll leave the two of you to catch up."
"No, stay," Joanne said quickly, sending Lisa a pleading look.
"I have an early morning," Lisa said, already walking off. "I'll call you tomorrow, Jo."
Maureen waited until Lisa had disappeared around the corner before asking, "Do you have anywhere to be? Because I don't have anything to do until tomorrow night, and we could go grab some drinks at a bar and talk. Unless you don't want to."
"No, that sounds good," Joanne said, smiling. "Do you want me to get a taxi?"
"Well, there's a bar just down the street," Maureen replied with a shrug. "It shouldn't be too crowded."
"All right," Joanne agreed.
Maureen gave her a slight smile and took her arm, leading her down the street. They walked in silence, and Joanne stole a glance at Maureen, biting her lip nervously. Maureen pulled the door open for Joanne and walked in after her before pulling her in the direction of the bar.
"What do you want?" Maureen asked as she situated herself on a stool.
"I'll just have a glass of water," Joanne said.
"Hey, Mike, I'll have two waters," Maureen called over to the bartender.
"Well, here's my favorite diva," he said with a wink as he poured two bottles of water into their glasses. "You need anything else?"
Maureen glanced in Joanne's direction and when she shrugged, Maureen shook her head, "Thanks, though, Mike." Maureen turned to Joanne and said, "So, you never did tell me if you're back in New York for good."
"I'm in the process of moving all my stuff back," Joanne said as she sipped her water. "My father retired, so I'm a partner now at the firm."
"Wow, that's fantastic!" Maureen said with excitement. "I guess I just thought you were here for a different reason."
"What reason did you think it was?" Joanne asked. When Maureen turned her head away and gulped down some water, Joanne narrowed her eyes as she said, "Maureen Johnson, tell me exactly what reason you thought I was here for."
Maureen sighed as she ran her hand through her hair, "Mimi hasn't been doing very well the past couple of months, and we're all worried that she might not live much longer. We're not sure, but Collins has been trying to convince her to go to a hospital."
Joanne stared at Maureen in shock as she asked, "When was someone going to tell me?"
"Collins was supposed to call you," Maureen answered miserably. "I guess he couldn't get up with you, but I haven't had a chance to talk with him about it, so I didn't know."
"How bad is it?" Joanne said, closing her eyes.
"Like I said, we're not really sure because Mimi doesn't always let us know when she isn't feeling well," Maureen said quietly. She let out a frustrated breath and said, "Look, Joanne, you know the way AIDS can be. Mimi could just get sick with a cold, and then she can catch something else so easily. Then, before anyone can do anything, she's too far gone. That's why we wanted you here; in case something happens too fast for us to let you know. Now, I guess it doesn't really matter."
"I'm glad I'm back," Joanne said finally after a few moments of silence. "Now, tell me what you've been doing. I had no idea that you were starring in a show off-Broadway."
Maureen laughed slightly as she said, "Well, it took me a little while to get my life together. Collins helped me out a lot, and I managed to find a job. After that, I started to go to auditions, and I got little parts here and there. This last one is the biggest role I've had, and it's gotten a lot of attention. So, who knows where I'll go from here?"
"That's really great, Maureen," Joanne replied softly.
"You should come by the loft tomorrow," Maureen told her as she drank some water. "Everyone will be so surprised to see you, and it will be good for Mimi."
"I was thinking about coming by tomorrow afternoon," Joanne said, nodding her head slowly. "Do you live there still?"
"No, I moved," Maureen said with a wave of her hand. She pursed her lips for a moment before asking, "Are you dating anyone?"
"No. Why?" Joanne replied, a note of eagerness creeping into her voice.
Maureen bit her lip and said, "I was just wondering."
"How about you?" Joanne questioned, attempting to squash the hopefulness rising in her chest.
Maureen shrugged and glanced at the clock, frowning, "Oh, it's getting late. I'm sure you have an early morning tomorrow, and I need to get home."
"All right," Joanne sighed, sliding off her stool as Maureen pulled a few bills out of her pocket and slapped them onto the counter.
"There you go, Mike!" Maureen called as she walked with Joanne to the door. "I'll see you later. Say hello to your family for me."
"Will do, Maureen," he said with a smile. "Have a good night."
Maureen grinned and waved, following Joanne outside onto the sidewalk.
"Do you want me to see you home?" Maureen offered, shuffling her feet as she looked at Joanne out of the corner of her eyes.
Joanne shook her head, "I'll just hail a taxi. It's too long of a walk this late. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow," Maureen agreed with a small smile.
Joanne turned to the street and hailed a taxi. As the yellow car pulled to the curb, Maureen brushed her lips against Joanne's cheek as she squeezed the other woman's hand.
"It was good to see you again," Maureen said softly before walking off, her hips swaying.
Joanne watched as Maureen left, her gaze following the hypnotizing rhythm of Maureen's body until the taxi driver leaned over to the passenger window.
"Hey, lady, are you going to get in or not?" the man asked impatiently as he jerked his finger to the backseat.
Joanne pulled her eyes away from Maureen's distant form and said apologetically, "I'm sorry."
The driver just shrugged his shoulders as she crawled into the backseat and rested her head against the rear window, letting out a long sigh. She told the driver her address after another impatient look directed at her and thought about that night. A familiar heady feeling brought a smile to her face as she reflected on Maureen. She shook her head; she could not fall in love with her again. Biting her lip, Joanne closed her eyes as she waited for her mind to reason her heart back into submission.
