Author's Note: Yay, I is back! Thank you to my one reviewer, I don't feel so pointless with you around :- )
"Do you realize how crazy this is?"
"Yes. And I don't care. Don't look at me like that! Consider it a documentary."
"Right. When Good Lesbians Go Bad…"
"Sounds like something you'd do for Buzzline."
"You just made me feel ten times worse…"
Apparently, Maureen has been on the phone with a mystery caller. Said caller is a mystery because Maureen prefers to keep it that way, often taking the phone into the next room and speaking in hushed tones. This behavior has been slowly but surely driving Joanne insane. Star 69 is of no help, because whoever's on the other line disconnects as soon as they hear her voice.
Now she's enlisted Mark to trail Maureen for the day, recording her exploits on film.
"Why me?"
"Because I am hopeless with technology, as you may recall."
Mark does recall and he's only aware of the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth when she mirrors it.
"Besides," she continues, setting her face into a sober expression, "you have that zippy little bike, much less conspicuous than my car. I will head to the Mint Leaf after work. It's this swanky restaurant Maureen was at," she adds for clarification.
"And how do you know this?"
"I found a mint in her coat pocket."
"You searched her pockets?"
"Crazy, I know," she drawls. "Love is crazy shit."
Mark maintains silence for a moment before lowering his judgmentally raised eyebrow. He too was crazy for Maureen at one point. He would have done anything for her, including laundry. And he hardly ever does his own laundry. It is a tad poignant to see somebody else suffer the same and he resolves to do his best to help.
Joanne picks his scarf up from a moldy sofa and hands it to him. "But seriously, Mark. Thank you. For caring."
Her fingertips graze his as he takes it and he wonders if she notices. He wonders why he notices and why said fingertips continue to tingle faintly after the contact. Then he figures he should stop with the wondering and just go already.
An hour later, Mark and his camera and his zippy little bike, set off to stalk Maureen. They begin at the corner shop, where she stops every afternoon for her cheap candy fix. Soon after she journeys to the pharmacy for what he assumes are painkillers and then, ironically, to his apartment (or maybe Roger's) where she stays for at least an hour…
It's at this point that he starts to feel like an asshole and he wonders if he should just pack it in and go home. But then Joanne needs to know the truth, whether it's good or bad. And Mark, oddly enough, needs to know as well.
As he continues his pursuit the scene around him begins to change. The streets are swept and the three-piece-suits walk without fear. The parks are teeming with pristine kids and their attentive nannies. Mark grimaces. They are descending into the bowels of the Upper East Side. This could be bad…
Finally, they arrive at a swanky apartment block and for the first time, Maureen looks around. She presses the buzzer, grins into the intercom and five minutes later a woman appears. Her look is shamelessly corporate and Mark's heart plummets to the vicinity of his stomach. He heaves out his camera and begins to film what looks like a very friendly exchange. A hug, a kiss on the cheek, a finger coiling into vivid red hair.
They stroll to the prettiest car Mark has ever seen. He packs his camera, situates his feet on the pedals and sets off after them hastily.
It is this haste that causes him to rush across the road, mindless of the car roaring up behind him. A beeping of the horn and Mark swerves with a yelp. Before he knows what's happening he's back on the street, the palms of his hands scraped, bike strewn on the ground next to him. After a moment of shocked numbness his brain kicks into gear and he scrambles into a sitting position to check his beloved camera…
"Hey, why don't you watch where you're going', huh?" the driver demands as he creeps past, "You could've died just then!"
Mark ignores this and stumbles to his feet, just in time to catch Maureen and the mysterious yuppie disappearing around a corner. He would very much like to die at this moment. Because now Joanne is going to kill him…
Author's Note: Final part of the trilogy coming up a lot sooner. Hope you enjoyed. Review if you did! Reviews are yummy…