A/N: Chapter Two… Did I mention that this is going to be long? Did I also mention that lots of reviews make me write faster and spew out chapters quicker? I think you all will like this part; I know I had fun writing it.
"SPEAK!" Damn, the machine…
"Roger!" I shout in the receiver, "Roger, it's Mark, pick up the phone…" I pause for a few moments; is he still sleeping? Is he downstairs at Mimi's, in the shower, just ignoring me? "Roger, please this is important…" No such luck, I take a deep breath, "Ok, Maureen and I have been arrested, long story… I need you to go to the lot; we had to leave everything behind, all her equipment and my camera. Fuck her equipment, just as soon as you get this message go down there and find my camera, ok? We are at the police station on 1st and 12th. Ok… Thanks…" I slowly hang up the phone, berating myself, I should have called Mimi, she doesn't screen, and she wouldn't have slept through the phone ringing.
On the payphone next to me, Maureen stands with her back to me, "Pookie, I'm sorry… please, you have to help us… Ok, you're the best… I love you Pookie." I roll my eyes and send daggers to her back. I don't even want to speak to her, never mind be stuck at this police station together for God knows how long. She hangs up the phone and turns to me, "Joanne is on the way." She smiles at me, like she is so proud of herself, as if she should be rewarded because her girlfriend is a lawyer who has a cell phone.
"Great." I snicker as I walk away, towards the officer who is watching us. He points to the bench where we have been sitting for the last hour, ignored. The officers at the station do not understand why we were arrested either, and haven't bothered to process any paper work, hoping that we will just go away. I would gladly grant them their wish if it weren't for the handcuffs that are around my wrists.
I sit at the far end of the bench, and Maureen comes over and sits right next to me. If I move away, I will fall off the bench. I don't want her near me, but at the same time, I can't even speak to her to tell her to get away. I have never been this angry with Maureen in all of my life. Every little thing that she has done to hurt me, use me, or piss me off in the past has resurfaced into one giant balloon that is about to explode. If I speak to her, I would have no control over the venomous words that would fly out of my mouth.
She leans her head on my shoulder, "This is a story for the grandkids, huh Pookie?"
I can't deal; I slide off the bench, causing her to fall over towards the side. I look down at her, "Don't… just don't talk to me…"
"What? What's wrong with you?" Is she possibly this blind?
"Uh, hello? Maureen?" I wave my handcuffed hands up in the air, "We have been arrested, and it is your fault!"
"No, it's Benny's fault, if he hadn't…"
I interrupt her, "Christ! You are so quick to blame anyone else!" I'm yelling now, and one of the policemen stand and glare at us. I step in front of her and sit at the other side of the bench. "Just don't talk to me, ok?"
"Fine! No problem!" She turns to the side so that her back is towards me. I sit there staring at the clock on the wall. It is same kind of clock like they had in my high school, the red second hand slowly moves around, and the minute hand clicks over when it hits 12. I stare at it and count the little black lines. I test the One Mississippi, Two Mississippi theory to see if you can actually can count a complete minute that way (you can't, too slow), I watch the minute hand make its slow revolution around the clock.
Finally I hear Maureen squeal, and I look over and see Joanne entering the police station. She jumps up and goes over to her lover and wraps her arms around her, but Joanne flings them away. She comes over to me, and I stand. She hugs me, "Are you ok, Mark?" I nod into her shoulder and she rubs the back of my head. I pull away and see Maureen scowling at us.
"Hello? I've been put through hell too…" Joanne just waves her hand in her face and goes over to the counter and starts talking to the dispatcher. Maureen glares at me and I just smile back at her. I take a deep breath, knowing that Joanne will take care of everything.
Seconds later, Mimi and Roger enter the building. Roger sees me first and pulls Mimi over to me. Again, they both ignore Maureen. "Mark, what the fuck happened?" He looks me up and down, as if he could find some sort of evidence on me.
Mimi reaches out and gently touches my arm, "Are you ok?"
I nod, and then nod towards Maureen, "She happened."
Roger glares over at her, but Mimi leaves my side and goes over to Maureen. I watch the two of them talk for a moment, and then Roger pulls me towards the bench that I had occupied for the last few hours. "What happened?"
I look at him earnestly, "Did you get my camera?"
He shook his head sadly, "The lot was blocked by construction equipment and two cops were hanging around. I couldn't even get in to look."
"Fuck." I glance over to Maureen, "I want to kill her."
"Yeah, well I don't even know what happened, but I'm ready to murder her myself. So do you want to tell me?"
I shake my head, "You wouldn't believe me if you tried." Just then, Joanne comes back to us with a police officer holding keys. They unlock Maureen's handcuffs, and then mine. "That's it? We're done?"
"Yeah," Joanne answers tensely, "Apparently, Mr. Grey just wanted to make sure that there was no scene when they started the construction today. He told the cop that arrested you to just keep you here for the day."
"That's bullshit!" Mimi steps forward, "They can't just arrest someone to keep them quiet."
"Yeah! I have a right to protest! I have a right to speak my mind!" Maureen raises her now free hand in the air.
I turn to her, "You best not speak your mind near me again." I glare at her and turn to Roger, "Get me out of here." He nods and grabs my arm and we start towards the door.
"Mark, wait!" Maureen runs behind us, but I keep walking, even though Roger stopped. I walk out onto the street and lean against the building, I try to gain control of myself, but the rage is overbearing. She walks out of the building and towards me. "What the hell is your problem? It isn't my fault!"
"WHAT?" I feel my face get hot, and I barely take notice of the others walking towards us.
"You heard Joanne, they had planned on arresting us! It wasn't my fault."
"Christ Maureen, I shouldn't have been there, YOU shouldn't have been there. It is over, the big guy won, ok? No one is going to listen to some broad in a clown suit singing to a bunch of homeless people!"
Joanne steps towards me, her initial reaction to stand up for Maureen, but Roger holds her back. "Pookie…" Maureen looks deflated, "Don't you believe in me anymore?"
"I believe you like to be the center of
attention. I believe that you
like to test just how far I will actually go for you. I believe that you don't give a damn about the fucking
homeless, just yourself. I believe…
no wait, I know, that you are a selfish bitch!"
She
backs up away from me, with tears in her eyes. I hear Roger whoop and clap and yell 'yeah, Mark!' Maureen looks at me, and whispers, "Fuck
you."
"No you did that already, remember. You decided you liked chicks better." Why am I being so cruel? This wasn't like me at all, these words weren't mine, but yet they exited my mouth. Years of pent up resentment just poured out.
"Yeah, because you were such a horrible lover, I had to go look elsewhere!"
"Ok! Enough is enough…" Joanne steps in between us, but we both step to the side so that we are eye to eye.
"It's done, Maureen. We're done." I speak calmly. I step away and start back towards Roger and Mimi.
"We were done a long time ago, when I dumped your ass, remember?"
"Maureen, shut-up." Joanne scolds her.
I turn around and face her. "I meant our friendship." I start walking away and I don't stop to see if anyone is following me, or to comprehend the screaming rants I hear coming from Maureen's mouth.
Roger is soon walking next to me, keeping up with my fast pace. He remains silent for four blocks and then finally speaks. "I don't know whether to congratulate you, or to tell you I'm sorry." I just glare at him sideways. "Look, she had it coming. She has had it coming for a long time," he grabs my shoulder, "You are a better person then me because I would have let her have it a long time ago."
"Yeah, well, I should have." I am still so angry; my legs are on a momentum of their own. We are heading towards the loft, I just want to go home to my lousy mattress, and forget this day ever happened. "Why the hell do I put up with her shit? Well, no more, fuck her…"
Roger snickers, "You already did…" I frown, "Sorry, but that was a really good line." He is laughing while he talks. "Remind me never to piss you off."
"Oh you have, Roger, don't worry. I just savor it and let it brew so that it all comes out at once." I smile now, and relax a little. I didn't need Maureen, I had Roger, and Mimi, and Collins, and even Joanne.
"Great, something to look forward to." He puts his arm around my and pulls me close to him, "You will be ok."
"I don't know." I feel the sadness again, "My camera is gone."
"Yeah, I know. It will be fine; we'll get you a new one. I'll demand Maureen buy you one or something."
"No, I don't want anything to
do with her again."
"Wow, you really meant that, huh?" I just nod silently. I suddenly realize that we are missing a person. "Where's Mimi?"
"Oh, we are still fighting I guess. Joanne called her after she talked to Maureen, and she came up and got me out of bed. That's when I got your message." We turn the block onto Avenue B and start walking past the lot, which is now filled with cranes and dump trucks. They have the sidewalk blocked so we have to walk out onto the street to go by.
I silently nod, "What are you fighting about?"
He shrugs, "Benny, what else?" I concur and we walk towards the door, but we both stop at the same time. "Oh you have to got be kidding me!" Roger slams his fist against the door.
"Padlocked? Christ, what the hell is he trying to pull?" There is a sign posted. I read it out loud. "THIS BUILDING MUST BE EVACUATED IMMEDIATELY. DEMOLISHMENT OF THIS BUILDING WILL TAKE PLACE AT 5:00 THIS EVENING." I read it again silently to myself, as Roger spouts out every swear word his public education taught him.
"I'm going to fucking kill him. Mark, I swear, if I see him…"
Thoughts of my warm
comfortable bed long forgotten, I remember something the cop said this
morning. Was it this morning? This day has already seemed like a week, "I
don't think it is Benny."
"What the hell are you talking about? Of course it is Benny, he is finally getting
his CyberArts dream…"
"No, the cop this morning,
said something about arresting Benny if he came anywhere near the lot or the
building. In fact, he was very adamant
about the fact that Mr. Grey owns both."
"What the hell are we going to do? All our shit is in there." Roger goes to punch the wall, but I grab his hand quick.
"I don't know. I guess we call Joanne again?"
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