In the next scene, she wasn't with Benny, but it did involve the break-up--sort of.
She was actually being shown with a doctor in an unnaturally clean and pristine room. Its gleaming whiteness somewhat resembled the tunnel. Mimi remembered this day well, for it had changed her life.
It was Logan who had first suggested that she see a doctor. For a while, Mimi hadn't been feeling well. She had been staying home from work and finally decided to go in one day when she could actually manage to get out of bed. She wasn't feeling great, but she needed the money and convinced herself that she was slightly better--well enough to go to work, at least.
When she got to the club, however, Logan noticed her poor health immediately. "Whoa, Mimi!" he had said, "You look awful!" He reached over and felt her forehead with the back of his hand as though she was six years old and he was her concerned mother "Oh my god, you're burning up! Why are you here?! Go home! No, wait…we need to get you to a doctor. No, maybe the emergency room!" Mimi could only stand there and stare while Logan ranted. "Come on! Let's go!" he urged, taking her hand.
He proceeded to yell some things at co-workers and took Mimi out to his car. They drove to the nearest hospital. Throughout the ride, Mimi's tension mounted. She didn't know what was wrong with her, and she hadn't actually gone to see a doctor since before she had left her home with her mom and stepfamily. That was nearly five years ago.
When they finally got to the emergency room, Mimi was forced to fill out extensive and exhausting paperwork--something she really did not feel like doing. Then, of course, she and Logan had to wait. And wait and wait, surrounded by many other annoyed and injured people.
Finally, Mimi was taken in to see a doctor. Unlike the stoic receptionist, this doctor seemed to have a genuine care for the strangers who came to see her, even if she did seem rather rushed.
"So…," searching for a name, she looked down at a clipboard which obviously contained the multiple sheets of information that Mimi had filled out, "Mimi," she said, followed by a brilliant smile, "what seems to be the problem?" Obviously no one thought that Mimi was a real emergency since she was casually speaking with a doctor instead of being rushed through the hospital on a stretcher. Nevertheless, she explained about her high fevers, unexplained rashes, recent weight loss, and other symptoms.
"Hmm…Mimi, are you sexually active?" Mimi nodded slowly. "And have you been tested for HIV lately?" "Uh, no, I've never been tested," Mimi answered skeptically. "I see."
The doctor, who had just taken a seat, motioned for Mimi to do the same. "Mimi, I believe in being totally straightforward and honest with my patients, so I'm just going to come out and tell you…I suspect that you are HIV positive and that you may have been so for awhile…and…it is also likely that you have developed AIDS; that could very well explain your symptoms."
That was a lot for Mimi to take in in a very short amount of time. She didn't want to believe any of it; in fact, she just wanted to scream and cry, and maybe throw something at someone.
Why hadn't she thought about this before? She had been sleeping around and sharing drug needles without a care in the world…but what could she do now?
After some tests had been run, it was determined that Mimi did have AIDS. The doctor gave her a prescription that would lower her fever, provided some brochures and advice, told her about different support groups, and sent her on her way. Mimi wondered if this was all that this doctor could do, but then reminded herself that she didn't have any kind of appointment and that there were plenty of other emergencies waiting.
She went back out to the waiting room, where Logan was still sitting. Mimi could have fallen into his arms and cried her eyes out; that's what she had wanted to do, but she had decided then and there that she was going to be strong and start making the most of her life--what as left of it anyway. Fro now on, she was going to do whatever made her happy.
It was then that she realized that Benny wasn't making her happy. Marrying him would be a huge mistake. She made plans to end their relationship the next time she saw him.
Logan drove her back to her apartment. Mimi didn't feel much like discussing her recent diagnosis and Logan didn't push it; he merely told her that she could take as much time off from work as she needed. She thanked him and went up into her apartment. She had wanted to talk to Benny that night but was still feeling pretty sick, so she put it off until the next morning.
Mimi got dressed and went down to Benny's apartment soon after she woke up the next day. But it wasn't Benny who answered the door. A tall blonde man who looked like he was still in pajamas responded to her knocking, looking confused. Before he could say anything, Mimi asked, "Is Benny home?" "Uh, no," the man said, "but he should actually be getting home in a few minutes. You can come in and wait for him if you want." "Okay." Mimi stepped inside.
Strangely enough, Mimi had never been in Benny's apartment, nor had she met the people with whom he lived.
The man who had let her in took a seat on a couch and picked up his recently abandoned guitar. Mimi sat awkwardly in a chair across from him as he tried to tune the instrument, then threw it aside in frustration. Neither of them said anything, and both assumed that the other knew who they were.
The room remained silent until another man clad in a striped sweater burst in. "Rog, I think we're out of…" He stopped upon seeing Mimi. "Oh, I didn't know we had company." "She's waiting for Benny," the first man said. Mimi jumped in, "Maybe I'll just come back later and…"
She was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Benny entered and immediately noticed Mimi. "Mimi? What are you doing here, baby?" he asked. "Um, I just needed to talk to you about something," Mimi replied. "That's so funny because I wanted to talk to you about something! Why don't we step outside?"
Benny and Mimi went out into the hallway. "Okay, Mimi, what did you want to tell me?" "You go first," she said, losing confidence. "Okay, well…Mimi, you know I love you, but, um, I don't know if this--you know, us--is going to work out." "Oh my God," Mimi said, almost laughing, "are you breaking up with me?!" "Mimi, I'm really sorry." "No, Benny, I came here to break up with you!" She pulled the engagement ring off her finger and threw it at Benny's feet, suddenly infuriated. "GOODBYE!" she screamed.
At the time, she didn't really know Benny's reason for breaking up with her (though she was glad to get rid of him), but later realized that it was probably because he had met Alison and didn't want to be tied down by his relationship with Mimi. He ended up marrying her after knowing her for approximately two months. Mimi knew that he was in love--she just wasn't sure if it was with his wife or her money.
She never did find out whether or nor Benny had AIDS too. In fact, she wasn't exactly sure where or from whom she herself had gotten it. But she did know that she wasn't prepared to give up sex or drugs.
So, she continued with her life.
