Chapter 31
Cass opened the bedroom door and stepped into the room. Roger was lying on his side with a pillow over his head. She sat down next to him on the bed and watched him sleep for a few minutes. So much had happened in the last week. So much good came from so much bad.
"Roger." She shook his arm. "Roger wake up."
"What?" He grumbled at her.
"It's ten o'clock. Here." She handed him the pills.
"Thanks." He told her with half closed eyes as he sat up and swallowed his pills.
"Go back to sleep." She told him as she kissed his forehead.
Roger grabbed her around the waist and tried to pull her down with him.
"Roger I've got to get up."
"No, lay down with me. Please." He whined as he started kissing her neck.
"Okay, just for a few minutes." She told him as she started to kiss him back. "Just a. few.. minutes." She told him, kissing him back.
After a few minutes Roger broke apart from her. He stopped. He had to stop. Before things went too far. Got out of hand. Before he did something stupid. Like usual.
They just lay there for a few minutes. He kept running his fingers up and down her arm. "You should go back to sleep." She told him as she ran her fingers through his blond tipped hair.
"Yeah, I'm still pretty tired." He told her as he rolled over and rested his head on her chest.
"What time did you come to bed last night?"
"I didn't. It was this morning, after six."
"What were you doing at the Iguana till then?" She asked, still playing with his hair.
Roger took a deep breath. He needed to tell her. She needed to know where he stood on this as much as he did. "I wasn't at the Iguana. I was here. Mark cleaned out Mimi's room. I was going through some things and looking at stuff, before Mark gets rid of it all."
"Oh." She kept stroking his hair, never stopping. "Are you okay?" She asked him tenderly.
"Yeah. It was time to do it."
"If you say so."
"Mark and I thought we would move his office into Mimi's room. Then he would have more room for work. And we could put your stuff in where his office is now. It that okay?"
"Whatever you guys want to do."
"Thanks Cass." He told her.
"Go back to sleep. I've got to go do some work." She kissed him on the forehead and got up from the bed.
"'Kay." He told her as she got up. God she was incredible. Even at the mention of Mimi's name. It doesn't phase her. She never flinched. He flinches still. So does Mark. So does Maureen and everyone else, but not Cass. She never pushed the subject farther than Roger wanted to go. He figured she had no idea how much that meant to him. That was what he was thinking as he fell back asleep.
******
"Quick Print and Copy. How can I help you?"
"Um, is Maureen there?" Mark asked. He did have to admit having a cell phone was more convenient than trying to come up with change for a pay phone. "This is Mark."
"One second." Mark heard the phone move some as the person called to her. "'Reen, it's Mark."
"Hey sweetie. What's up?" Maureen asked him.
"Hopefully, lunch. I need another favor."
"You're starting to rack those up." She joked at him. "Why are we checking up on them today? What did Roger do?"
"No, it's not them."
Maureen stopped joking when she heard the seriousness in his voice. "Okay, no problem. Whatever you need. I've got lunch at 1:30 today."
"Good. You want chocolate again?"
"Um sure. Marky are you okay? Is something wrong? You don't sound right?"
"Yeah I'm okay. It's more of a moral support thing than a favor I guess."
Moral support? Why would Mark need that? Maureen was confused and concerned. This was Mark. He was everyone else's moral support. And why wouldn't he go to Roger for this? "Sweetie is something wrong with Roger? Or Cass? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, their fine. It doesn't have anything to do with them."
"Marky you're starting to scare me. Are you okay?"
"Yeah Mo, I'm fine. It's not them, or me." Mark touched the envelope in his pocket. "It's about Mimi. I'll tell you when I get there. Bye." Mark hung up the phone.
*****
Roger pulled the pillow off his face and sat up. He knew he wasn't going to get back to sleep so he might as well get up. He could her Cass talking to someone. He opened the door and watched her.
She was on her cell phone. She could have been in a boardroom somewhere the way she acted. All business. Straight and to the point. She moved different. She sounded different. It didn't even matter that she was barefoot in his tee shirt and boxers.
"Get all the stats and send me the info. I want you to pull the blue prints as well. Have the engineer go through them. He may need to do a pre inspection as well." She had this voice of authority as she paced around the living room, which to Roger just made her seem even hotter.
"No, don't worry about that. No, I told you I'd take care of that. I don't want anyone asking questions around the property. Not yet." She had a cigarette out and was trying to light it with her casted arm and hand.
Roger walked in and sat down at the counter. He took the matchbook and cigarette out of her hands. He lit one for her and one for himself and just kept watching her.
"I know that." She said into the phone as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her over to him between his knees. Cass grinned at him. "I have someone working on that. I don't believe that it will pose too much of a problem."
Roger ran his hands up and down her lower back and smirked at her as he pulled her onto his lap. Cass wrapped an arm around his neck as she flicked her ash into an ashtray. "I am very well aware of your opinion at this moment Mr. Spencer. Please remember when I would like your opinion, I will ask you for it and currently, I did not ask you for it."
"Oh. Get mean and bitchy. I love it." Roger whispered to her as he started to kiss her below her neck.
Cass had to work to keep her composure. She was laughing at him and playing with his hair again. Cass winked at him as if to say well them listen to this. "I do believe, Mr. Spencer that is what I pay you to do. Now you can either do your job and what I am asking, or I can find someone else to take my money. Do we have an understanding Mr. Spencer? Good, I'm very glad to hear that. And Mr. Spencer ask around, you will find out I never joke when I am talking business. Good day Mr. Spencer. I'll be looking for your information." With that she hung up the phone and started to laugh.
"Oh baby! Way to drive me crazy. Threatening to fire people while wearing my underwear. I love it!" He pulled her forward and started kissing her down her neck.
"Roger you're nuts!"
"Uh huh." He grinned at her. "You're right."
"Let me go you wacko!" She told him, climbing off his lap. "Do you want something to eat?"
"Are you cooking?" He asked cautiously.
"Uh huh. You have your choice of Captain Crunch or Frosted Flakes. I'll have to talk to Mark about his overly healthy shopping."
Roger leaned over the counter and reached for the Captain Crunch as Cass got him a bowl and milk. "Mark will tell you to go to the store yourself if you don't like it." Roger laughed. "It's his version of reclusive behavior tough love."
"Got it." She grinned. "You want some coffee?"
He nodded as she poured them both coffees.
"I called an electrician. He should come by on Friday. The cable guy comes on Wednesday."
"You know Benny will never pay for an electrician. Even telling him one is coming may not be such a great idea." Roger told her with some concern.
"Don't worry about Benny. We won't even mention it to him. None the less, I can't do any work until I can get my systems up and running. And I can't do that until we get an electrician out here. Besides, what's the fun of having toys if every time you go to use them the power blows?"
"What do you mean by toys?" He asked her suspiciously.
"You'll see. Did you get enough sleep?"
"Uh huh. What time do you have to meet Elizabeth?"
Her eyes dropped to her coffee. "At eight."
"Cass you okay with that? With Elizabeth?" Shit what do I do if she says no? She's got to go he thought.
"Yes, it's okay. It's a good idea I guess."
"Good. What else do you have to do today? Do I get to watch you fire anybody else this morning?" He raised his eyebrows up a few times on that statement.
"No." She said coming around the counter and moving to right in front of him. Cass moved in close as he wrapped his arms around her. She held onto his neck as she learned in towards him and in a sultry whisper into his ear told him "I don't have to fire anyone else. But you know what we could do?" She asked him as she walked her fingers up his chest.
"What?" He asked her, wondering how he even got the word out.
"Well, we could get out of these clothes."
"Uh huh?"
"And go do laundry." She laughed as she hopped off his lap she had almost been sitting on.
"Oh you are such a tease!" He told her as he smacked her on the ass as she moved away.
******
"I'm on lunch." Maureen announced to the Quick Print counter staff as she saw Mark walk in the door. She opened the swinging gate at the counter to let him in the back. He followed her to the break room.
"Marky what's gong on? Is Roger upset about last night? I thought he wanted us to do that?" She sat down across from him at the table.
"No, actually he was fine. Really fine. He looked through everything last night when he got home. I found him on the couch looking at stuff at six this morning."
"But he was okay?'
"Yeah, he was. Remember that shoe box, the one with his name on it?" Maureen nodded. "Well, it had some stuff she must have put in there for him."
"Wow."
"And a letter for him."
"What did it say?"
"I don't know, I didn't ask him and he didn't tell me." Mark reached in his pocket. "She wrote one to me too." He told her as he laid the still unopened letter on the table.
"You haven't read it yet?" Maureen asked as she took Mark's hand.
"No. I was surprised she even wrote it to me. I just, I want to read it, I just didn't want to do it alone. You know? And I couldn't do it with Roger there." Maureen just kept silently nodding as he spoke. "And well, it didn't feel right to ask Cass, for well obvious reasons. So I thought of you."
"Oh. Okay. You want to read it now? I'll sit here with you. I won't even ask any questions. I promise."
"Yeah. Maybe I just want to do it and get it over with." Slowly Mark opened the envelope. He took a deep breath as he pulled out the one piece of folded paper. It was Mimi's big loopy handwriting. Even Maureen could tell that from the other side of the table. He laid it down on the table and reached for Maureen's hand as he read it silently to himself.
Dear Mark,
If you're reading this, then it's all over. No more pills, no more hospitals, no more problems. But also no more Roger. And no more you. Roger's not real good at expressing emotion. Suppressing is more his style. Unless it's in his music, then it comes out. And I don't see him writing you any songs anytime soon. So it's up to me I guess.
I wanted to make sure you knew how special you are Marky. And how special you are to Roger. And to me. We both got so wrapped up in each other that we would sometimes forget about you, and I apologize for that. I know you sometimes felt funny around us too, like a third wheel and I apologize for that too. Please know you never were. We always wanted you there.
Mark I just wanted to thank you. For everything. Everything you did for Roger before, because without you, I never would have had him. I know that's true. For everything you did for me. And everything you did for us. Neither of us deserves you. Roger had said that more than once.
I guess I just wanted to make sure you knew that. That and the fact that Roger and I love you. Roger loves you. And I love you. There is nothing either of us could want more than for you to be happy.
I know it won't be easy for Roger when I'm gone. Which means it won't be easy for you, because I know you'll take on, once again, the burden and responsibility that is Roger. Please love him (I know you will) and do what you can for him, but Marky, please don't let him or us become your life.
Please just be happy. Know that you're a wonderful, special person who is loved by a lot of people. But especially by Roger. And especially by me.
Remember all the good stuff we had. Forget our bad days. And keep going, because there is no day but today.
Love you Mark. And my life, and Roger's life and the world is a better place because of you.
Love,
Mimi
Mark let go of Maureen's hand so he could take off his glasses and wipe the tears that were running down his cheeks. He folded up the letter an returned it to it's envelope.
Maureen watched in silence as Mark put it back in his pocket. "You okay Marky?" She asked softly.
"Yeah, actually I think I am." He almost felt like he had a new found inner strength. "She was really special wasn't she?"
"She sure was. But so are you Mark."
"Yeah, I guess so." He told her, patting his pocket the envelope was in.
Maureen didn't ask what the letter said. She knew Mimi. She had a pretty good idea what it said. Hopefully, she as right. Hopefully, Mark would start to see it as well.
*****
"Roger." Cass called to him from the couch. "Roger, somebody's at the door. It's probably the UPS guy."
"I'm going." He said setting his guitar down on the bed. He looked at her as he walked out of his bedroom. Why didn't she get the door? Especially if she knew who it was? Come to think of it, she was always telling them to get the door. Even when she was closest. Had she answered it at all in the week she was here? Didn't Jason say something about her freaking out some when he came over and walked in that day? Maybe he ought to tell Elizabeth all this. Maybe, maybe he ought to open the door he thought as the knocking brought him out of his thoughts. He opened the door to find not one, but two UPS guys with full dolly's.
"Yeah, I've got a delivery for CD&S." The UPS guy said. " A Mark Cohen. Is this the right address? I was expecting a business."
"This is it." Cass called from the couch. "Just put it there, against the wall." She pointed by Roger's bedroom door. "No chance you all have an elevator hidden away in this building I guess." He joked at Roger while the second guy went down stairs for the rest. In case I ever have to come back here."
"Um no, I mean yeah there is a freight elevator, but it's boarded over. Cass what is all this?"
"Oh you'll be back, I'm sure. There really is an elevator? I didn't know that."
"I had a feeling. It's always the places with no elevators on the top floor that seem to get the most deliveries." He held out the electronic clipboard for Roger to sign for the delivery.
"Oh, um, sorry." Roger told him as he signed his name. He closed the door after they brought in the rest. "Cass what is all this stuff?"
"Well, it's not my computer stuff, but oh well, I can't do anything until the electrician gets here anyway. We probably can't use any of this until then either thought." She got up off the couch and walked to the stack of stuff.
"But what is it?" Roger asked her again.
"Well, some of it is toys I guess."
"You bought all this stuff? For here? Are you crazy?"
"No, and don't worry about it. I was going to get an apartment when I left Italy anyway. I would have bought it all then anyway. So don't go getting all weird on me about spending money."
"Okay. If you say so." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "So what did you by Ms. Trump?"
"Don't be sarcastic. And I just got some basic stuff. Like a microwave and coffeemaker so we don't have to use Jen's anymore. And a vacuum cleaner."
"For what?" He joked. "No seriously, what else?"
"All right. A TV, VCR, DVD player, another air conditioner and a small stereo. Like I said, a few basics and a few toys." She shrugged.
Roger could tell she was sort of embarrassed. She had spent more money in the last week between shopping and that retainer check to Joanne, then he and Mark had seen in a year. "Got it, basics. And toys. What no CD burner?" He kidded her.
"Um, that's part of the computer stuff. It should be here by tomorrow." Her eyes were down at his chest. "Are you mad?"
Roger laughed at her. "No I'm not mad. It's your money, do whatever you want. Just remember you don't have to spend it on me and Mark okay?"
She nodded at him. "I know." She hugged him. "It's just, I thought it would be nice to have some of that stuff. It would be nice for you guys to have some stuff. Decent stuff. Instead of hand me down, decrepit A/C's and borrowed coffee makers."
"What ever you want Cass." He laughed softly.
"Okay, then you know what I want to do?"
"I'm almost afraid to ask." He laughed again. "What?"
"To have you take me to go do laundry!" She told him with a grin as she pulled him towards the bedroom.
"Does that qualify as me taking you on a date?" He grinned as he followed her into the room. "Because if it does, that I can even afford."
"Let's go Davis. Start sorting clothes." She laughed as well.
******
"Hello?" Roger laughed into the blue cell phone. He was sitting out the bench outside the laundry mat, smoking a cigarette with Cass on his lap.
"Where are you guys?"
"We're at the laundry mat." Roger said into the phone.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have the wrong number." Mark laughed. "I'm looking for Roger Davis."
"It's Mark. He's trying to be funny again, but it's not working." He told Cass before turning his attention back to the phone. "What do you want smartass?"
"What are you guys doing?"
"We're at the laundry mat dork, what do you think we're doing? Laundry." Roger rolled his eyes at Cass who was cracking up on his lap.
"Seriously? Roger Davis does laundry? I didn't know that was possible." Mark was cracking up by now. "First beat up by a girl, now doing laundry. Yep there goes that bad boy image."
"Again I'll ask, what do you want smartass?"
"What time does she have to see Elizabeth tonight?"
"Eight o'clock."
"Ask him if he wants to eat first." Cass told Roger.
"Cass wants to know if you want to eat first?"
"Is she planning on cooking?" Mark asked.
Roger grinned as he looked at Cass. "He wants to know if you're cooking?"
"Hey!" She whacked him in the shoulder with her cast.
"Ow! I didn't say it, Mark did. But now that he brought it up, you weren't planing on cooking were you?" Roger teased her.
"Oh please!" She stood up crushing out her cigarette. "I'm going to check on the clothes." She walked back into the laundry mat.
"Well, at least we're both in trouble together this time." Roger laughed.
"Great, just what I need." Mark told him. "Um, what's with all the stuff here? The TV, VCR and everything? She buy all that?"
"Yeah, she did."
"Why'd she go and do all that?" Mark whined into the phone.
"I know, I told her. You know she's not going to listen. She's gonna do what she wants. Pick your battles buddy, this one ain't worth it."
"Yeah I guess you're right."
"So you cooking Marky?"
"Well I don't want her doing it. You either for that matter." Mark laughed. "So I guess I'm cooking. I'll see you later."
"Yeah, bye." Roger hung up the phone. He stood up to go back inside the laundry mat. He could see Cass inside pulling clothes out of the dryer and folding them. She looked up and saw him just then. When she saw him looking at her she stuck out her tongue at him before breaking into a huge grin at him. Roger couldn't help but laugh at her.
Cass opened the bedroom door and stepped into the room. Roger was lying on his side with a pillow over his head. She sat down next to him on the bed and watched him sleep for a few minutes. So much had happened in the last week. So much good came from so much bad.
"Roger." She shook his arm. "Roger wake up."
"What?" He grumbled at her.
"It's ten o'clock. Here." She handed him the pills.
"Thanks." He told her with half closed eyes as he sat up and swallowed his pills.
"Go back to sleep." She told him as she kissed his forehead.
Roger grabbed her around the waist and tried to pull her down with him.
"Roger I've got to get up."
"No, lay down with me. Please." He whined as he started kissing her neck.
"Okay, just for a few minutes." She told him as she started to kiss him back. "Just a. few.. minutes." She told him, kissing him back.
After a few minutes Roger broke apart from her. He stopped. He had to stop. Before things went too far. Got out of hand. Before he did something stupid. Like usual.
They just lay there for a few minutes. He kept running his fingers up and down her arm. "You should go back to sleep." She told him as she ran her fingers through his blond tipped hair.
"Yeah, I'm still pretty tired." He told her as he rolled over and rested his head on her chest.
"What time did you come to bed last night?"
"I didn't. It was this morning, after six."
"What were you doing at the Iguana till then?" She asked, still playing with his hair.
Roger took a deep breath. He needed to tell her. She needed to know where he stood on this as much as he did. "I wasn't at the Iguana. I was here. Mark cleaned out Mimi's room. I was going through some things and looking at stuff, before Mark gets rid of it all."
"Oh." She kept stroking his hair, never stopping. "Are you okay?" She asked him tenderly.
"Yeah. It was time to do it."
"If you say so."
"Mark and I thought we would move his office into Mimi's room. Then he would have more room for work. And we could put your stuff in where his office is now. It that okay?"
"Whatever you guys want to do."
"Thanks Cass." He told her.
"Go back to sleep. I've got to go do some work." She kissed him on the forehead and got up from the bed.
"'Kay." He told her as she got up. God she was incredible. Even at the mention of Mimi's name. It doesn't phase her. She never flinched. He flinches still. So does Mark. So does Maureen and everyone else, but not Cass. She never pushed the subject farther than Roger wanted to go. He figured she had no idea how much that meant to him. That was what he was thinking as he fell back asleep.
******
"Quick Print and Copy. How can I help you?"
"Um, is Maureen there?" Mark asked. He did have to admit having a cell phone was more convenient than trying to come up with change for a pay phone. "This is Mark."
"One second." Mark heard the phone move some as the person called to her. "'Reen, it's Mark."
"Hey sweetie. What's up?" Maureen asked him.
"Hopefully, lunch. I need another favor."
"You're starting to rack those up." She joked at him. "Why are we checking up on them today? What did Roger do?"
"No, it's not them."
Maureen stopped joking when she heard the seriousness in his voice. "Okay, no problem. Whatever you need. I've got lunch at 1:30 today."
"Good. You want chocolate again?"
"Um sure. Marky are you okay? Is something wrong? You don't sound right?"
"Yeah I'm okay. It's more of a moral support thing than a favor I guess."
Moral support? Why would Mark need that? Maureen was confused and concerned. This was Mark. He was everyone else's moral support. And why wouldn't he go to Roger for this? "Sweetie is something wrong with Roger? Or Cass? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, their fine. It doesn't have anything to do with them."
"Marky you're starting to scare me. Are you okay?"
"Yeah Mo, I'm fine. It's not them, or me." Mark touched the envelope in his pocket. "It's about Mimi. I'll tell you when I get there. Bye." Mark hung up the phone.
*****
Roger pulled the pillow off his face and sat up. He knew he wasn't going to get back to sleep so he might as well get up. He could her Cass talking to someone. He opened the door and watched her.
She was on her cell phone. She could have been in a boardroom somewhere the way she acted. All business. Straight and to the point. She moved different. She sounded different. It didn't even matter that she was barefoot in his tee shirt and boxers.
"Get all the stats and send me the info. I want you to pull the blue prints as well. Have the engineer go through them. He may need to do a pre inspection as well." She had this voice of authority as she paced around the living room, which to Roger just made her seem even hotter.
"No, don't worry about that. No, I told you I'd take care of that. I don't want anyone asking questions around the property. Not yet." She had a cigarette out and was trying to light it with her casted arm and hand.
Roger walked in and sat down at the counter. He took the matchbook and cigarette out of her hands. He lit one for her and one for himself and just kept watching her.
"I know that." She said into the phone as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her over to him between his knees. Cass grinned at him. "I have someone working on that. I don't believe that it will pose too much of a problem."
Roger ran his hands up and down her lower back and smirked at her as he pulled her onto his lap. Cass wrapped an arm around his neck as she flicked her ash into an ashtray. "I am very well aware of your opinion at this moment Mr. Spencer. Please remember when I would like your opinion, I will ask you for it and currently, I did not ask you for it."
"Oh. Get mean and bitchy. I love it." Roger whispered to her as he started to kiss her below her neck.
Cass had to work to keep her composure. She was laughing at him and playing with his hair again. Cass winked at him as if to say well them listen to this. "I do believe, Mr. Spencer that is what I pay you to do. Now you can either do your job and what I am asking, or I can find someone else to take my money. Do we have an understanding Mr. Spencer? Good, I'm very glad to hear that. And Mr. Spencer ask around, you will find out I never joke when I am talking business. Good day Mr. Spencer. I'll be looking for your information." With that she hung up the phone and started to laugh.
"Oh baby! Way to drive me crazy. Threatening to fire people while wearing my underwear. I love it!" He pulled her forward and started kissing her down her neck.
"Roger you're nuts!"
"Uh huh." He grinned at her. "You're right."
"Let me go you wacko!" She told him, climbing off his lap. "Do you want something to eat?"
"Are you cooking?" He asked cautiously.
"Uh huh. You have your choice of Captain Crunch or Frosted Flakes. I'll have to talk to Mark about his overly healthy shopping."
Roger leaned over the counter and reached for the Captain Crunch as Cass got him a bowl and milk. "Mark will tell you to go to the store yourself if you don't like it." Roger laughed. "It's his version of reclusive behavior tough love."
"Got it." She grinned. "You want some coffee?"
He nodded as she poured them both coffees.
"I called an electrician. He should come by on Friday. The cable guy comes on Wednesday."
"You know Benny will never pay for an electrician. Even telling him one is coming may not be such a great idea." Roger told her with some concern.
"Don't worry about Benny. We won't even mention it to him. None the less, I can't do any work until I can get my systems up and running. And I can't do that until we get an electrician out here. Besides, what's the fun of having toys if every time you go to use them the power blows?"
"What do you mean by toys?" He asked her suspiciously.
"You'll see. Did you get enough sleep?"
"Uh huh. What time do you have to meet Elizabeth?"
Her eyes dropped to her coffee. "At eight."
"Cass you okay with that? With Elizabeth?" Shit what do I do if she says no? She's got to go he thought.
"Yes, it's okay. It's a good idea I guess."
"Good. What else do you have to do today? Do I get to watch you fire anybody else this morning?" He raised his eyebrows up a few times on that statement.
"No." She said coming around the counter and moving to right in front of him. Cass moved in close as he wrapped his arms around her. She held onto his neck as she learned in towards him and in a sultry whisper into his ear told him "I don't have to fire anyone else. But you know what we could do?" She asked him as she walked her fingers up his chest.
"What?" He asked her, wondering how he even got the word out.
"Well, we could get out of these clothes."
"Uh huh?"
"And go do laundry." She laughed as she hopped off his lap she had almost been sitting on.
"Oh you are such a tease!" He told her as he smacked her on the ass as she moved away.
******
"I'm on lunch." Maureen announced to the Quick Print counter staff as she saw Mark walk in the door. She opened the swinging gate at the counter to let him in the back. He followed her to the break room.
"Marky what's gong on? Is Roger upset about last night? I thought he wanted us to do that?" She sat down across from him at the table.
"No, actually he was fine. Really fine. He looked through everything last night when he got home. I found him on the couch looking at stuff at six this morning."
"But he was okay?'
"Yeah, he was. Remember that shoe box, the one with his name on it?" Maureen nodded. "Well, it had some stuff she must have put in there for him."
"Wow."
"And a letter for him."
"What did it say?"
"I don't know, I didn't ask him and he didn't tell me." Mark reached in his pocket. "She wrote one to me too." He told her as he laid the still unopened letter on the table.
"You haven't read it yet?" Maureen asked as she took Mark's hand.
"No. I was surprised she even wrote it to me. I just, I want to read it, I just didn't want to do it alone. You know? And I couldn't do it with Roger there." Maureen just kept silently nodding as he spoke. "And well, it didn't feel right to ask Cass, for well obvious reasons. So I thought of you."
"Oh. Okay. You want to read it now? I'll sit here with you. I won't even ask any questions. I promise."
"Yeah. Maybe I just want to do it and get it over with." Slowly Mark opened the envelope. He took a deep breath as he pulled out the one piece of folded paper. It was Mimi's big loopy handwriting. Even Maureen could tell that from the other side of the table. He laid it down on the table and reached for Maureen's hand as he read it silently to himself.
Dear Mark,
If you're reading this, then it's all over. No more pills, no more hospitals, no more problems. But also no more Roger. And no more you. Roger's not real good at expressing emotion. Suppressing is more his style. Unless it's in his music, then it comes out. And I don't see him writing you any songs anytime soon. So it's up to me I guess.
I wanted to make sure you knew how special you are Marky. And how special you are to Roger. And to me. We both got so wrapped up in each other that we would sometimes forget about you, and I apologize for that. I know you sometimes felt funny around us too, like a third wheel and I apologize for that too. Please know you never were. We always wanted you there.
Mark I just wanted to thank you. For everything. Everything you did for Roger before, because without you, I never would have had him. I know that's true. For everything you did for me. And everything you did for us. Neither of us deserves you. Roger had said that more than once.
I guess I just wanted to make sure you knew that. That and the fact that Roger and I love you. Roger loves you. And I love you. There is nothing either of us could want more than for you to be happy.
I know it won't be easy for Roger when I'm gone. Which means it won't be easy for you, because I know you'll take on, once again, the burden and responsibility that is Roger. Please love him (I know you will) and do what you can for him, but Marky, please don't let him or us become your life.
Please just be happy. Know that you're a wonderful, special person who is loved by a lot of people. But especially by Roger. And especially by me.
Remember all the good stuff we had. Forget our bad days. And keep going, because there is no day but today.
Love you Mark. And my life, and Roger's life and the world is a better place because of you.
Love,
Mimi
Mark let go of Maureen's hand so he could take off his glasses and wipe the tears that were running down his cheeks. He folded up the letter an returned it to it's envelope.
Maureen watched in silence as Mark put it back in his pocket. "You okay Marky?" She asked softly.
"Yeah, actually I think I am." He almost felt like he had a new found inner strength. "She was really special wasn't she?"
"She sure was. But so are you Mark."
"Yeah, I guess so." He told her, patting his pocket the envelope was in.
Maureen didn't ask what the letter said. She knew Mimi. She had a pretty good idea what it said. Hopefully, she as right. Hopefully, Mark would start to see it as well.
*****
"Roger." Cass called to him from the couch. "Roger, somebody's at the door. It's probably the UPS guy."
"I'm going." He said setting his guitar down on the bed. He looked at her as he walked out of his bedroom. Why didn't she get the door? Especially if she knew who it was? Come to think of it, she was always telling them to get the door. Even when she was closest. Had she answered it at all in the week she was here? Didn't Jason say something about her freaking out some when he came over and walked in that day? Maybe he ought to tell Elizabeth all this. Maybe, maybe he ought to open the door he thought as the knocking brought him out of his thoughts. He opened the door to find not one, but two UPS guys with full dolly's.
"Yeah, I've got a delivery for CD&S." The UPS guy said. " A Mark Cohen. Is this the right address? I was expecting a business."
"This is it." Cass called from the couch. "Just put it there, against the wall." She pointed by Roger's bedroom door. "No chance you all have an elevator hidden away in this building I guess." He joked at Roger while the second guy went down stairs for the rest. In case I ever have to come back here."
"Um no, I mean yeah there is a freight elevator, but it's boarded over. Cass what is all this?"
"Oh you'll be back, I'm sure. There really is an elevator? I didn't know that."
"I had a feeling. It's always the places with no elevators on the top floor that seem to get the most deliveries." He held out the electronic clipboard for Roger to sign for the delivery.
"Oh, um, sorry." Roger told him as he signed his name. He closed the door after they brought in the rest. "Cass what is all this stuff?"
"Well, it's not my computer stuff, but oh well, I can't do anything until the electrician gets here anyway. We probably can't use any of this until then either thought." She got up off the couch and walked to the stack of stuff.
"But what is it?" Roger asked her again.
"Well, some of it is toys I guess."
"You bought all this stuff? For here? Are you crazy?"
"No, and don't worry about it. I was going to get an apartment when I left Italy anyway. I would have bought it all then anyway. So don't go getting all weird on me about spending money."
"Okay. If you say so." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "So what did you by Ms. Trump?"
"Don't be sarcastic. And I just got some basic stuff. Like a microwave and coffeemaker so we don't have to use Jen's anymore. And a vacuum cleaner."
"For what?" He joked. "No seriously, what else?"
"All right. A TV, VCR, DVD player, another air conditioner and a small stereo. Like I said, a few basics and a few toys." She shrugged.
Roger could tell she was sort of embarrassed. She had spent more money in the last week between shopping and that retainer check to Joanne, then he and Mark had seen in a year. "Got it, basics. And toys. What no CD burner?" He kidded her.
"Um, that's part of the computer stuff. It should be here by tomorrow." Her eyes were down at his chest. "Are you mad?"
Roger laughed at her. "No I'm not mad. It's your money, do whatever you want. Just remember you don't have to spend it on me and Mark okay?"
She nodded at him. "I know." She hugged him. "It's just, I thought it would be nice to have some of that stuff. It would be nice for you guys to have some stuff. Decent stuff. Instead of hand me down, decrepit A/C's and borrowed coffee makers."
"What ever you want Cass." He laughed softly.
"Okay, then you know what I want to do?"
"I'm almost afraid to ask." He laughed again. "What?"
"To have you take me to go do laundry!" She told him with a grin as she pulled him towards the bedroom.
"Does that qualify as me taking you on a date?" He grinned as he followed her into the room. "Because if it does, that I can even afford."
"Let's go Davis. Start sorting clothes." She laughed as well.
******
"Hello?" Roger laughed into the blue cell phone. He was sitting out the bench outside the laundry mat, smoking a cigarette with Cass on his lap.
"Where are you guys?"
"We're at the laundry mat." Roger said into the phone.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have the wrong number." Mark laughed. "I'm looking for Roger Davis."
"It's Mark. He's trying to be funny again, but it's not working." He told Cass before turning his attention back to the phone. "What do you want smartass?"
"What are you guys doing?"
"We're at the laundry mat dork, what do you think we're doing? Laundry." Roger rolled his eyes at Cass who was cracking up on his lap.
"Seriously? Roger Davis does laundry? I didn't know that was possible." Mark was cracking up by now. "First beat up by a girl, now doing laundry. Yep there goes that bad boy image."
"Again I'll ask, what do you want smartass?"
"What time does she have to see Elizabeth tonight?"
"Eight o'clock."
"Ask him if he wants to eat first." Cass told Roger.
"Cass wants to know if you want to eat first?"
"Is she planning on cooking?" Mark asked.
Roger grinned as he looked at Cass. "He wants to know if you're cooking?"
"Hey!" She whacked him in the shoulder with her cast.
"Ow! I didn't say it, Mark did. But now that he brought it up, you weren't planing on cooking were you?" Roger teased her.
"Oh please!" She stood up crushing out her cigarette. "I'm going to check on the clothes." She walked back into the laundry mat.
"Well, at least we're both in trouble together this time." Roger laughed.
"Great, just what I need." Mark told him. "Um, what's with all the stuff here? The TV, VCR and everything? She buy all that?"
"Yeah, she did."
"Why'd she go and do all that?" Mark whined into the phone.
"I know, I told her. You know she's not going to listen. She's gonna do what she wants. Pick your battles buddy, this one ain't worth it."
"Yeah I guess you're right."
"So you cooking Marky?"
"Well I don't want her doing it. You either for that matter." Mark laughed. "So I guess I'm cooking. I'll see you later."
"Yeah, bye." Roger hung up the phone. He stood up to go back inside the laundry mat. He could see Cass inside pulling clothes out of the dryer and folding them. She looked up and saw him just then. When she saw him looking at her she stuck out her tongue at him before breaking into a huge grin at him. Roger couldn't help but laugh at her.