Chapter 50
"There's Mark." Jen pointed out the window as he walked by, obviously having a heated conversation on his cell phone.
"Where are his glasses?" Maureen asked looking up. "God I hope he didn't break them again."
Mark came through he door, still talking. "No! I'm not gonna call him. You want her cell number, you call him." He walked over to the table where they all sat. "Damn it Roger. She'll think I'm checking up on her if I do that."
"Hey where are your glasses?' Maureen interrupted him.
Mark looked up but ignored her. "Hold on." He said into the phone before moving it some. "Is Cass here?" He asked definitely annoyed.
Collins, along with everyone else, looked up at that statement. "Um, no. Should she be?" He asked, somewhat alarmed.
"No she's not." Mark said back into the phone. "No. They are fine. For God sake Roger it's only Jersey! They are probably stuck in traffic." At this point Mark had everyone's undivided attention. "Because she is a nice person and she'd never let anything happen. I… No… Fine! You want me to say it I will!" He turned around and walked back out to the sidewalk. "I know because there is no way in hell Allison would ever take any girl who has anything what so ever to do with you around Benny! Look I'm sorry okay? Can't you just relax and be happy she went out with someone other than us?"
Mark tuned around and realized all their friends were watching him through the window. He turned back towards the street, away from them. "Look, I'm sure she'll be home soon. And I know she's fine. Call me back in ten minutes and I'll call you if she shows up."
Mark hung up the phone and walked back into the Life Café. Jason poured a beer and set it in front of the empty seat. Mark fell into the chair, dropped the phone on the table and picked up the beer. "Thanks."
Everyone was still looking at him, waiting. Finally Jen broke the silence. "Well?"
"Huh?" Mark looked up.
"Mark is everything okay?" Collins asked.
"No, it's not."
"Well?" Jen asked again almost unable to contain herself. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong is they are going to give me an ulcer."
"Mark! What is going on?" Maureen asked. "If you're here, and Roger's where ever, looking for Cass, where is she?"
"They are making my crazy!" He dropped his head into his hands. "Cass is shopping." He sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Actually, if Roger wasn't making me crazy the whole thing would be pretty funny." He grinned.
They were all still looking at him. "Okay." He began, still grinning. "Out of all of our friends, who does Cass have the most in common with? Like life, job, school, money, stuff like that?"
"That's easy." Jason said, nodding towards Maureen. "Joanne."
Collins got a small grin. "That's true, but he's talking about Allison I think."
"Bingo!" Mark said, touching a finger to the tip of his nose.
"Ewww." Jen said, making a face. "That could be messy."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Mark drank back more of his beer. "Anyway, Allison comes to pick up the dog, they start talking. Next thing you know, they're like all buddy buddy or something I guess."
"So where's Cass right now?" Jen asked.
"She went shopping at Paramus Park mall in Jersey with Allison."
"So what's Roger's problem? He should be grateful he doesn't have to go shopping." Maureen asked, pouring more beers.
"You mean other than the obvious Benny thing? Just that they had said they would be back like forty-five minutes ago and Cass isn't picking up her phone for some reason."
Their waitress came over and took their order. Joellen stopped by on her way back to the kitchen. "Hey! God, we are swamped tonight! This is the first chance I even got to say hi to you guys. What's going on?" She put a hand on Mark's shoulder as he looked up at her.
"Honestly, the same stupidity that has been going on for years!" He laughed. "I'll tell you later."
"Okay, I got to go. I'll stop by later." She went back to work.
"It is kind of funny." Maureen laughed. "I mean Cass and Muffy as friends. Can't you just picture the four of them going out to dinner together."
Mark started grinning. "No place that involves steak knives. Or actually any type of eating utensils for that matter. Those two could turn chop sticks into weapons!"
"Yeah! Roger might try to use one like a wooden stake and drive one through Benny's heart!"
"Naw!" Mark kept going. He and Maureen were cracking up. "That would never happen. Roger doesn't believe Benny has a heart!"
"Oh and can't you just hear the conversation! One word answers followed by multiple expletives mumbled under their breath!"
"And don't forget the stare down! Both of them trying to glare each other to death!"
Everyone was amused, but by now the two of them were almost falling out of their chairs. Maureen was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. "God I would love to be a fly on the wall for that!" She wiped at her eyes trying hard to not mess up her makeup.
Mark was turning bright red as he dropped his head into his hands, trying to pull himself together. "I don't know what I'm laughing at, somehow I know I'm gonna get shit for this."
"Probably." Collins agreed, watching the two of them. "You two think you'll be able to make it through the night?" He grinned at them. His question bringing a whole additional round of laughter from the two of them.
"Heads up." Jason said seriously looking out the window. "Benny's Range Rover just pulled up." Upon hearing that Mark and Maureen tried again to pull themselves together.
"Holy shit!" Jen said as she watched Roger open the door to the Range Rover.
"He doesn't look too happy." Jason observed.
"When does he ever when Benny's involved?" Jen asked.
"Maybe I'll go say hello to Allison." Collins told them standing up.
"Can I hide in the kitchen?" Mark joked. The look he got from Collins was answer enough and he shut up. Their food came as Collins started outside.
*********
Roger opened the back door and was helping Cass out as Collins came around to the driver's side window.
"Collins! I haven't seen you in ages! How are you?"
"Pretty good. I'm back at NYU."
"That's what Cass was telling me. I'm glad to hear you're doing so well."
"So I hear you finally found a shopping soul mate." He nodded towards Cass. "Roger should be grateful. If you take her shopping he doesn't have to go. Not that he couldn't use the fashion advice I'm sure."
Roger just sort of looked at him as Cass leaned into the open passenger window. "Well you can only do so much Internet shopping. You lose your mall edge otherwise." She joked.
"I think you have a way to go before that happens." Allison laughed.
"We were just getting ready to eat Allison, do you want to join us?"
"Ah, tempting offer, as I haven't had a tofu anything in forever," she leaned back and glanced into the Café window, where she could see everyone very intently watching them. "I think I better pass. It's bad enough your sweet innocent Cass was kidnapped and corrupted for the day by the wife of the number one bastard and slumlord of the Alphabet City. I don't know if Maureen and everyone could handle me for an entire meal."
"You know it's not like that." Collins said gently.
"I know, I'm just being extreme. But I really do have to go. Poor Georgio is probably ready to burst. Cass, I had a wonderful time. I'll email you the stuff we talked about. I think it's a great idea."
"Thanks. I'll forward you the info I was able to pull out. I had a great time. I'll talk to you later." Cass told her backing up herself and Roger away form the car.
"Great! I'll talk to you. Bye Collins. It was great seeing you. Tell Mark and Maureen I said hi. Bye Roger. Sorry again about us getting back so late. You gonna let her come out and play with me again?" Allison put on a pouty face. "Please?"
"Yeah, I suppose." He got a small grin. "You brought her back in one piece I guess." The possessively wrapped arm that had gone around her stomach earlier was joined by his other arm, which tightened his grip around her waist, as he pulled her back towards him even closer. "And it looked like she had a good time. Or at least bought a lot of crap. That's the same thing with girls right? Shopping equals happiness?"
"Something like that." Allison grinned. "I gotta go. See you later. She waved and pulled away from the curb.
Collins watched her drive off then looked at Roger and Cass. "Well it looks like my dinner's here. You guys coming?" He asked them pulling open the door to the Life Café.
"Yeah, we'll be right there. Hey, order me a cheeseburger dinner." Roger called.
"Me too." Cass told Collins. "Soy. And a coffee shake."
"Right. Two soy cheeseburger dinners and a shake. Got it." Collins grinned at Roger.
"Funny. One soy burger, one cow burger." Roger grumbled at him as he went through the door. They were still standing in front of the window and Mark, Maureen, Jason and Jen were still watching them like they were the movie of the week. Roger turned back towards them and smacked the window. "Get a fucking life!"
Cass rolled her eyes and dragged him over to the side where they couldn't be seen. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" He asked. He held both her hands as he leaned against the wall.
"You're mad at me. Now whether it's for running off and going shopping without you, or running off and going shopping with Allison, or running off and going shopping with Benny's wife I don't know. I've got my suspicions, but I'm not going into that right now. You got issues with Benny. And I should have remembered that. So I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in that position."
"Oh crap. Come here." He pulled her close and whispered into her ear. "No, I'm sorry. And I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at me. For being an idiot. It's just that… you were… I don't know, gone. And really late." His hands traveled from her waist and up her back, pulling her so tight almost lifting her off the ground. "And not answering your phone… and with Benny. Sort of." His voice trailed off as he looked down and away.
"But Roger I wasn't with Benny. I was with Allison. And now I'm with you. And I'll always be with you Roger. Forever. Believe me. Please. Because I loves you. You." She backed away and held his face gently in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Do you hear me Roger Jackson Davis? I love you. No one else.
"Especially Benny. Honestly, Benny repulses me. The way he treated you. All of you. It makes me sick to think about what he's done and how he's treated all of you guys over the years. You. Mark. Collins and Maureen. Allison. Mimi."
She was still holding his face, but he couldn't look into her eyes. He had kept his focus on her mouth. Watching her lips move to make the words he so desperately wanted to hear. Then she said Mimi's name. His eyes shot up to her's.
When their eyes met it was like knives stabbing him in the heart. Remembering Mimi. Remembering how much he lover her. Remembering Mimi and Benny. Remembering how much he hated her then too. And that made him feel horribly guilty. For as much as he loved Mimi at times he hated her that much too.
And here he was, convicting Cass of doing the same thing as Mimi. Cass, who had done nothing at all to provoke that. Nothing but try to love him, like Mimi did. And that made him feel horribly guilty as well. His eyes dropped to the ground.
Her hands were still on his face. "Yes Mimi too. What? You think she got out of that scott free from him? He treated her like crap before she ever even met you. And he would have continued doing it whether she was with you or not. The fact that being a bastard to you hurt her and being a bastard to her hurt you was just an extra plus for him."
Cass bent down some so she was looking up into his down turned eyes. "Roger I love you. But if you can't get past the Benny thing, I'll deal with that. But do you understand that nothing could ever make me give you up, especially for Benny. Do you remember that I'm going to have a baby? With you silly?"
At the mention of the baby a small smile came over his face. "Yeah, I remember that." He pulled her close and kissed her, long and hard and needingly. "And I'm really glad about that too. All of it. You and me. The baby. All of it." He spun her around and pinned her against the wall and kissed her again. "I'm so sorry Cass. I love you. I really, really do."
"Good. Now take me to dinner, I'm starving! I feel like I haven't eaten in days."
"Well come on. Let's go feed you. Both of you." He started to pull her towards the door. "And I really am sorry. I want you to be friends with Allison, I really do. She's really a nice person. It's just, I don't know." He shook his head.
"It's okay Roger. I understand. This is a really big thing for you. It's going to take time." She pulled the door open and looked back at him. "I'll tell you what. Until you are more comfortable with this whole thing, anytime Allison and I are going shopping you can come with us. She promised to take me to all the best malls in the tri state area. Is that a deal? Just you, me and Allison, mall shopping till we drop!" She winked at him to let him know she was kidding.
"You're evil!" He nipped at her neck as they walked in the door. "But very tasty!"
*********
Maureen slowly put a french frie in her mouth as she watched the scene unfold outside. "Well this is cheaper than the movies."
"What do you think they are saying?" Jen had twisted herself around to see, not caring about being obvious.
"You gotta love Collins. He's only going out there to try and appease Roger. I'm sure he could care less about that little bitch." Maureen told them snidely.
"No, he always really liked Allison. And honestly she never really did anything to us. It was all him." Mark dumped more ketchup on his burger as he spoke. "But you're right about the appeasing Roger part. He's a braver man that I am."
"That's apparent, considering you're sitting here and he's out there with them." Maureen came back at him.
"Hey I got to live with them remember? I pick my battles, because no matter what I do, I'll get sucked into the war." He told her though a mouthful of food.
"Don't be such a pig! And where are your glasses? And why aren't you squinting?"
Mark swallowed and grinned at her. "Because now that I have insurance, I got contacts. I picked them up on Wednesday. Apparently I desperately needed new glasses, I just didn't know it until I looked through the new ones. But now I've got glasses and contacts."
"That's great Mark." Jason told him. "It's going to take some getting used to seeing you without glasses though."
"Ewww! Roger's saying something!" Jen was almost jumping up and down as she spoke. "I wish he would turn around a little at least. Then maybe we could read his lips some. I'd love to know what's going on out there."
"Jennifer you are pathetic! For god sake will you just leave them alone. Stop being so nosy." Jason scolded her.
"I can't help it, I just need to know."
"Well here comes Collins, maybe he'll tell you." Maureen pointed out.
"Doubtful that he will feed into her incredibly rude and undying curiosity. He's better than that." Jason told her.
Roger turned back towards them. They could see what he said more than hear it, but when he smacked the window, all of them jumped some especially Jen who let out a small yelp of surprise. "Scare me half to death!"
"Jennifer it serves you right for being such a nosy pain in the ass. Now turn around and eat your dinner. And when they do come back in let it all be unless they bring it up!"
"But Jason!"
"No butts!"
Collins came through the door, stopping to speak to the waitress as he did. "Well Allison said to tell you all hello." He told them sitting back down to his salad.
Jen opened her mouth but shut it after a look from Jason.
"Just tell me everything is fine. Please?" Mark pleaded. "I don't have time to go following him all over the city while he hunts down Benny wanting to kill him. And besides, the last time they got into it, I was the one who ended up on the ground."
"Marky when are you going to learn to stop trying to break up Roger's fights. I mean he's like six inches taller than you are. So is Benny almost for that matter. You're going to get hurt."
Wow, concern from Maureen. You rarely got that when you dated her. Mark pushed those thoughts out of his mind for now. "I know, I know. Just tell me he's cool Collins. Please."
"I think so. He seems to be acting fairly rational, for Roger at least. It's strange, I feel like I've been saying that a lot about him lately." He let out a small laugh.
"Well he looks like he's in a decent mood." Jason said as he watched them walk through the door. "So just let it be Jennifer."
"Hmf!" Was all she said, pouting in the corner of the booth.
"Collins did you order us food?" Roger asked as he and Cass sat down.
"Yes, she already put the order in." Collins told him, taking a bite of his salad.
"Okay," Mark began, "so where were you and why didn't you answer your phone?"
"I was in New Jersey. Interesting place. Never been there before. Nice Mall though." She told him sarcastically as she took a few of his onion rings and started to eat them. "As for my phone," she looked at him, "the battery mysteriously went dead. Strange considering it was plugged in last night."
"Yeah." Roger reached his arm around behind Cass' shoulders and flicked Mark in the ear.
"Ow! That hurt. What the hell was that for?" Mark cried out, rubbing his ear.
"Her phone was plugged in until somebody unplugged it to charge their dumb camera battery."
"Oh." Was all Mark could say as Roger flicked his ear again. "Ow! Cut it the fuck out Roger. See," he looked at Jason and Collins, "I told you somehow I'd get shit for this."
Roger grinned and flicked at his ear again, but Mark smacked his hand away. "Cut it out, you fuck! You're gonna whack my glasses." He reached over to flick him back.
Roger smacked him in the back of the head. "You're not wearing your glasses dork! You got contacts. Remember?" He tried to hit him again as their waitress brought out the cheeseburgers and set them in front of Roger and Cass.
Cass leaned forward for the ketchup, as they play fought behind her. She let them go on and just started eating.
"Oh for god sake cut it out both of you!" Maureen yelled at them. "Now!"
"Fine." Mark said, pulling his arm back down.
Roger got a small grin and as Mark turned his head he picked his arm up to flick his ear again. Until then Cass had been ignoring them and eating her cheeseburger. When she felt his arm move behind her back she swallowed the bite in her mouth. Without ever looking from her burger she hollered at him. "Roger cut it out. Now."
He dropped his arm back down around his shoulder as she went back to her burger. "Fine." He gave Mark a look, who gave him one back.
Collins and Jason just started laughing at them as Roger dumped ketchup on his fries. "What the fuck are you two laughing at?"
"Yeah? What's so funny?" Mark demanded, the dispute with Roger forgotten and suddenly they were teamed up again.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Collins laughed.
Jason coughed into his hand while saying whipped.
"Bite me." Roger told them picking up his burger.
"No thanks. We'll leave that to Cass." Jen laughed.
"I swear I don't know how you live with them Cass. Always acting like idiots." Maureen told them.
Cass just shrugged and grinned as she bit into her burger again. Roger, still holding his burger turned to Maureen. "You lived with us and you survived." He told her, biting into his cheeseburger.
"Yeah well, I was young and stupid then." She laughed. "What's the matter?"
"Ugh." He swallowed hard. "This is yours. Eww. Fake meat." He drank down the rest of Mark's beer. "Yuck!"
As everyone else laughed at him, Cass just looked at him for a second then down at what little of the burger was left in her hands. "I ate meat?" She told him through a mouthful of burger. She swallowed hard. "I can't believe I ate meat."
"I can't believe you couldn't tell the difference considering your soy thing tastes like cardboard." He laughed at her, along with Mark.
"You want the rest?" She held it out to him.
"No," He laughed, "I don't want the one bite of my burger that's left." He grinned eating his french fries.
"Sorry. I told you I was starving." She dumped her fries onto his plate, picking up the soy burger. "I can't believe I ate meat." She shook her head finishing off his burger.
"How long have you been off meat Cass?" Collins asked her.
"Like four or five year." She said, drinking her shake. "I tried going totally vegetarian except for fish, but it was too hard to find food when I was traveling. I had to go back to poultry too. But I stayed off red mean and pork. Except for bacon sometimes."
"How did you manage to do that anyway?" Jen asked as she finished her dinner.
"Actually it was pretty easy. I mean you're already off meat on Fridays in lent, especially in Europe. And you have to give up something, and it wasn't going to be alcohol again. So one year I gave up meat all together for lent. The hard part wasn't even the wanting it. The hard part was just finding something else to eat."
"No way." Maureen said, stealing one of Roger's fries. "I never could have done it. I don't have the will power for that. I would have cheated."
"No fucking kidding." Roger said dryly. "Who ever would have guessed that."
"Behave." Mark snapped at him as Maureen gave him an evil look.
"Oh, sorry." Roger told her. "I, ah, didn't mean it quite like that." He gave Mark an apologetic look.
"Right." Maureen said bitterly.
"I didn't. I was actually referring to my french fries which you always steal. But maybe if it wasn't so damn true and you weren't so damn guilty, maybe you wouldn't be so damn sensitive about it."
"Fuck you Roger."
"No Maureen, I'm about he only one you didn't--"
"Okay! Moving on!" Mark yelled at both of them.
"Fine!" She snapped back.
"Sorry." Roger said, but it was obviously directed at Mark more than Maureen.
"So ah, Cass, what did you buy today?" Jen asked, trying to move away from the previous conversation.
Cass had already started in on the soy burger, and as Jen asked her the question she was putting one of Mark's onion rings into her mouth.
"Obviously not lunch." Roger laughed at her. "I've never seen you eat so much."
"I told you, I was starving. That girl can shop. She had me up and down that mall. We must of hit every store there. I swear, I think she can smell a sale."
"Yep, sounds like Muffy."
"Allison." Mark told Maureen.
Ignoring Mark, Maureen continued. "So what did you get?"
"I bought a coat."
"She bought a jacket. You'll freeze if you think you can wear that all winter in the city."
"Will see." Cass ran though some of the clothes and things she picked up during the day.
After awhile Joellen came back over and sat down with them. "God I thought I would never get a break. I swear, it must be a full moon. Every table I've had has been filled with loonies." She looked around, pulled a coffee cup out of her apron pocket and poured some beer into it from the pitcher. "Shhh!" She told all of them. "Ewww, this is warm, do you guys want another one?"
"Is it free?" Mark teased her.
"Maybe." She grinned, "I'll see what I can do." She turned to Roger. "So when did you guys get here? Cass burn dinner again?"
Roger didn't say anything, but both he and Mark started laughing.
"Shut up, I'm not that bad."
"Babe, you burnt spaghetti." Roger laughed at her.
"That's easy to do." Jen tried to help. "Spaghetti sauce burns easy."
"Uh-uh." Mark laughed. "This was just the pasta, no sauce involved."
"Oh, I've done that, boiled off all the water. Ruins the pot." Jason said.
"Yeah," Jen gave him a look, "my pot of course."
"No," Roger laughed, "I don't know how she did it, but there was plenty of water left, but a whole bunch of the noodles were just burnt black and all stuck together."
"It didn't say it had to be stirred on the box." She told him, finishing off her shake.
"Cass, I don't understand how, being as smart as you are you can have so many problems cooking anything beyond cereal, toast and coffee." Joellen laughed.
"My brain just functions on levels much higher than that is all." She told them sarcastically as she casually picked up Roger's beer, realizing her shake was gone.
"Oh excuse me Miss Smarty Pants!" Mark needled her. "You would think your high functioning brain would be able to figure out that there are temperatures between off and high on the stove." Just as casually as Cass picked up his beer, he took it out of her hand. "And you're not supposed to be drinking that."
Cass sighed and looked at Joellen. "Don't you have work to do instead of starting trouble?"
"Honey, starting trouble is my work! This place is just a job! I gotta get my kicks somewhere." She stood up, picking up the almost empty pitcher. "I'll get you guys another one. Are we still going out later?"
Mark looked at Jen and Maureen who nodded. "I guess, how much longer are you here?"
"Maybe another hour, hour and a half." Just then Roger's phone started ringing. "Can I take a quick shower at your place first?"
"Yeah, we'll be there." Mark told him, ignoring the ringing.
"Roger are you gonna answer that?" Jen asked.
"Why?" He asked her like it was one of the strangest questions he had ever heard. "They're here." He pointed at Cass and Mark. "And you guys are here. Who does that leave I'd actually want to talk to?" The ringing stopped. "Besides, if it was actually important, whoever it is would call Mark anyway."
As if on cue Mark's phone started to ring, which produced laughter from everyone. "Hello?" He grinned and handed the phone to Roger. "Izzy said to tell that jackass that he knows you're sitting right there and answer your damn phone so he doesn't have to bother poor Mark."
"Right." Roger took the phone. "What?"
"Okay so maybe Izzy didn't say that last part, but I'm sure he was thinking it." Mark along with everyone else laughed at that.
"Give me a fucking break Iz. How the hell did he do that?" They were all listening to Roger when Joellen returned with the pitcher and set it on the table. "Well what do you need me for?… Oh whatever! Hold on." He looked at Cass. "Are you going to kill me if I have to go save Izzy's ass?"
She shook her head no while yawning. "Uh-uh."
He realized how tired she actually looked after being out with Allison all day. "Yeah, all right. I'm coming. You so fucking owe me Iz!… Oh whatever!" He grinned and hung up the phone.
"What happened?" Mark asked him pouring beers for everyone.
"Vinny, the bouncer on Friday nights, is a dumbass. He was trying to impress some girl by juggling beer bottles and he cracked him self in the head with one." He laughed.
"I'll bet it didn't work." Collins told them.
"Probably not." Roger laughed again. "But he was already short handed for tonight. So now Izzy's gonna bounce and I gotta run the bar." Roger stood up and tossed some money on the table. I got to run back by the loft first. I'll see you guys later. You want to go back with me or wait for them?"
Cass tried to say something, but only yawned instead. She stood up, pointing at Roger. "I'll see you guys in a little bit." They said goodbye and Cass and Roger left the Café.