Chapter 39: Christmas Bells Are Ringing
"You're never here anymore. All I ever hear about is this guy, that guy, some party, and that girl-Mimi, is it-? I never see you! I don't even think you've been by here since you've moved out. What's going on, baby? I miss you."
"I miss you too, Queenie. I've just been having such a nice time, though. Mimi and I are really, uh, involved with Life Support and we've been going to the socials and stuff. I even found this great gay club a couple of blocks from the apartment, so as soon as I get off work, I go dancing there. Mimi comes with me sometimes, when she's not at the Cat Scratch Club. You need to meet her, she's really sweet."
"Well, I'll get to meet her tomorrow for Christmas. You're coming here, right?" Queenie asked, twisting the phone cord around her finger.
"Um, well." Angel began, as he started to crack his knuckles, just like he did whenever he was nervous.
"Angel Dumott-Schunard! You promised you would come home for Christmas. We're having a big bash at the club just like last year. It's gonna be a lot of fun, Ang. Please?" she whined.
"I'm going to Mimi's to meet her family. She told them months ago that I was coming and they're all really excited to meet me. She says that ever since she moved in with Chase, her relationship with her parents hasn't been great, and I told her that I'd come to Christmas with her so her parents could see that the people she was hanging around weren't all druggies and old men."
"I really wish you were coming here, though. You've been spending so much time with this girl. I don't like you being around someone so much when I haven't even met her. You're my son and I'm just looking out for you."
"I know, but I promise I'll bring her over so you can meet her soon. She's only seventeen. She really needs someone to look out for her, and that's what I've been doing. When we go out together, I make sure she isn't doing any drugs or drinking or anything. I promise, I'm helping her out, just like you helped me."
"You're a good person, Ang," Queenie said softly. Angel could hear the smile and pride in her voice. "Well, if you're not gonna come by here for Christmas, then I expect to see you soon with this chick Mimi. If she's as good a friend to you as you say, then she can't be that bad."
"She's great, I promise. I'll let you know when we're coming by."
"Okay Ang. We gotta start setting up for the Christmas eve bash tonight. It's gonna be wild. I'll talk to you later, honey. Love you."
"Love you too," Angel said, as he hung up the phone. Quickly, he scurried over to his dresser, opening it up to reveal the present he had got Mimi. She was a tough chick to shop for; most straight girls were. But, the pants that he made her seemed to suit her perfectly. They were made of blue vinyl that was so shiny it looked like liquid. She always complained how she had a very revealing wardrobe, but everything was either black or silver. She wanted more clothes that stood out. He also got her a great set of makeup from Mac: a set of 5 brushes, a purple palette of makeup (lipstick, eye shadow, lip-gloss, and eyeliner), and a tub of silver glitter. Glitter is essential.
He had even gotten some nice blue and purple wrapping paper to wrap it up with. He was so sure she would love the gift that it warmed his heart. He loved to give things to other people: it was something that he considered to be very important.
After wrapping the gift and sealing it with a glittering silver ribbon, Angel proceeded to dig through his closet to find something tasteful to wear. He figured that, in front of Mimi's parents, it would be best to not dress in one of this over-the-top drag outfits. He knew that, from what she had told him, they were a reasonably conservative Christian family. However, that didn't mean that he couldn't still look good. After much careful selection, Angel had decided on a pair of sequined blue jeans, a fuzzy black sweater and his all-time favorite faux-fur white coat. He searched his giant shoe collection for the perfect pair of sneakers. This outfit did not call for heels. The blue and white Adidas sneakers seemed to fit the ensemble perfectly.
His makeup was toned-down as well: only some light foundation and chapstick. He was still far from looking like a straight man, but at least he didn't look like a woman. After one last check in the mirror, he was finally ready to head down to Mimi's house. The clock read 7:03, and he was supposed to have met her at seven-fashionably late as usual.
Paul came in the door as Angel was leaving. "Where you off to looking so nice?" he asked, his chocolate cheeks tinged pink from the cold.
"Mimi's house for Christmas Eve dinner. Why, did you have something planned?"
"Well, I thought you and I could go out together, but we can do that tomorrow, or something. It doesn't really matter. I should probably spend some time with my sister anyway. She's complaining that she hasn't seen me in years. I keep trying to get her to come to a Life Support meeting, but she keeps refusing. It's probably better that way anyway. Well, have fun tonight, and don't come home too late. Take a key with you," Paul said, handing him a rusted brass key.
"Thanks. I hope everything works out with your sister," Angel said, giving him a hug and kiss goodbye as he shut the door and trotted down the stairs.
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"Ang! You look good, baby!" Mimi exclaimed as she welcomed Angel into her apartment. He realized that he'd never been in her home before. It was a nice apartment: two bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a living room, and a small kitchen. In the corner of the living room sat a large wooden table and clothes lay strewn about the floors. Foreign sounding techno music played quietly from behind a closed door.
"Thanks, honey. You look great, too. I've never seen you dressed so conservative. You almost look wholesome."
"And you almost look straight," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "There's someone I want you to meet." Pulling him into the apartment, she opened the door to the closed-off bedroom.
"Wait, just take this before you introduce me to your boyfriend," Angel said, handing her the present he had spent so much time wrapping.
Her bright eyes lit up with excitement. "Ang, you didn't have to do this! I have something for you, too." She walked over behind the couch and pulled out a large, deep box wrapped in newspaper with a duct tape bow on the top. "I suck at wrapping presents, but I hope you like it."
"Sugar, I'll love it!" Angel squealed, taking the present in his hands and air-kissing her cheek.
"Good. We'll open them after you meet Chase," she said, opening the door to the closed bedroom.
Music screamed through the open door as a tall man with shiny, chocolate-colored hair dropped the clothes he was folding and turned to face Mimi. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked, with a slight look of disgust on his chiseled features.
"Chase, baby, this is my best friend Angel. Angel, this is my boyfriend Chase."
"Nice you meet you, honey," Angel said, extending his hand, "Mimi's told me so much about you."
Staring blankly at Angel's hand, Chase raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Mimi. Awkwardly, Angel's arm dropped down as he stood facing Chase, a smile still plastered on his shiny lips.
"Well, anyway, we should get going," Mimi injected, putting an end to the uncomfortable silence, "Chase, you're more than welcome to come. The invite still stands."
"No, I got some stuff to take care of," he said in a distant voice, then went back to folding clothes. "Stay here for a sec."
"Okay. Ang, I'll be out in a minute."
"Nice to meet you, Chase," Angel said as he exited the messy bedroom.
Mimi shut the door behind him and turned off Chase's music. "What is your problem?" she asked, her eyes narrowing and arms crossed over her chest.
"That guy's my problem, if you could even call him that."
"He is a guy, and he happens to be my best friend. What has he ever done to you?"
"He's a fuckin' fag and I don't want you around him. All you ever do is go to those gay-ass AIDS meetings and go sit with other fags and smoke. It's no wonder her got AIDS. He's probably fucked every guy in this city, gay or straight."
"Fuck you!" she yelled, picking up one of his neatly thrown shirts and hurling it at him, "He actually got AIDS because someone raped him. How can you be so insensitive?" She held tightly onto the present Angel had given her before he had left the room.
"I'm not being insensitive. You're probably off fucking other guys with him. You're such a fuckin' whore sometimes."
"I am so sick of this same stupid argument, Chase. I'm not a whore, and I'm not cheating on you. I work at a club and sometimes I do have to give lap dances. Its part of my job and you knew that when I got it. And, if you EVER insult Angel again, I'll -."
"You'll what?" he asked, walking up to her so they were now face to face. She was staring right at his chest, as he was at least 8 inches taller than her. "What?" he repeated again with a power-hungry, sarcastic tone.
She remained silent, her eyes cast down to the floor.
"That's what I though," he snapped, walking back over to the bed to keep folding the clothes.
Wiping a tear from her cheek, Mimi walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I won't be out too late. Love you."
He didn't respond.
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Angel had been sitting outside on the lumpy couch during their entire fight and he had heard everything. He could tell that Chase was less than thrilled with him from the second he walked in the apartment.
"Ready to go?" Mimi asked, a false smile on her face. Her eyes looked slightly red and it was obvious she'd been crying.
"Not until you tell me what's going on," Angel said, quietly, reaching out so he could hold her hand.
She sighed and took his hand. "Nothing's going on, everything's fine. I don't want to be late to my parent's house, though, so we need to go."
"Mimi, listen, he -."
"I don't want to hear it," she said, her voice weak and defeated. "Chase loves me and I love him. He was just having a bad day."
"That's what I used to say about Will and look what happened to me. I just don't want you to get hurt, honey that's all."
"I'm fine," she snapped, looking away from him.
"If you insist," he said, skeptically, "Ooh! I want you to open your present. That'll cheer you right up."
Sighing again, she looked down at the package in her hands. "I guess so," she grumbled, carefully taking the bow off and ripping the paper off. The top of the box was taken off to reveal the gift that Angel knew she'd love. She took the blue pants out of the wrapping and smiled a genuine grin. Holding them up against her body, she looked up at Angel with thankfulness. "Ang, these are wonderful! I've been looking for some nice color to add to my wardrobe forever, and these are perfect!"
"I knew it would cheer you up. Do you like the makeup and glitter too?"
"Of course! You know how I feel about glitter" Mimi exclaimed, hugging Angel tightly, squeezing his small body.
"I'm glad you like it, but, honey, I need to breathe," Angel choked out. She let go of him and giggled. "I better open mine too, huh?"
"I guess so. I hope you like it," she said, clenching her fists in anticipation.
The duct tape ribbon slid off without too much difficulty and the newspaper came off easily too. Flipping the top of the box off, Angel took the gift out of the white tissue paper and held it up. White faux fur and tinsel trimmed the sleeves, hood, zipper, and bottom of the red fluffy coat. A shiny zebra belt was wrapped around the middle of the coat. Running his hands down the front of it, he felt the soft fabric-it felt almost like a stuffed animal. He was absolutely beaming with happiness as his eyes welled up with tears. He could tell by the look of the garment that it had to be one-of-a-kind. After all, not every queen could pull of a short Santa-like coat. "Where did you get this?" he asked quietly.
"I went to that place you kept raving about, Dancing Queen. I talked to the person who makes the clothes there and told her about you. She was absolutely thrilled when I mentioned your name and she said she'd love to help me find you something. I looked through her new designs that she was thinking of, and this one looked perfect. She promised me that it was a unique coat. She would never make another one like it. She told me that no other queen would be able to pull it off like you," Mimi exclaimed, examining the finely made coat.
"It's absolutely perfect. I love it. I more than love it. I can't even explain to you how much this means to me. It's so beautiful," Angel said, the tears still brimming in his eyes.
"Aw, baby, I'm so glad you like it," Mimi smiled and hugged him again, not as hard this time. She looked at the clock on the wall in front of her. 7:34. "Shit!" she exclaimed, stuffing the blue pants back into the box, "We really need to go. We were supposed to be there at 7:30!"
"Alright, let's go!"
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A subway ride and five block walk later, Mimi and Angel were in the heart of Brooklyn on the front steps of a small, charming brick house. A light-up figure of Jesus and the Virgin Mary sat outside on the lawn amidst a perfect, unblemished white blanket of snow. Christmas lights adorned the door way and the railings, illuminating the front steps. Twinkling lights and iridescent ornaments sparkled on the tree in the window.
"Your house is so cute, honey! I wish I grew up in something this nice," Angel squealed as he continued to further examine the charming home's exterior
"No, you really don't," Mimi responded, rather curtly, then rang the doorbell.
A petite Spanish woman with wild curly hair answered the door. She was a splitting image of Mimi in every way, except for her eyes: Mimi's were a deep green, and her mother's were dark brown-almost black. "Mimi chica!"
"Hi Mami," Mimi grumbled, hugging her mother and kissing her on the cheek.
"Tony, it's Mimi and her friend," she called up the stairs then turned back to face her guests.
"Mami, this is Angel," Mimi said, pointing to the boy next to her in the sequined blue jeans.
"Angel, it's so nice to meet you. Como estas?" She asked, hugging him immediately as if she'd known him forever. The way she said his name was so hunting: it sounded exactly like his own mother, when she was alive so many years ago. The similarity made him shiver slightly.
"Hola señora. Estoy bien, y usted?" he asked, his Spanish still as fluent as it was when he and his mother used to speak in the rhythmic language for hours.
"I didn't know you could speak Spanish. Es bien," she said, looking very impressed. "Oh, I am so rude, I haven't even let both of you in yet." Stepping out of the way, she made room for the two of them to walk into the warm, welcoming home. The house looked exactly how Angel had expected. Almost immaculately clean, the house smelled like freshly-baked bread. Floral wallpaper covered the walls in the living room, and a few Hispanic- looking paintings hung in the small dining room. "Have a seat and get comfortable."
Angel sat down awkwardly on the sofa. Slumping next to him, Mimi took hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly. Angel's other hand held tightly onto the box containing the present that Mimi had given him a little while ago. "I'm so sorry you have to be here," she whispered as they heard her father come down the stairs.
"You must be Angel," the deep voice spoke with a thick accent, "It's nice to finally meet you. Mimi rarely calls here anymore, but when she does, all she talks about is her friend Angel. It's nice to finally put a face to the name."
"It's nice to meet you too, señor. I've heard a lot about you as well," Angel said, getting up from the couch to shake his hand.
"You need to meet the rest of the family. Jorge! Alicia," he called upstairs as two more kids, looking identical to Mimi, came down. "Angel, this is Jorge," he pointed to the boy with a buzz cut, "and this is Alicia," he pointed to the girl who also had wild hair, just like Mimi's.
"It's nice to meet both of you," Angel said politely, shaking their hands.
"What do you say we eat, huh? I've been preparing this dinner all day. Are you ready?" Ms. Marquez cut it, beckoning everyone into the dining room. Mimi immediately leaped up from the couch and took hold of Angel's hand again. She rolled her eyes as they walked into the kitchen.
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Jorge and Alicia ate and left the table as quickly as possible. Now, it was only Angel, Mimi, and her parents left.
"So, Angel, why aren't you spending Christmas with your family?" Ms. Marquez asked, stuffing more chicken into her mouth.
"Mami, that's rude! I can't believe you'd ask something like that," Mimi exclaimed, fiddling with the napkin in her lap. Her parents had been trying to start conversations the whole night, but to no avail. It was obvious that Mimi didn't want to talk to them. The only reason she bothered coming to her hold house in the first place was to show her parents that she wasn't a homeless crack-whore.
"No, Mimi, it's okay. I don't mind telling them," Angel answered, calmly, as he pushed some Spanish rice around on his plate. He was just about five pounds over his maximum weight limit, so he made sure that he ate very little, and that what he did eat was very healthy. "When I was sixteen, my parents kicked me out of the house because I was gay. Four months later, I went back to see how my mother was doing, and she was in the hospital. My father had beaten her up or something. She died right in front of my eyes. I haven't seen or heard from my father since I left."
"I'm so sorry, Angel," Mr. Marquez said in a low, somber tone, "That must have been so difficult."
"It sounds a lot worse than it actually is. I met Queenie and Fred, a couple who own this club in the East Village and they've become my family in every way. Genes don't mean anything. The two of them basically raised me. I love them like I loved my own biological parents. Maybe even more."
"That's very sweet," Ms. Marquez remarked as she finished the rice and chicken on her plate. "I'm glad you decided to join us tonight."
"I'm glad I'm here," Angel grinned warmly.
"So, Mimi, how is everything with that boy?" her mother asked innocently.
"God, mother, do you have to keep asking questions? This is such bullshit. I'm going outside to have a smoke," she snapped as she got up from her seat and stomped outside, her clunky boots thumping against the wooden floors.
Ms. Marquez looked down at her now empty plate as an expression of concern formed on her face. A single tear dropped on to her plate as she lifted her head, attempting to maintain a smile. "She's always been like that," she sighed, shaking her head slightly, "That's why she left in the first place."
"If you don't mind me asking," Angel cut in, "how old was she when she left?"
"She had just turned sixteen. It was actually ten months ago today, I think. She moved out right around last Valentine's Day," Mr. Marquez mumbled, "She had just told us that she was HIV positive and that she was three months pregnant. She also told us not to worry though, because she had a new boyfriend named Chase, I think, who was also positive and he wanted to be with her. He was willing to care for the baby, and to let her live with him."
"We were outraged," Ms. Marquez continued, "more shocked than anything. We didn't want her dating and having sex at such a young age. So we told her she needed to calm down. My daughter's just as stubborn as I am and she wouldn't listen. She told us that she would do what she wanted to, whether she lived with us or not and when we forbade it, she told us she was going to pack her things and go live with Chase."
"That seems like something Mimi would do," Angel mumbled as he continued to play with the food on his plate, knocking down towers of Spanish rice, "You just let her go?"
"We tried to stop her. It seems like you know her reasonably well. If you told her not to do something, do you think she'd actually listen?" Mr. Marquez questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. Angel stared back, considering the question. "Exactly. She's the most stubborn person I know. She does what she wants, when she wants. I'm surprised she even came back tonight. She hasn't been back here since she left and I think she's only called once or twice." Standing up, he cleared his throat and picked up his plate. "I'm gonna go outside and see what she's up to. Would you like me to take your plates?"
Ms. Marquez nodded, handing her plate to her husband. Angel did the same. "Gracias," she said softly. Once he left, she looked over at Angel and smiled. "I'm glad Mimi met you. You seem like a wonderful boy."
"That's very nice of you to say," he answered politely, keeping a genuine smile plastered on his face, "and I'm glad I met her. She's got her problems, but she's been a really good friend to me. It hasn't really been easy since I left my parent's house and she's been a great friend to me."
Sighing, she looked deeply into Angel's eyes, as tears began to form in her own. "We didn't want this to happen to her. It's one of those things that you read about in the newspapers and see on TV, but you never think it'll actually happen to your own child. We worry about her, you know."
"I know you do. Whether or not she'll ever admit it, she loves you both so much-you and your husband. Someday, she'll realize how lucky she is to come from such a great family. She's lucky that you're there for her at all."
"Watch out for her, Angel," she said, speaking his name identical to the way is own mother did, "You're good for her. Try to keep her out of trouble."
"I'll do my best," Angel replied, warmly, as he got up from his chair and hugged her.
"Ang, you ready to go?" Mimi asked, stomping in through the kitchen. She still had her heavy winter coat on, which she obviously had no intention of removing. It sounded like more of a command than a question.
"Yeah, sure." He released Mimi's mother from the hug as he walked over to join Mimi in the doorway. "Mr. And Mrs. Marquez, thank you so much for this wonderful dinner. This was a wonderful Christmas, and I hope that you both have a happy and healthy new year."
"Thank you, Angel. You too," Mr. Marquez replied, shaking the boy's hand firmly.
"Goodnight," Mimi mumbled as she yanked Angel out of the door.
"God, I thought we'd never get out of there. Do you see why I didn't want to go?" Mimi ranted as she walked down the streets, her boot clunking on every step.
"They're very nice people," Angel stated firmly, refusing to let her put her parents down.
"They're nice until you have to live with them. You're lucky you don't have any parents." She immediately regretted saying that when she saw the hurt in Angel's eyes. "Baby, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that!" she apologized quickly.
"Forget it," Angel replied, trying to act as calm as possible, "You know, they really love you and I can tell you really love them. You'd never admit it, but you do. You're one of the luckiest people the world, you know that? Most parents, if their kid did what you did, would have given up, but your parents still love you and they still hope and pray for you. You take all of that for granted. You don't even know how good you have it."
The rest of the trip home was completely silent.
A/N: FINALLY!!!! This chapter took me FOREVER to write, because I really want to get on to the next part. As usual, please read and review. Let me know what you think ( and the next chapter should be up in about a week or two. Sorry for the delay on this one! Enjoy, my loyal readers!!!!!
"You're never here anymore. All I ever hear about is this guy, that guy, some party, and that girl-Mimi, is it-? I never see you! I don't even think you've been by here since you've moved out. What's going on, baby? I miss you."
"I miss you too, Queenie. I've just been having such a nice time, though. Mimi and I are really, uh, involved with Life Support and we've been going to the socials and stuff. I even found this great gay club a couple of blocks from the apartment, so as soon as I get off work, I go dancing there. Mimi comes with me sometimes, when she's not at the Cat Scratch Club. You need to meet her, she's really sweet."
"Well, I'll get to meet her tomorrow for Christmas. You're coming here, right?" Queenie asked, twisting the phone cord around her finger.
"Um, well." Angel began, as he started to crack his knuckles, just like he did whenever he was nervous.
"Angel Dumott-Schunard! You promised you would come home for Christmas. We're having a big bash at the club just like last year. It's gonna be a lot of fun, Ang. Please?" she whined.
"I'm going to Mimi's to meet her family. She told them months ago that I was coming and they're all really excited to meet me. She says that ever since she moved in with Chase, her relationship with her parents hasn't been great, and I told her that I'd come to Christmas with her so her parents could see that the people she was hanging around weren't all druggies and old men."
"I really wish you were coming here, though. You've been spending so much time with this girl. I don't like you being around someone so much when I haven't even met her. You're my son and I'm just looking out for you."
"I know, but I promise I'll bring her over so you can meet her soon. She's only seventeen. She really needs someone to look out for her, and that's what I've been doing. When we go out together, I make sure she isn't doing any drugs or drinking or anything. I promise, I'm helping her out, just like you helped me."
"You're a good person, Ang," Queenie said softly. Angel could hear the smile and pride in her voice. "Well, if you're not gonna come by here for Christmas, then I expect to see you soon with this chick Mimi. If she's as good a friend to you as you say, then she can't be that bad."
"She's great, I promise. I'll let you know when we're coming by."
"Okay Ang. We gotta start setting up for the Christmas eve bash tonight. It's gonna be wild. I'll talk to you later, honey. Love you."
"Love you too," Angel said, as he hung up the phone. Quickly, he scurried over to his dresser, opening it up to reveal the present he had got Mimi. She was a tough chick to shop for; most straight girls were. But, the pants that he made her seemed to suit her perfectly. They were made of blue vinyl that was so shiny it looked like liquid. She always complained how she had a very revealing wardrobe, but everything was either black or silver. She wanted more clothes that stood out. He also got her a great set of makeup from Mac: a set of 5 brushes, a purple palette of makeup (lipstick, eye shadow, lip-gloss, and eyeliner), and a tub of silver glitter. Glitter is essential.
He had even gotten some nice blue and purple wrapping paper to wrap it up with. He was so sure she would love the gift that it warmed his heart. He loved to give things to other people: it was something that he considered to be very important.
After wrapping the gift and sealing it with a glittering silver ribbon, Angel proceeded to dig through his closet to find something tasteful to wear. He figured that, in front of Mimi's parents, it would be best to not dress in one of this over-the-top drag outfits. He knew that, from what she had told him, they were a reasonably conservative Christian family. However, that didn't mean that he couldn't still look good. After much careful selection, Angel had decided on a pair of sequined blue jeans, a fuzzy black sweater and his all-time favorite faux-fur white coat. He searched his giant shoe collection for the perfect pair of sneakers. This outfit did not call for heels. The blue and white Adidas sneakers seemed to fit the ensemble perfectly.
His makeup was toned-down as well: only some light foundation and chapstick. He was still far from looking like a straight man, but at least he didn't look like a woman. After one last check in the mirror, he was finally ready to head down to Mimi's house. The clock read 7:03, and he was supposed to have met her at seven-fashionably late as usual.
Paul came in the door as Angel was leaving. "Where you off to looking so nice?" he asked, his chocolate cheeks tinged pink from the cold.
"Mimi's house for Christmas Eve dinner. Why, did you have something planned?"
"Well, I thought you and I could go out together, but we can do that tomorrow, or something. It doesn't really matter. I should probably spend some time with my sister anyway. She's complaining that she hasn't seen me in years. I keep trying to get her to come to a Life Support meeting, but she keeps refusing. It's probably better that way anyway. Well, have fun tonight, and don't come home too late. Take a key with you," Paul said, handing him a rusted brass key.
"Thanks. I hope everything works out with your sister," Angel said, giving him a hug and kiss goodbye as he shut the door and trotted down the stairs.
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"Ang! You look good, baby!" Mimi exclaimed as she welcomed Angel into her apartment. He realized that he'd never been in her home before. It was a nice apartment: two bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a living room, and a small kitchen. In the corner of the living room sat a large wooden table and clothes lay strewn about the floors. Foreign sounding techno music played quietly from behind a closed door.
"Thanks, honey. You look great, too. I've never seen you dressed so conservative. You almost look wholesome."
"And you almost look straight," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "There's someone I want you to meet." Pulling him into the apartment, she opened the door to the closed-off bedroom.
"Wait, just take this before you introduce me to your boyfriend," Angel said, handing her the present he had spent so much time wrapping.
Her bright eyes lit up with excitement. "Ang, you didn't have to do this! I have something for you, too." She walked over behind the couch and pulled out a large, deep box wrapped in newspaper with a duct tape bow on the top. "I suck at wrapping presents, but I hope you like it."
"Sugar, I'll love it!" Angel squealed, taking the present in his hands and air-kissing her cheek.
"Good. We'll open them after you meet Chase," she said, opening the door to the closed bedroom.
Music screamed through the open door as a tall man with shiny, chocolate-colored hair dropped the clothes he was folding and turned to face Mimi. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked, with a slight look of disgust on his chiseled features.
"Chase, baby, this is my best friend Angel. Angel, this is my boyfriend Chase."
"Nice you meet you, honey," Angel said, extending his hand, "Mimi's told me so much about you."
Staring blankly at Angel's hand, Chase raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Mimi. Awkwardly, Angel's arm dropped down as he stood facing Chase, a smile still plastered on his shiny lips.
"Well, anyway, we should get going," Mimi injected, putting an end to the uncomfortable silence, "Chase, you're more than welcome to come. The invite still stands."
"No, I got some stuff to take care of," he said in a distant voice, then went back to folding clothes. "Stay here for a sec."
"Okay. Ang, I'll be out in a minute."
"Nice to meet you, Chase," Angel said as he exited the messy bedroom.
Mimi shut the door behind him and turned off Chase's music. "What is your problem?" she asked, her eyes narrowing and arms crossed over her chest.
"That guy's my problem, if you could even call him that."
"He is a guy, and he happens to be my best friend. What has he ever done to you?"
"He's a fuckin' fag and I don't want you around him. All you ever do is go to those gay-ass AIDS meetings and go sit with other fags and smoke. It's no wonder her got AIDS. He's probably fucked every guy in this city, gay or straight."
"Fuck you!" she yelled, picking up one of his neatly thrown shirts and hurling it at him, "He actually got AIDS because someone raped him. How can you be so insensitive?" She held tightly onto the present Angel had given her before he had left the room.
"I'm not being insensitive. You're probably off fucking other guys with him. You're such a fuckin' whore sometimes."
"I am so sick of this same stupid argument, Chase. I'm not a whore, and I'm not cheating on you. I work at a club and sometimes I do have to give lap dances. Its part of my job and you knew that when I got it. And, if you EVER insult Angel again, I'll -."
"You'll what?" he asked, walking up to her so they were now face to face. She was staring right at his chest, as he was at least 8 inches taller than her. "What?" he repeated again with a power-hungry, sarcastic tone.
She remained silent, her eyes cast down to the floor.
"That's what I though," he snapped, walking back over to the bed to keep folding the clothes.
Wiping a tear from her cheek, Mimi walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I won't be out too late. Love you."
He didn't respond.
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Angel had been sitting outside on the lumpy couch during their entire fight and he had heard everything. He could tell that Chase was less than thrilled with him from the second he walked in the apartment.
"Ready to go?" Mimi asked, a false smile on her face. Her eyes looked slightly red and it was obvious she'd been crying.
"Not until you tell me what's going on," Angel said, quietly, reaching out so he could hold her hand.
She sighed and took his hand. "Nothing's going on, everything's fine. I don't want to be late to my parent's house, though, so we need to go."
"Mimi, listen, he -."
"I don't want to hear it," she said, her voice weak and defeated. "Chase loves me and I love him. He was just having a bad day."
"That's what I used to say about Will and look what happened to me. I just don't want you to get hurt, honey that's all."
"I'm fine," she snapped, looking away from him.
"If you insist," he said, skeptically, "Ooh! I want you to open your present. That'll cheer you right up."
Sighing again, she looked down at the package in her hands. "I guess so," she grumbled, carefully taking the bow off and ripping the paper off. The top of the box was taken off to reveal the gift that Angel knew she'd love. She took the blue pants out of the wrapping and smiled a genuine grin. Holding them up against her body, she looked up at Angel with thankfulness. "Ang, these are wonderful! I've been looking for some nice color to add to my wardrobe forever, and these are perfect!"
"I knew it would cheer you up. Do you like the makeup and glitter too?"
"Of course! You know how I feel about glitter" Mimi exclaimed, hugging Angel tightly, squeezing his small body.
"I'm glad you like it, but, honey, I need to breathe," Angel choked out. She let go of him and giggled. "I better open mine too, huh?"
"I guess so. I hope you like it," she said, clenching her fists in anticipation.
The duct tape ribbon slid off without too much difficulty and the newspaper came off easily too. Flipping the top of the box off, Angel took the gift out of the white tissue paper and held it up. White faux fur and tinsel trimmed the sleeves, hood, zipper, and bottom of the red fluffy coat. A shiny zebra belt was wrapped around the middle of the coat. Running his hands down the front of it, he felt the soft fabric-it felt almost like a stuffed animal. He was absolutely beaming with happiness as his eyes welled up with tears. He could tell by the look of the garment that it had to be one-of-a-kind. After all, not every queen could pull of a short Santa-like coat. "Where did you get this?" he asked quietly.
"I went to that place you kept raving about, Dancing Queen. I talked to the person who makes the clothes there and told her about you. She was absolutely thrilled when I mentioned your name and she said she'd love to help me find you something. I looked through her new designs that she was thinking of, and this one looked perfect. She promised me that it was a unique coat. She would never make another one like it. She told me that no other queen would be able to pull it off like you," Mimi exclaimed, examining the finely made coat.
"It's absolutely perfect. I love it. I more than love it. I can't even explain to you how much this means to me. It's so beautiful," Angel said, the tears still brimming in his eyes.
"Aw, baby, I'm so glad you like it," Mimi smiled and hugged him again, not as hard this time. She looked at the clock on the wall in front of her. 7:34. "Shit!" she exclaimed, stuffing the blue pants back into the box, "We really need to go. We were supposed to be there at 7:30!"
"Alright, let's go!"
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A subway ride and five block walk later, Mimi and Angel were in the heart of Brooklyn on the front steps of a small, charming brick house. A light-up figure of Jesus and the Virgin Mary sat outside on the lawn amidst a perfect, unblemished white blanket of snow. Christmas lights adorned the door way and the railings, illuminating the front steps. Twinkling lights and iridescent ornaments sparkled on the tree in the window.
"Your house is so cute, honey! I wish I grew up in something this nice," Angel squealed as he continued to further examine the charming home's exterior
"No, you really don't," Mimi responded, rather curtly, then rang the doorbell.
A petite Spanish woman with wild curly hair answered the door. She was a splitting image of Mimi in every way, except for her eyes: Mimi's were a deep green, and her mother's were dark brown-almost black. "Mimi chica!"
"Hi Mami," Mimi grumbled, hugging her mother and kissing her on the cheek.
"Tony, it's Mimi and her friend," she called up the stairs then turned back to face her guests.
"Mami, this is Angel," Mimi said, pointing to the boy next to her in the sequined blue jeans.
"Angel, it's so nice to meet you. Como estas?" She asked, hugging him immediately as if she'd known him forever. The way she said his name was so hunting: it sounded exactly like his own mother, when she was alive so many years ago. The similarity made him shiver slightly.
"Hola señora. Estoy bien, y usted?" he asked, his Spanish still as fluent as it was when he and his mother used to speak in the rhythmic language for hours.
"I didn't know you could speak Spanish. Es bien," she said, looking very impressed. "Oh, I am so rude, I haven't even let both of you in yet." Stepping out of the way, she made room for the two of them to walk into the warm, welcoming home. The house looked exactly how Angel had expected. Almost immaculately clean, the house smelled like freshly-baked bread. Floral wallpaper covered the walls in the living room, and a few Hispanic- looking paintings hung in the small dining room. "Have a seat and get comfortable."
Angel sat down awkwardly on the sofa. Slumping next to him, Mimi took hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly. Angel's other hand held tightly onto the box containing the present that Mimi had given him a little while ago. "I'm so sorry you have to be here," she whispered as they heard her father come down the stairs.
"You must be Angel," the deep voice spoke with a thick accent, "It's nice to finally meet you. Mimi rarely calls here anymore, but when she does, all she talks about is her friend Angel. It's nice to finally put a face to the name."
"It's nice to meet you too, señor. I've heard a lot about you as well," Angel said, getting up from the couch to shake his hand.
"You need to meet the rest of the family. Jorge! Alicia," he called upstairs as two more kids, looking identical to Mimi, came down. "Angel, this is Jorge," he pointed to the boy with a buzz cut, "and this is Alicia," he pointed to the girl who also had wild hair, just like Mimi's.
"It's nice to meet both of you," Angel said politely, shaking their hands.
"What do you say we eat, huh? I've been preparing this dinner all day. Are you ready?" Ms. Marquez cut it, beckoning everyone into the dining room. Mimi immediately leaped up from the couch and took hold of Angel's hand again. She rolled her eyes as they walked into the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jorge and Alicia ate and left the table as quickly as possible. Now, it was only Angel, Mimi, and her parents left.
"So, Angel, why aren't you spending Christmas with your family?" Ms. Marquez asked, stuffing more chicken into her mouth.
"Mami, that's rude! I can't believe you'd ask something like that," Mimi exclaimed, fiddling with the napkin in her lap. Her parents had been trying to start conversations the whole night, but to no avail. It was obvious that Mimi didn't want to talk to them. The only reason she bothered coming to her hold house in the first place was to show her parents that she wasn't a homeless crack-whore.
"No, Mimi, it's okay. I don't mind telling them," Angel answered, calmly, as he pushed some Spanish rice around on his plate. He was just about five pounds over his maximum weight limit, so he made sure that he ate very little, and that what he did eat was very healthy. "When I was sixteen, my parents kicked me out of the house because I was gay. Four months later, I went back to see how my mother was doing, and she was in the hospital. My father had beaten her up or something. She died right in front of my eyes. I haven't seen or heard from my father since I left."
"I'm so sorry, Angel," Mr. Marquez said in a low, somber tone, "That must have been so difficult."
"It sounds a lot worse than it actually is. I met Queenie and Fred, a couple who own this club in the East Village and they've become my family in every way. Genes don't mean anything. The two of them basically raised me. I love them like I loved my own biological parents. Maybe even more."
"That's very sweet," Ms. Marquez remarked as she finished the rice and chicken on her plate. "I'm glad you decided to join us tonight."
"I'm glad I'm here," Angel grinned warmly.
"So, Mimi, how is everything with that boy?" her mother asked innocently.
"God, mother, do you have to keep asking questions? This is such bullshit. I'm going outside to have a smoke," she snapped as she got up from her seat and stomped outside, her clunky boots thumping against the wooden floors.
Ms. Marquez looked down at her now empty plate as an expression of concern formed on her face. A single tear dropped on to her plate as she lifted her head, attempting to maintain a smile. "She's always been like that," she sighed, shaking her head slightly, "That's why she left in the first place."
"If you don't mind me asking," Angel cut in, "how old was she when she left?"
"She had just turned sixteen. It was actually ten months ago today, I think. She moved out right around last Valentine's Day," Mr. Marquez mumbled, "She had just told us that she was HIV positive and that she was three months pregnant. She also told us not to worry though, because she had a new boyfriend named Chase, I think, who was also positive and he wanted to be with her. He was willing to care for the baby, and to let her live with him."
"We were outraged," Ms. Marquez continued, "more shocked than anything. We didn't want her dating and having sex at such a young age. So we told her she needed to calm down. My daughter's just as stubborn as I am and she wouldn't listen. She told us that she would do what she wanted to, whether she lived with us or not and when we forbade it, she told us she was going to pack her things and go live with Chase."
"That seems like something Mimi would do," Angel mumbled as he continued to play with the food on his plate, knocking down towers of Spanish rice, "You just let her go?"
"We tried to stop her. It seems like you know her reasonably well. If you told her not to do something, do you think she'd actually listen?" Mr. Marquez questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. Angel stared back, considering the question. "Exactly. She's the most stubborn person I know. She does what she wants, when she wants. I'm surprised she even came back tonight. She hasn't been back here since she left and I think she's only called once or twice." Standing up, he cleared his throat and picked up his plate. "I'm gonna go outside and see what she's up to. Would you like me to take your plates?"
Ms. Marquez nodded, handing her plate to her husband. Angel did the same. "Gracias," she said softly. Once he left, she looked over at Angel and smiled. "I'm glad Mimi met you. You seem like a wonderful boy."
"That's very nice of you to say," he answered politely, keeping a genuine smile plastered on his face, "and I'm glad I met her. She's got her problems, but she's been a really good friend to me. It hasn't really been easy since I left my parent's house and she's been a great friend to me."
Sighing, she looked deeply into Angel's eyes, as tears began to form in her own. "We didn't want this to happen to her. It's one of those things that you read about in the newspapers and see on TV, but you never think it'll actually happen to your own child. We worry about her, you know."
"I know you do. Whether or not she'll ever admit it, she loves you both so much-you and your husband. Someday, she'll realize how lucky she is to come from such a great family. She's lucky that you're there for her at all."
"Watch out for her, Angel," she said, speaking his name identical to the way is own mother did, "You're good for her. Try to keep her out of trouble."
"I'll do my best," Angel replied, warmly, as he got up from his chair and hugged her.
"Ang, you ready to go?" Mimi asked, stomping in through the kitchen. She still had her heavy winter coat on, which she obviously had no intention of removing. It sounded like more of a command than a question.
"Yeah, sure." He released Mimi's mother from the hug as he walked over to join Mimi in the doorway. "Mr. And Mrs. Marquez, thank you so much for this wonderful dinner. This was a wonderful Christmas, and I hope that you both have a happy and healthy new year."
"Thank you, Angel. You too," Mr. Marquez replied, shaking the boy's hand firmly.
"Goodnight," Mimi mumbled as she yanked Angel out of the door.
"God, I thought we'd never get out of there. Do you see why I didn't want to go?" Mimi ranted as she walked down the streets, her boot clunking on every step.
"They're very nice people," Angel stated firmly, refusing to let her put her parents down.
"They're nice until you have to live with them. You're lucky you don't have any parents." She immediately regretted saying that when she saw the hurt in Angel's eyes. "Baby, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that!" she apologized quickly.
"Forget it," Angel replied, trying to act as calm as possible, "You know, they really love you and I can tell you really love them. You'd never admit it, but you do. You're one of the luckiest people the world, you know that? Most parents, if their kid did what you did, would have given up, but your parents still love you and they still hope and pray for you. You take all of that for granted. You don't even know how good you have it."
The rest of the trip home was completely silent.
A/N: FINALLY!!!! This chapter took me FOREVER to write, because I really want to get on to the next part. As usual, please read and review. Let me know what you think ( and the next chapter should be up in about a week or two. Sorry for the delay on this one! Enjoy, my loyal readers!!!!!