Sorry about the long wait, but this is a long chapter so hopefully that will make up for it. Enjoy!
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Chapter 15: The Power of Fortune Cookies
"Mark!" Roger called, running down the street, "This is so stupid. Mark!"
As he turned the corner he finally spotted him, he was talking hurriedly into a payphone.
"Mark you had me worried sick and here you are talking on a phone! What is the matter with you, I nearly had a heart attack-"
"Hush Mommy, I'm on the phone," Mark said quickly, turning around.
"Oh it was Roger," he said into the receiver, "No I didn't think he'd come after me either… Yeah ok, I believe you… Sure, I'll call tonight. I have to go anyway, the operator is pestering me to put in more money… Yeah, talk to you later. Bye."
He hung up and took a deep breath before turning around to face his friend.
"Who was that?" Roger asked carefully.
"Collins. I wanted to make sure he got in okay."
Roger nodded but the disbelief must have shown on his face because Mark put his hands on his hips.
"I did!" he repeated.
"I believe you!"
"No you don't."
"I don't, or you don't?" Roger asked, raising an eyebrow.
Mark paused, then despite himself, cracked a smile, "You hang around him way too much."
Roger grinned, "With the amount of talks he's had with me it's beginning to rub off."
Mark looked as if he wanted to smile, but couldn't.
"Look I'm sorry okay? What more do you want me to do?" Roger asked, throwing his arms in the air.
Mark looked at the ground.
"Aren't friends supposed to forgive each other?" Roger said, watching him carefully.
Mark didn't respond.
"Look, Mark, I really am sorry. You know me, I can't help it. It's like I'm a different person or something. It's just… that craving, it's so strong, and I'd give anything to make it go away. I- I don't know how to explain it. But I didn't want to Mark, I really didn't." Roger said, his hands dangling helplessly at his sides.
Mark's eyes slowly traveled up to his friend's face, he could see the pain the musician was trying to hide.
"Then why did you?" he asked. It wasn't a sharp or angry question; instead it was quiet, with the air of someone who was just looking for answers.
Roger looked up at the sky, trying to find an answer, "I don't know," he said finally, "I really don't! I wish I did. And I wish I could take it back. I wish that more than anything."
Mark stared at him silently for a long time. Finally he gave a small smile, "You can. Any money you make, from gigs and stuff, goes to me."
"Oooh, you're harsh," Roger said, starting to smile himself.
"Oh that's nothing, I'd make you my slave and make you clean the apartment and stuff but I know you wouldn't so that doesn't do me any good."
Roger breathed a fake sigh of relief, "Oh you are merciful."
"And don't forget it either!" Mark said, smacking Roger on the forehead.
"So… we're ok?" Roger asked tentatively.
Mark nodded slowly, "Yeah, we're ok. It takes more than money to ruin this friendship."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Guys I'm home!" Roger called, walking inside the loft a few hours later, "I brought dinner!"
"Did I just hear right? Roger brought dinner? Mark hand me a pen I have to write this on my calendar," Maureen said, clutching her heart in shock.
"You are so incredibly funny sometimes Mo, I just can't stand it, my lungs are going to burst," Roger said, rolling his eyes and putting the bag down on the table.
"Is Roger home?" April called, hurrying into the living room.
Roger greeted her with a kiss.
"So what are we having?" Benny asked, jumping over a chair and sitting on it.
"Chinese," Roger replied.
"Where did you get the money for Chinese?" Mark asked, then laughed, "Never mind. Looks like I paid for dinner tonight."
"I wanted to make it up to you," Roger said.
"With my money!"
"Well I was hoping you'd overlook that."
Maureen helped Roger set out the food while Mark grabbed some paper plates and cups.
"Ok, who got the chicken with garlic sauce?" Maureen asked, reading the carton in her hand.
"That's mine," April said, taking it from her.
"Moo Shu Pancakes?" Roger read, staring at the label.
"Mine," Benny said, reaching for it.
"There's such thing as Chinese pancakes?" Roger asked.
"Yes, now give it here," Benny said, snatching it.
"Chicken and Snow Peas, that's yours right Mo?" Roger handed her the container.
"Which means the Lo Mein is yours. Marky, we weren't sure what to get you, so we got you the shrimp, beef and chicken in hot garlic sauce combo." Maureen said, sliding the container down the table.
"Fair enough. I'm hungry enough to eat it all."
April pulled out a bottle of soda, "You got Root Beer?"
"Yeah, I figured we could use a change from brown water," Roger replied, pouring himself a glass.
Maureen began picking pieces of chicken and vegetables out and putting them on her plate.
"What are you doing?" Mark asked.
"I don't like all the stuff that's in here, I'm getting the good stuff," Maureen said, carefully holding back the rest of the food and tipping the container so that the sauce spread over her plate.
"I've never seen someone eat Chinese food the way you do," Mark said, snatching a baby corn from her plate.
For a while the only sounds that could be heard were the clanking of utensils and small bits of conversation such as "pass the rice" and "that's mine, don't touch it or I'll shove my fork in your hand"
"Fortune cookie time!" Benny announced after everyone had finished eating and were sprawled in various places in the living room.
"What's fortune cookie time?" April asked, looking up at Roger, her head in his lap.
Just then the phone began to ring.
"I got it," Mark said, getting up.
"Well it's kinda a tradition we've had for a while," Roger explained to April, "After we eat we each open a fortune cookie and try to figure out what the hell it means."
"Sure hang on just a sec," Mark said into the receiver, "Guys it's Collins!"
"Great!" Maureen exclaimed, "It was his idea to start this cookie thing in the first place, put it on speaker phone!"
Mark pressed a button on the phone and Collins's voice echoed through the room.
"Hey guys, what's going on?"
"We just finished eating Chinese food, we're gonna open fortune cookies. You called at the perfect time," Roger said.
"Oh great, let me hear them," Collins answered.
"Tell us about MIT first!" April called.
"I'll tell you afterwards, you got me curious now."
"Ok, um April you go first," Mark said, tossing her a cookie.
"Why me?"
"Because this is the first time you're participating in our ritual."
"Oh fine," she mumbled, breaking the cookie in half and pulling out the fortune.
"Love is hard work; and hard work sometimes hurts," she read.
"That's a good one, what do you think it means?" Benny asked.
"I think it's pretty self explanatory," April replied, "Love hurts."
Roger hugged her tightly, "I don't want to hurt you."
"Well now if I actually believed in these things that would be a different story."
Maureen gasped, "Oh you can't participate in the ritual if you don't believe in fortune cookies! It upsets the fortune cookie gods! Right Collins?"
"Exactly," came the voice from the phone.
"Ok fine, whatever, who's next?" April said quickly.
"Benny you next," Mark said, handing him a cookie.
"Kiss the person sitting next to you," Benny read.
"It doesn't say that!" Collins argued.
"Yes it does!" Benny said, "Mark, read it and prove it to him."
"I'm afraid he's right Collins," Mark said, scanning the fortune.
"See, I told you," Benny said, kissing Mark on the cheek.
"What the hell!" Mark yelled, wiping his face with his sleeve.
"I'm just doing what was on the fortune man. If I didn't, the fortune cookie gods would unleash their wrath upon me," he added, winking at Maureen.
"That was not an experience I want to repeat," Mark mumbled, "Remind me to sit on the other side of the room the next time we do this."
"Open yours next Mark," April said, kicking the bag of fortune cookies with her foot.
"I'm actually kinda afraid to now…" Mark said, taking a cookie tentatively and breaking it in half.
"To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand," he read.
"Ooh great a deep one!" Maureen said, giggling.
"We're going to have to go to our expert at deep fortune cookies, Mr. Tom Collins," Benny said in a mock announcer voice.
"Very funny Benny," Collins said, taking a deep breath, "Ok sounds to me like you're content right now with everything. You pretty much know everything that's going to happen, but in reality you don't. So you need some kind of wake up call that will serve as a realization that you don't know that you don't know."
Mark stared blankly at the phone, "What?"
Collins laughed, "You need something different to happen in your pathetic redundant life!"
"Oh so that's what it means! I'm glad I have cookie master Collins to explain my fortunes," Mark said, causing everyone to burst out laughing
"When did you all become such smart asses? You weren't like that when I lived there. Have I been gone that long?" Collins said, the others could hear the laughter in his voice.
"Ok, Maureen you're next," Mark said, tossing her a cookie. She broke it open.
"When all other means of communication fail, try words."
"Isn't speaking the only way to communicate?" Roger asked.
"No stupid, you can use body language and actions and things too. You know that whole 'actions speak louder than words' thing?" April replied.
"So then why would it be telling me to use words if actions speak louder?" Maureen wondered aloud.
"Well maybe because you're actions aren't always clear. Sure they speak louder, but that doesn't mean they speak clearer," Collins suggested.
Maureen grinned, "Imagine us trying to do this without him."
"Ok Rog, you're last," Benny said, fishing out a cookie from the bottom of the bag.
"If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow," Roger read.
"Wow, that one is so you Roger!" Maureen said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well I mean you have a tendency to lose your temper and-"
"No I don't!" Roger snapped, then grinned, "Shut up."
April wrapped her arms around him, "It's ok baby. But let that be good advice to you, patience is a virtue."
Roger kissed her gently.
"Well that was fun," Benny said, starting to get up.
"Wait a second, there's one more cookie here!" Mark said, turning the bag upside down, a single fortune cookie fell out.
"What should we do with it?" Maureen asked.
"Give it to Collins," April said, smiling.
"Ok," Collins agreed, "Mark read it out loud."
"Be patient. Your biggest dream will come true," Mark read.
There was silence for a moment. Then Roger laughed.
"So what's your biggest dream Collins?" he asked.
"Probably some teaching job."
"Or world peace."
"Collins?" Mark asked, "You still there?"
"What? Yeah," Collins answered, obviously distracted, "Listen someone just showed up at my door, I gotta go."
"Oh but you have to analyze the fortune!" Maureen protested.
"I know, I'll do it on my own and let you guys know the next time I call. I really have to go though."
"Ok, bye."
There was a loud 'click' as Collins hung up the phone.
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The ex-teacher sat on the edge of his bed, his hand still on the phone. His body was trembling in a way he couldn't control, could that fortune mean what he thought it did? Collins had always been known to be a true believer in love, but lately his thoughts had strayed; maybe love was just something one read about in fairy tales, it was no more real than the characters that experienced it. Certainly he hadn't been living the fairy tale romance life since he arrived here. The first night at MIT he had met Ben, a junior who invited him to a party. Collins had accepted, thinking it would be a good way to meet people, but he didn't expect to have such a good time, especially in the back bedroom of Ben's apartment. For the first time in his life, Tom Collins had had a night of drunken meaningless sex with a man he'd probably never see again; and he didn't feel the least bit bad about it. His eyes had been opened to the wonderful world of sex with no ties, no love, just pure lust. And he was enjoying every minute of it.
There was a soft knock on the door before it creaked open. A boy with curly blonde hair poked his head in, smiling brightly.
"Hi Eric," Collins said, smiling himself. Eric was his new boyfriend of two weeks, which was longer than any of his other relationships had lasted. He just couldn't find it in himself to attach to anyone, but perhaps that was because no one wanted to attach to him either. Everyone knew he was HIV positive, so that limited him options, though some were willing to risk it, but Collins knew he had to be honest with himself, who'd want to be with someone like him? Sure a nightly fling was great, but being with the same person got old, and he wasn't going to live forever.
"You ok?" Eric asked, walking over to the bed and sitting down next to him, "You look… distracted."
"What? Oh no, I'm not distracted, I just got off the phone with some old friends from New York City."
"Your old roomies?" Eric asked, gently lacing his fingers through Tom's.
"Yeah."
"Any of them cute?"
"Sure, but they're all straight so…"
"Oh well that's no fun," Eric said, giggling. He leaned over, putting his head in Collins's lap, fiddling with one of his dreadlocks.
"So, any plans for tonight?" Collins asked, tracing the patterns of Eric's shirt with his fingers.
"Oh I can think of a few things," Eric replied, grinning mischievously. He reached up and kissed Collins passionately, his hands working to unbutton the philosopher's shirt. Collins responded by pulling the boy closer, his fingers fighting with the zipper on Eric's jeans. The two fell back on the bed, a mess of half shed clothes and tangled limbs.
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Screw love, Collins thought to himself, Love can't give you this.
Eric lay wrapped in his arms, sleeping silently, but Collins couldn't quiet his thoughts enough to sleep. He couldn't get over the fortune cookie's message, it kept playing in his head.
"Be patient," he whispered aloud, "You're biggest dream will come true." Yeah, love had been his biggest dream once. But not anymore. He wanted to fall in love, he wanted to be able to know that he could go home and find someone there, someone who wasn't there simply to get laid, but someone he cared about, someone who completed him. Someone he couldn't live without. Sure he had wanted that at one time, but then he grew up.
Eric stirred beside him. In a few days, they'd get tired of each other, and he'd be just another one of the many men that don't mean anything, just another face in the crowd. Collins knew that he shouldn't care, but deep inside, he did.
"Be patient," he told himself. What he was looking for would come true.
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