"Zoom in on Collins as he looks out at the city from the fire
escape," Mark Cohen said as he adjusted several buttons on his camera.
"The poor guy looks lonely," Roger remarked.
"Yeah." They sighed. It had been 6 months since Angel died of AIDS, and apparently Collins had yet to get over his loss.
"He never talks anymore. He needs to get out of his apartment for a while. Let's take him down to the Life Café sometime. We'll invite everyone and have a little party," Mark suggested.
"Little? If we're inviting everyone that includes Mimi, and with Mimi it's never a little party," Roger teased as his girlfriend passed.
"That's right. I'm a party animal!" Mimi wrapped her arms around Roger's neck and they exchanged a dramatic kiss. Mark grinned for the first time that evening. He was glad to see his best friend so happy. Ever since Roger met Mimi he seemed to be different. He had more confidence, and he joked more as each day passed.
"Get a room!" Mark laughed as the kiss continued.
"Fine then! We will!" Roger smiled as he and Mimi made their way to their bedroom. "Goodnight!" Mark turned his attention back to his camera, but soon he found that he didn't have the heart to continue filming Collins. It was depressing to watch him sit there alone each night. Eventually, Collins left for his apartment mumbling something that sounded like "Goodnight" before walking out the door.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- Maureen entered her apartment around 4:00 AM. She closed the door as quietly as possible behind her. She didn't turn on the light for fear of waking Joanne, so she felt her way along the wall to the couch. Maureen dropped her coat and purse on the floor and stretched out on the couch with a sigh. Tears rolled down her face as she relived what had just happened at her agent's apartment. "Maureen, haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to have sex with a man again?" Jeff sneered. "What? Are you scared?"
"Jeff, just let me leave!" she pleaded. Jeff's hand touched her cheek
softly.
"You know you want to." His hand moved towards the zipper on the back
of her leather pants.
Maureen let out a sob. She was too ashamed to remember what she had done next. It wasn't rape. It couldn't have been, Maureen thought guiltily. I never fought back. I wanted to do it. I can't believe I wanted to do it.
"Honey bear! Is that you?" Joanne called. Maureen could hear her fuzzy pink slippers shuffling down the hallway. She quickly wiped her eyes.
"Yeah, it's me."
"I was worried! Why did you come home so late?"
"Oh, this and that. Jeff took longer than I had expected, and I missed the subway," Maureen explained. She felt awful lying to Joanne, but she couldn't bring herself to explain the awful truth.
"Well, did everything go ok?"
"Yeah. It was great. Really."
"Do you think you'll get a job?" Joanne asked.
"Well," Maureen replied, "I did everything I could to get one." It was the first honest thing she had told Joanne that evening.
"The poor guy looks lonely," Roger remarked.
"Yeah." They sighed. It had been 6 months since Angel died of AIDS, and apparently Collins had yet to get over his loss.
"He never talks anymore. He needs to get out of his apartment for a while. Let's take him down to the Life Café sometime. We'll invite everyone and have a little party," Mark suggested.
"Little? If we're inviting everyone that includes Mimi, and with Mimi it's never a little party," Roger teased as his girlfriend passed.
"That's right. I'm a party animal!" Mimi wrapped her arms around Roger's neck and they exchanged a dramatic kiss. Mark grinned for the first time that evening. He was glad to see his best friend so happy. Ever since Roger met Mimi he seemed to be different. He had more confidence, and he joked more as each day passed.
"Get a room!" Mark laughed as the kiss continued.
"Fine then! We will!" Roger smiled as he and Mimi made their way to their bedroom. "Goodnight!" Mark turned his attention back to his camera, but soon he found that he didn't have the heart to continue filming Collins. It was depressing to watch him sit there alone each night. Eventually, Collins left for his apartment mumbling something that sounded like "Goodnight" before walking out the door.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- Maureen entered her apartment around 4:00 AM. She closed the door as quietly as possible behind her. She didn't turn on the light for fear of waking Joanne, so she felt her way along the wall to the couch. Maureen dropped her coat and purse on the floor and stretched out on the couch with a sigh. Tears rolled down her face as she relived what had just happened at her agent's apartment. "Maureen, haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to have sex with a man again?" Jeff sneered. "What? Are you scared?"
"Jeff, just let me leave!" she pleaded. Jeff's hand touched her cheek
softly.
"You know you want to." His hand moved towards the zipper on the back
of her leather pants.
Maureen let out a sob. She was too ashamed to remember what she had done next. It wasn't rape. It couldn't have been, Maureen thought guiltily. I never fought back. I wanted to do it. I can't believe I wanted to do it.
"Honey bear! Is that you?" Joanne called. Maureen could hear her fuzzy pink slippers shuffling down the hallway. She quickly wiped her eyes.
"Yeah, it's me."
"I was worried! Why did you come home so late?"
"Oh, this and that. Jeff took longer than I had expected, and I missed the subway," Maureen explained. She felt awful lying to Joanne, but she couldn't bring herself to explain the awful truth.
"Well, did everything go ok?"
"Yeah. It was great. Really."
"Do you think you'll get a job?" Joanne asked.
"Well," Maureen replied, "I did everything I could to get one." It was the first honest thing she had told Joanne that evening.