[AN: Yeah, I know this chapter sorta sucks, but don't worry. It's all
leading up to what's happening next. Mwahaha! ::evil laughter::]
Mimi could see her breath in the chilly air. She was on her way to the Life Café, but this time it was for a different reason. Mimi wanted to work as a waitress. She glanced at her watch and realized that she was already a few minutes late. She walked as quickly as her short skirt and high heels would allow, but in her haste she planted the heel of her left shoe directly in a crack on the sidewalk.
"Whoa!" Mimi was close to kissing the pavement, but a strong hand grabbed her.
"Oh God, thanks. I'm such a klutz," she replied to the stranger.
"Mimi Marquez?" Mimi suddenly realized that this guy was no stranger. He used to work at the Cat Scratch Club where she had once worked as a dancer who did a little more than dancing.
"Bud? Hey, it is you! I never thought I would see you again!"
"Yeah. I guess your days at the Cat Scratch are over," the huge man grinned. "Look at you! You're still gorgeous. Where are you working now?"
"Actually, I was just on my way to the Life Café to apply for a job."
"You? A waitress? Mimi, you're better than that."
"Yeah. And I'm sure as hell better than the Cat Scratch Club."
"How much would they pay you at the Life?"
"I dunno. Why?"
"What if I told you I could get you double-no-triple that amount if you worked for me?"
"Don't even start. Roger doesn't want me going back there, and like I said, I'm better than that now. I can get a job without selling myself," Mimi replied coldly.
"Fine then. But if your plans backfire, don't hesitate to drop by."
"I wouldn't set foot in there if you promised me millions, Bud."
But Mimi couldn't help remember those words that echoed in her mind as she continued down the sidewalk. "Triple that amount." Roger would be so happy. She soon pushed the thoughts out of her mind and prepared for the interview. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Name, please," said a middle-aged man in a green suit. Mimi was too busy wondering why he chose this awful color. Who wears a green suit? And it's just not his color. . .
"Excuse me."
"Oh sorry. I was distracted. What did you say?"
"You name, Miss."
"Mimi Marquez."
"You're real name, please."
"Uh, my real name is Mimi." The man gave her a puzzled look and shook his head.
"Alright then, Mimi," he droned on with sarcastic emphasis on her name, "What experience do you have working as a waitress?"
"Well, I've never really worked at a restaurant before. But I learn really fast! And I always serve the food at parties. . ." The man was obviously disinterested.
"So you have no experience?"
"I never said that I didn't have experience. I told you! I serve food at. . ."
"Alright. No experience. Well, we only take people who have actually had jobs before and know what it takes to be responsible. You already gave a bad impression because you weren't prompt."
"Hey, I've had a job! I worked at the. . .never mind." Mimi decided not to mention the Cat Scratch Club. It would only make things worse.
"Goodbye, Miss Marquez. And good luck to you." The man in the green suit rolled his eyes.
"But I just got here!"
"GOODBYE!"
-------------------------------------------------------------
Mimi left the Life Café in a state of defeat. How could she mess this up? She couldn't let Roger down. No, it wasn't that. She didn't want Roger to have the satisfaction of being right. She couldn't get a job. Her mind lingered still on her conversation with Bud.
"Ow!"
Mimi had been lost in her thoughts and ran into a very frazzled Maureen.
"Sorry. Look, Mimi, I really have to talk to you."
"Why? What happened?"
"Well you see. . ." Maureen began, but she was cut off by Roger who had just exited the apartment building.
"Meems, did ya get a job?"
"Uh, my interview got canceled so I'm going back tomorrow," Mimi lied. She turned to Maureen and lowered her voice. "Do you think we could talk about this later?"
"Uh huh." Maureen nodded. "I just. . .I dunno, I guess I was just making a mountain out of a molehill. It's no big deal."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Mimi didn't give this particular conversation a second thought. She had other things on her mind.
----------------------------------------------
"Honey bear?" Joanne called as Maureen entered the apartment.
"Yeah?"
"What are these roses that I found in the trash? They're beautiful! Where did you get them?"
"Oh, so now you snoop through my trash! Don't you trust me, Joanne? I can't believe this! How could you?" Maureen snapped. Joanne was obviously taken aback by this reply.
"I wasn't snooping. I was just throwing some of your old junk away."
"Oh, right. Sorry. The roses were from. . .um, I really don't know. I think somebody dropped them off at the wrong apartment."
"Then why did the card have your name on it?"
"Oh, right. They're from my agent. I completely forgot. He just wanted to congratulate me on my new job." Maureen felt awful about lying to Joanne for the second time.
Joanne's face lit up. "You got a job? Honey bear, that's wonderful! Where at?"
"I don't know yet. Jeff is going to have a meeting with me soon."
"We should go out and celebrate!"
"No! I mean. . .that would be great, Pookie, but I'm just not myself tonight. Maybe some other time." Maureen left for the bathroom and shut the door gently behind her. -------------------------------------------
"What am I going to do?" she asked herself aloud. "I mean, now Joanne thinks I have a job so I have to go out and get one. But that means seeing Jeff again. No way, I can't do that. But what would Joanne say if she finds out? Oh shit, now I'm talking to myself like a psycho maniac."
Maureen reached for the soap and began to wash her face. "Maybe I could see him just once. Just long enough to get a job. . ." she whispered to her reflection in the mirror. "You can do this, Maureen." She hoped that she was right.
Mimi could see her breath in the chilly air. She was on her way to the Life Café, but this time it was for a different reason. Mimi wanted to work as a waitress. She glanced at her watch and realized that she was already a few minutes late. She walked as quickly as her short skirt and high heels would allow, but in her haste she planted the heel of her left shoe directly in a crack on the sidewalk.
"Whoa!" Mimi was close to kissing the pavement, but a strong hand grabbed her.
"Oh God, thanks. I'm such a klutz," she replied to the stranger.
"Mimi Marquez?" Mimi suddenly realized that this guy was no stranger. He used to work at the Cat Scratch Club where she had once worked as a dancer who did a little more than dancing.
"Bud? Hey, it is you! I never thought I would see you again!"
"Yeah. I guess your days at the Cat Scratch are over," the huge man grinned. "Look at you! You're still gorgeous. Where are you working now?"
"Actually, I was just on my way to the Life Café to apply for a job."
"You? A waitress? Mimi, you're better than that."
"Yeah. And I'm sure as hell better than the Cat Scratch Club."
"How much would they pay you at the Life?"
"I dunno. Why?"
"What if I told you I could get you double-no-triple that amount if you worked for me?"
"Don't even start. Roger doesn't want me going back there, and like I said, I'm better than that now. I can get a job without selling myself," Mimi replied coldly.
"Fine then. But if your plans backfire, don't hesitate to drop by."
"I wouldn't set foot in there if you promised me millions, Bud."
But Mimi couldn't help remember those words that echoed in her mind as she continued down the sidewalk. "Triple that amount." Roger would be so happy. She soon pushed the thoughts out of her mind and prepared for the interview. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Name, please," said a middle-aged man in a green suit. Mimi was too busy wondering why he chose this awful color. Who wears a green suit? And it's just not his color. . .
"Excuse me."
"Oh sorry. I was distracted. What did you say?"
"You name, Miss."
"Mimi Marquez."
"You're real name, please."
"Uh, my real name is Mimi." The man gave her a puzzled look and shook his head.
"Alright then, Mimi," he droned on with sarcastic emphasis on her name, "What experience do you have working as a waitress?"
"Well, I've never really worked at a restaurant before. But I learn really fast! And I always serve the food at parties. . ." The man was obviously disinterested.
"So you have no experience?"
"I never said that I didn't have experience. I told you! I serve food at. . ."
"Alright. No experience. Well, we only take people who have actually had jobs before and know what it takes to be responsible. You already gave a bad impression because you weren't prompt."
"Hey, I've had a job! I worked at the. . .never mind." Mimi decided not to mention the Cat Scratch Club. It would only make things worse.
"Goodbye, Miss Marquez. And good luck to you." The man in the green suit rolled his eyes.
"But I just got here!"
"GOODBYE!"
-------------------------------------------------------------
Mimi left the Life Café in a state of defeat. How could she mess this up? She couldn't let Roger down. No, it wasn't that. She didn't want Roger to have the satisfaction of being right. She couldn't get a job. Her mind lingered still on her conversation with Bud.
"Ow!"
Mimi had been lost in her thoughts and ran into a very frazzled Maureen.
"Sorry. Look, Mimi, I really have to talk to you."
"Why? What happened?"
"Well you see. . ." Maureen began, but she was cut off by Roger who had just exited the apartment building.
"Meems, did ya get a job?"
"Uh, my interview got canceled so I'm going back tomorrow," Mimi lied. She turned to Maureen and lowered her voice. "Do you think we could talk about this later?"
"Uh huh." Maureen nodded. "I just. . .I dunno, I guess I was just making a mountain out of a molehill. It's no big deal."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Mimi didn't give this particular conversation a second thought. She had other things on her mind.
----------------------------------------------
"Honey bear?" Joanne called as Maureen entered the apartment.
"Yeah?"
"What are these roses that I found in the trash? They're beautiful! Where did you get them?"
"Oh, so now you snoop through my trash! Don't you trust me, Joanne? I can't believe this! How could you?" Maureen snapped. Joanne was obviously taken aback by this reply.
"I wasn't snooping. I was just throwing some of your old junk away."
"Oh, right. Sorry. The roses were from. . .um, I really don't know. I think somebody dropped them off at the wrong apartment."
"Then why did the card have your name on it?"
"Oh, right. They're from my agent. I completely forgot. He just wanted to congratulate me on my new job." Maureen felt awful about lying to Joanne for the second time.
Joanne's face lit up. "You got a job? Honey bear, that's wonderful! Where at?"
"I don't know yet. Jeff is going to have a meeting with me soon."
"We should go out and celebrate!"
"No! I mean. . .that would be great, Pookie, but I'm just not myself tonight. Maybe some other time." Maureen left for the bathroom and shut the door gently behind her. -------------------------------------------
"What am I going to do?" she asked herself aloud. "I mean, now Joanne thinks I have a job so I have to go out and get one. But that means seeing Jeff again. No way, I can't do that. But what would Joanne say if she finds out? Oh shit, now I'm talking to myself like a psycho maniac."
Maureen reached for the soap and began to wash her face. "Maybe I could see him just once. Just long enough to get a job. . ." she whispered to her reflection in the mirror. "You can do this, Maureen." She hoped that she was right.