[A/N: Four words: too much to do! I'm never going to get this story
completed if I keep going at this rate. Bug me to update more often.]
Roger was jolted awake from his deep sleep on the couch by the banging of cupboards in the kitchen. He rolled over sleepily.
"Shut up," Roger mumbled, but his voice either wasn't heard or ignored. He heard someone slam a fist on the counter.
"Damnit! Don't we have any watermelon?" Maureen's voice called.
Roger lifted his head. "Mo. . .what the fuck? There are no watermelons in New York in March. And what makes you think we would have any?"
"You don't understand, do you?!" Maureen erupted. "I NEED watermelon! It's been all I can think about for the past three days. . .and I'm starving! I can't stop eating. . .but there's always that little place that isn't full. You know why? That place is reserved for watermelon and I need watermelon NOW!" She slammed a book on the counter and flipped through a few pages. "Chapter Five-FOOD CRAVINGS!"
"It's five in the morning. . ."
"I don't care," Maureen whimpered. "All I wanted was a little piece of watermelon. . ." She sat down on the counter and put her face in her hands. "Now fruit is making me cry! Goddamn fruit! Urgh!"
Roger sighed and ran his fingers through his tangled hair. He sat across from Maureen on the opposite countertop. "Listen, how about I go to the grocery store today and see if they've got any. I was planning on going anyway."
"Stop being nice to me," Maureen said quietly.
"What? Why?"
"Because it makes me want to forgive you." She roughly shoved a bag of hotdog buns back into the cabinet behind her.
"Mo, I told you I'm really sorry about what happened. . ."
"Yeah, I know," she snapped. "But you don't know what that was like, ok? It scared the hell out of me. I was halfway conscious and they're telling me that I could lose my baby and I didn't know where Mimi was or what happened to her. God, I was afraid you were going to kill her or something! You probably could have if you wanted to, and then what would have happened? Roger I can't believe you were so. . ." She stopped and seemed to asses what she had just said. "I'm sorry. It wasn't even your fault. You must think I'm a total bitch."
Roger stared at her a moment. "Women are way too complex for my level of understanding."
"Just you wait. You have much to learn, young grasshopper." Maureen faked a karate chop move. "What I'm trying to say is. . ." she paused and thought a moment. "I think I can forgive you now. . .under one condition."
"What's that?"
Maureen grinned. "Don't let it happen again, and buy some fucking watermelon!"
------------------------------------------------------------------
Mimi pulled some tofu from the grocery store shelf.
"No way," Roger said. "That stuff bounces." Mimi giggled.
Collins and Maureen glanced at each other with confused expressions as Mimi, Mark, and Roger erupted into laughter.
"Inside joke?" Collins asked.
"Yeah." They nodded.
"Ok. . ." Maureen continued to be confused. "C'mon, Meems. Let's get some watermelon!" She dragged Mimi to the next aisle.
Mimi nudged her when they were out of earshot. "So you forgave Roger?"
Maureen nodded as they went through the produce section. "Yeah. I guess so."
"Thank God," Mimi sighed. "Now maybe things will be back to normal for a while. Well. . .almost normal." Maureen didn't reply. "Mo?"
Maureen dropped the bag of fruit she was holding back into the crate. Mimi followed her gaze. "I guess she didn't move too far." They were staring at a woman in the next aisle. It was Joanne.
Maureen clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God. . . Mimi, I gotta talk to her." Mimi grabbed her by the arm.
"Hun, don't do this to yourself right now, ok? You've been through enough. Let's go."
"No! You don't understand. . .I need Joanne. I still love her."
"After what she did to you?"
Maureen paused. "You mean what I did to her."
Mimi ignored her last comment and went on. "But she abandoned you."
"You still love Roger."
"That's different."
Maureen pulled away from her and went over to Joanne. "Pookie. . ."
Joanne turned around. "Oh. . .I. . .Maureen. . .hello."
"Hey." Maureen suddenly felt shy for the first time in her life.
Joanne looked her up and down as though inspecting her. "You didn't get an abortion?"
She shook her head. Maureen was slightly hurt by this comment, but decided to ignore it.
"Well. . .good for you."
"Yeah. I guess so." She shifted from foot to foot. "So I was wondering if maybe sometime we could. . ."
"No," Joanne said firmly before Maureen could say more. "I can't. Not after what you did. It just wouldn't work out. . .it would be too painful. . .for both of us."
Maureen gasped. "But Pookie. . ."
"No, Maureen. I told you we couldn't be together again. I'm sorry. . .really, I am. I have to get going now." She put a few items in her cart. "Good luck with everything."
Maureen nodded and walked slowly back to the produce section. Mimi had apparently overheard the whole thing. "You ok?"
Maureen nodded. "She loves me. I know she does. . .but she won't admit it. I'm going home. I'll meet you guys back at the loft."
----------------------------------------------------------
Collins trudged against the wind through the park later that day. It was supposed to be spring, but the weather was just the opposite. He hugged his coat tightly around him. The coat Angel gave him. It brought back too many wonderful, painful memories. They were memories that he had been trying so hard to forget, yet they always found their way back into his mind where they haunted him day after day. It was too much to bear. Collins found himself a seat on a bench and cast his coat off to the side where he didn't have to look at it.
"Hey. . .can I borrow that?" a small voice asked from behind him. Collins turned to find a woman seated on the ground behind his bench. Her torn sweatshirt gave little protection from the biting wind.
"Yes. . .yes, of course," he replied. Collins examined the bruise on her face. "Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?"
"No. I'm fine," she replied hurriedly and tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "I was just mugged. . .someone took my coat. . .I'm fine though, really." She eased herself onto the bench as Collins put his coat around her trembling shoulders.
Collins studied her face. She obviously wasn't ok. This woman was very frightened from the looks of her, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Something about her face was very familiar. . .but he couldn't quite tell what it was. "Would you like me to take you home?" he asked.
Her pale blue eyes swam with tears as she began to pour out her story. "My boyfriend kicked me out of his apartment. I just. . .I ran. All I took was my purse. I figured I'd have enough to get a room somewhere. . .but they took it with my coat." She put her face in her hands and let out a sob. "I'm sorry. . .I don't even know you."
"I'm Collins."
"I'm Kelly."
"Well, Kelly. . .I'm living alone right now and the thing I need most is some company. I'd be willing to help you out and let you stay with me a while until you can find a job and get your own place." Collins surprised himself by his own spontaneous offer, but anything was better than living alone. Maybe she could help him to forget. . .
Kelly smiled at him. "Collins. . .wow. . .you're a stranger. You don't have to do that."
"But I want to. Come with me. I have some friends you'd like to meet."
Roger was jolted awake from his deep sleep on the couch by the banging of cupboards in the kitchen. He rolled over sleepily.
"Shut up," Roger mumbled, but his voice either wasn't heard or ignored. He heard someone slam a fist on the counter.
"Damnit! Don't we have any watermelon?" Maureen's voice called.
Roger lifted his head. "Mo. . .what the fuck? There are no watermelons in New York in March. And what makes you think we would have any?"
"You don't understand, do you?!" Maureen erupted. "I NEED watermelon! It's been all I can think about for the past three days. . .and I'm starving! I can't stop eating. . .but there's always that little place that isn't full. You know why? That place is reserved for watermelon and I need watermelon NOW!" She slammed a book on the counter and flipped through a few pages. "Chapter Five-FOOD CRAVINGS!"
"It's five in the morning. . ."
"I don't care," Maureen whimpered. "All I wanted was a little piece of watermelon. . ." She sat down on the counter and put her face in her hands. "Now fruit is making me cry! Goddamn fruit! Urgh!"
Roger sighed and ran his fingers through his tangled hair. He sat across from Maureen on the opposite countertop. "Listen, how about I go to the grocery store today and see if they've got any. I was planning on going anyway."
"Stop being nice to me," Maureen said quietly.
"What? Why?"
"Because it makes me want to forgive you." She roughly shoved a bag of hotdog buns back into the cabinet behind her.
"Mo, I told you I'm really sorry about what happened. . ."
"Yeah, I know," she snapped. "But you don't know what that was like, ok? It scared the hell out of me. I was halfway conscious and they're telling me that I could lose my baby and I didn't know where Mimi was or what happened to her. God, I was afraid you were going to kill her or something! You probably could have if you wanted to, and then what would have happened? Roger I can't believe you were so. . ." She stopped and seemed to asses what she had just said. "I'm sorry. It wasn't even your fault. You must think I'm a total bitch."
Roger stared at her a moment. "Women are way too complex for my level of understanding."
"Just you wait. You have much to learn, young grasshopper." Maureen faked a karate chop move. "What I'm trying to say is. . ." she paused and thought a moment. "I think I can forgive you now. . .under one condition."
"What's that?"
Maureen grinned. "Don't let it happen again, and buy some fucking watermelon!"
------------------------------------------------------------------
Mimi pulled some tofu from the grocery store shelf.
"No way," Roger said. "That stuff bounces." Mimi giggled.
Collins and Maureen glanced at each other with confused expressions as Mimi, Mark, and Roger erupted into laughter.
"Inside joke?" Collins asked.
"Yeah." They nodded.
"Ok. . ." Maureen continued to be confused. "C'mon, Meems. Let's get some watermelon!" She dragged Mimi to the next aisle.
Mimi nudged her when they were out of earshot. "So you forgave Roger?"
Maureen nodded as they went through the produce section. "Yeah. I guess so."
"Thank God," Mimi sighed. "Now maybe things will be back to normal for a while. Well. . .almost normal." Maureen didn't reply. "Mo?"
Maureen dropped the bag of fruit she was holding back into the crate. Mimi followed her gaze. "I guess she didn't move too far." They were staring at a woman in the next aisle. It was Joanne.
Maureen clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God. . . Mimi, I gotta talk to her." Mimi grabbed her by the arm.
"Hun, don't do this to yourself right now, ok? You've been through enough. Let's go."
"No! You don't understand. . .I need Joanne. I still love her."
"After what she did to you?"
Maureen paused. "You mean what I did to her."
Mimi ignored her last comment and went on. "But she abandoned you."
"You still love Roger."
"That's different."
Maureen pulled away from her and went over to Joanne. "Pookie. . ."
Joanne turned around. "Oh. . .I. . .Maureen. . .hello."
"Hey." Maureen suddenly felt shy for the first time in her life.
Joanne looked her up and down as though inspecting her. "You didn't get an abortion?"
She shook her head. Maureen was slightly hurt by this comment, but decided to ignore it.
"Well. . .good for you."
"Yeah. I guess so." She shifted from foot to foot. "So I was wondering if maybe sometime we could. . ."
"No," Joanne said firmly before Maureen could say more. "I can't. Not after what you did. It just wouldn't work out. . .it would be too painful. . .for both of us."
Maureen gasped. "But Pookie. . ."
"No, Maureen. I told you we couldn't be together again. I'm sorry. . .really, I am. I have to get going now." She put a few items in her cart. "Good luck with everything."
Maureen nodded and walked slowly back to the produce section. Mimi had apparently overheard the whole thing. "You ok?"
Maureen nodded. "She loves me. I know she does. . .but she won't admit it. I'm going home. I'll meet you guys back at the loft."
----------------------------------------------------------
Collins trudged against the wind through the park later that day. It was supposed to be spring, but the weather was just the opposite. He hugged his coat tightly around him. The coat Angel gave him. It brought back too many wonderful, painful memories. They were memories that he had been trying so hard to forget, yet they always found their way back into his mind where they haunted him day after day. It was too much to bear. Collins found himself a seat on a bench and cast his coat off to the side where he didn't have to look at it.
"Hey. . .can I borrow that?" a small voice asked from behind him. Collins turned to find a woman seated on the ground behind his bench. Her torn sweatshirt gave little protection from the biting wind.
"Yes. . .yes, of course," he replied. Collins examined the bruise on her face. "Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?"
"No. I'm fine," she replied hurriedly and tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "I was just mugged. . .someone took my coat. . .I'm fine though, really." She eased herself onto the bench as Collins put his coat around her trembling shoulders.
Collins studied her face. She obviously wasn't ok. This woman was very frightened from the looks of her, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Something about her face was very familiar. . .but he couldn't quite tell what it was. "Would you like me to take you home?" he asked.
Her pale blue eyes swam with tears as she began to pour out her story. "My boyfriend kicked me out of his apartment. I just. . .I ran. All I took was my purse. I figured I'd have enough to get a room somewhere. . .but they took it with my coat." She put her face in her hands and let out a sob. "I'm sorry. . .I don't even know you."
"I'm Collins."
"I'm Kelly."
"Well, Kelly. . .I'm living alone right now and the thing I need most is some company. I'd be willing to help you out and let you stay with me a while until you can find a job and get your own place." Collins surprised himself by his own spontaneous offer, but anything was better than living alone. Maybe she could help him to forget. . .
Kelly smiled at him. "Collins. . .wow. . .you're a stranger. You don't have to do that."
"But I want to. Come with me. I have some friends you'd like to meet."