[A/N: Yes, I'm a writing sloth. Oh well. I'm moving soon, so the computer
might be disconnected and my next update might take even longer. . .thanks
for bearing with me! Much love to my faithful reviewers.]
Everyone had gone to sleep hours ago except Mimi and Roger. Thunder was still rumbling loudly outside. Mimi was continuing to worry about Maureen, and Roger was too stirred up by the storm raging outside to sleep. He strummed his guitar gently. "She hides in her shadow. . .she's afraid of her own true self. . .but she'll act out a scene of confidence and-"
"Stop," Mimi said suddenly. "That's Maureen's song. . .just stop."
Roger put his arms around her. "Stop worrying, Meems. She's fine." He kissed her forehead. "What are you worrying so much for, anyway?"
"I just feel like this was-"
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Mimi practically sprinted to answer it. "Oh my god. Mo, honey, what happened?"
Maureen realized how awful she must have looked to them all. Her clothing was soaked through, her hair a wild mess. . .and she felt awful. Maureen stumbled over to the couch and Roger put down his guitar and grabbed her arm to steady her.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. . ."she muttered as she eased herself onto the couch. "I'm just really dizzy. . ." Maureen lay back on the pillows and closed her eyes. "It's freezing in here."
Roger helped her pull off her coat and flung a blanket over her shivering body. "God, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I told you I'm. . .I don't know. I don't know what happened." Her attempts to keep from crying were fruitless.
"Maureen. . ." Mimi reached out to touch her but Maureen recoiled. "Just lie down, ok? God, it's pure hell out there." She motioned to the window just as a bolt of lightning illuminated the sky. Even Roger jumped at the loud clap of thunder that followed. "Tell us what happened," Mimi whispered. When Maureen refused to speak, she went on. "Listen, I'm really sorry. I don't know why I said what I said before."
Maureen hiccuped as fresh sobs overcame her. "I'm sorry too. You were right. I was throwing everything on you. . ."
"Now you know I didn't mean. . ."
"I don't care. It's true and I know it."
Roger cleared his throat as if to remind them that he was still present for their sympathetic apology. Mimi giggled at him. "I'm going to bed so you two can continue. 'Night." He gave Mimi a kiss and left for the bedroom with his guitar. -----------------------------------------------------------
"This is too much," Maureen sighed after finishing her story. "First Joanne, then Jeff, Roger, the baby. . .now this. I swear it's a curse, Mimi. It's like bad karma or something. I just want to make it stop."
Mimi rubbed Maureen's hands in her own to warm them. They were still freezing from the wind and rain. "How do you feel now?"
"I don't know. A little sick. . .my head feels like it's going to explode. . .other than that, I think I'm ok. I just don't know about little Junior here." Maureen stroked her slightly larger stomach. "Damnit, I have to go through enough. Why does it have to affect my baby, too?"
"I'll take you to see the doctor tomorrow morning just to make sure everything's ok," Mimi offered. "Just get some sleep, ok?"
Maureen rolled over and looked at the clock. "Mimi. . .weren't you supposed to be at work a few hours ago?"
"Shit," Mimi groaned. "I wasn't thinking about it. Great. Now Bud is going to fire me."
"Who's Bud?"
"A guy that works at the. . .café. I have to go." Mimi grabbed her bag.
"Won't your shift be over by the time you get there?"
"I'm sure I can take someone's place in the show-" Mimi caught herself. "I mean, take someone else's shift. . ." She rushed out the door with the regret of lying still burning within her.
------------------------------------------------------------
Kelly was helping Collins set up the extra bed in his living room. "That Mark guy seemed nice. . ."
Collins smiled. "Yeah, he is isn't he?" He grabbed one end of the sheet and tucked it under the mattress.
"Does he live there with Mimi and Roger?" Kelly asked as she tugged at a pillowcase.
"Yes. . .hmm, do I sense a budding romance?" Collins teased with a grin.
Kelly blushed. "No! God, Collins, I've been living with you for under five hours and you've already found a way to annoy me."
He smiled. "Well just for the record, it annoys me when people spend an hour in the shower. There. Now you can get back at me." He laughed. "Angel used to do that. . ."
Kelly sat down. "Who's she?"
"He," Collins said with emphasis, "was my boyfriend. Or more like a girlfriend."
"Oh."
"Does it bother you that I swing the other way?"
"No, no! Of course not!" Kelly laughed. "I just didn't know. So does Angel live in this building, too?"
Collins didn't answer. Kelly wondered if her question had been a mistake. Before she could change the subject, Collins began to explain. "Angel died a few years ago. She had AIDS. . ."
"Oh. . .god. . .I'm sorry. I didn't want to. . ."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it. She had such a kind heart and wonderful fashion sense." Collins gave a weak smile and Kelly laughed quietly. "It's just been hard to move on ever since it happened, and spending so much time alone hasn't helped."
Kelly hugged him. "Help is on the way."
---------------------------------------------------------
Mimi pounded on the office door at the Cat Scratch Club. "Bud! Damnit, answer the door!"
He poked his head out. "Mimi, how nice of you to show up. You know, for work. For your job," Bud spat sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, ok? My friend was-"
"Do I look like I give a shit about your friends? We had some unhappy men out there! I had to send DARLENE out there to do her dance number. You remember Darlene-the girl who doesn't know her left foot from her right and trips across the stage! I can't have people working here who don't show up because of their 'friend troubles.'" He held up his fingers to form quotation marks. "You're fired."
Mimi stomped one of her leopard print boots on the floor. "No, I'm NOT!"
"Excuse me?"
She quickly thought out an explanation. "You can't fire me. There are people who come here to see me. What happens when I'm gone? You lose business."
Bud thought this over. "Listen, just get out of here. I can find someone else."
"NO, you CAN'T. Bud, I can't lose this job. I'll work harder. I do something better. . ."
"You will?" Mimi didn't like the way Bud was grinning. "Then take it all off."
"What?"
Bud spat some chewing tobacco on the ground. "You heard me. You can dance around in skimpy little clothes all you want, but those guys out there want the goods. They wanna see it all."
"What the fuck. . ."
"If you don't, I'm firing you. What's your man gonna think when you stop going to the 'café?'"
"Go to hell."
"Is that a yes?"
"Maybe."
Bud nodded approvingly. "Then show up on time tomorrow night or else you don't have a chance."
Mimi thought it over as she walked back to the loft. Would she lose her job, or lose Roger?
Everyone had gone to sleep hours ago except Mimi and Roger. Thunder was still rumbling loudly outside. Mimi was continuing to worry about Maureen, and Roger was too stirred up by the storm raging outside to sleep. He strummed his guitar gently. "She hides in her shadow. . .she's afraid of her own true self. . .but she'll act out a scene of confidence and-"
"Stop," Mimi said suddenly. "That's Maureen's song. . .just stop."
Roger put his arms around her. "Stop worrying, Meems. She's fine." He kissed her forehead. "What are you worrying so much for, anyway?"
"I just feel like this was-"
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Mimi practically sprinted to answer it. "Oh my god. Mo, honey, what happened?"
Maureen realized how awful she must have looked to them all. Her clothing was soaked through, her hair a wild mess. . .and she felt awful. Maureen stumbled over to the couch and Roger put down his guitar and grabbed her arm to steady her.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. . ."she muttered as she eased herself onto the couch. "I'm just really dizzy. . ." Maureen lay back on the pillows and closed her eyes. "It's freezing in here."
Roger helped her pull off her coat and flung a blanket over her shivering body. "God, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I told you I'm. . .I don't know. I don't know what happened." Her attempts to keep from crying were fruitless.
"Maureen. . ." Mimi reached out to touch her but Maureen recoiled. "Just lie down, ok? God, it's pure hell out there." She motioned to the window just as a bolt of lightning illuminated the sky. Even Roger jumped at the loud clap of thunder that followed. "Tell us what happened," Mimi whispered. When Maureen refused to speak, she went on. "Listen, I'm really sorry. I don't know why I said what I said before."
Maureen hiccuped as fresh sobs overcame her. "I'm sorry too. You were right. I was throwing everything on you. . ."
"Now you know I didn't mean. . ."
"I don't care. It's true and I know it."
Roger cleared his throat as if to remind them that he was still present for their sympathetic apology. Mimi giggled at him. "I'm going to bed so you two can continue. 'Night." He gave Mimi a kiss and left for the bedroom with his guitar. -----------------------------------------------------------
"This is too much," Maureen sighed after finishing her story. "First Joanne, then Jeff, Roger, the baby. . .now this. I swear it's a curse, Mimi. It's like bad karma or something. I just want to make it stop."
Mimi rubbed Maureen's hands in her own to warm them. They were still freezing from the wind and rain. "How do you feel now?"
"I don't know. A little sick. . .my head feels like it's going to explode. . .other than that, I think I'm ok. I just don't know about little Junior here." Maureen stroked her slightly larger stomach. "Damnit, I have to go through enough. Why does it have to affect my baby, too?"
"I'll take you to see the doctor tomorrow morning just to make sure everything's ok," Mimi offered. "Just get some sleep, ok?"
Maureen rolled over and looked at the clock. "Mimi. . .weren't you supposed to be at work a few hours ago?"
"Shit," Mimi groaned. "I wasn't thinking about it. Great. Now Bud is going to fire me."
"Who's Bud?"
"A guy that works at the. . .café. I have to go." Mimi grabbed her bag.
"Won't your shift be over by the time you get there?"
"I'm sure I can take someone's place in the show-" Mimi caught herself. "I mean, take someone else's shift. . ." She rushed out the door with the regret of lying still burning within her.
------------------------------------------------------------
Kelly was helping Collins set up the extra bed in his living room. "That Mark guy seemed nice. . ."
Collins smiled. "Yeah, he is isn't he?" He grabbed one end of the sheet and tucked it under the mattress.
"Does he live there with Mimi and Roger?" Kelly asked as she tugged at a pillowcase.
"Yes. . .hmm, do I sense a budding romance?" Collins teased with a grin.
Kelly blushed. "No! God, Collins, I've been living with you for under five hours and you've already found a way to annoy me."
He smiled. "Well just for the record, it annoys me when people spend an hour in the shower. There. Now you can get back at me." He laughed. "Angel used to do that. . ."
Kelly sat down. "Who's she?"
"He," Collins said with emphasis, "was my boyfriend. Or more like a girlfriend."
"Oh."
"Does it bother you that I swing the other way?"
"No, no! Of course not!" Kelly laughed. "I just didn't know. So does Angel live in this building, too?"
Collins didn't answer. Kelly wondered if her question had been a mistake. Before she could change the subject, Collins began to explain. "Angel died a few years ago. She had AIDS. . ."
"Oh. . .god. . .I'm sorry. I didn't want to. . ."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it. She had such a kind heart and wonderful fashion sense." Collins gave a weak smile and Kelly laughed quietly. "It's just been hard to move on ever since it happened, and spending so much time alone hasn't helped."
Kelly hugged him. "Help is on the way."
---------------------------------------------------------
Mimi pounded on the office door at the Cat Scratch Club. "Bud! Damnit, answer the door!"
He poked his head out. "Mimi, how nice of you to show up. You know, for work. For your job," Bud spat sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, ok? My friend was-"
"Do I look like I give a shit about your friends? We had some unhappy men out there! I had to send DARLENE out there to do her dance number. You remember Darlene-the girl who doesn't know her left foot from her right and trips across the stage! I can't have people working here who don't show up because of their 'friend troubles.'" He held up his fingers to form quotation marks. "You're fired."
Mimi stomped one of her leopard print boots on the floor. "No, I'm NOT!"
"Excuse me?"
She quickly thought out an explanation. "You can't fire me. There are people who come here to see me. What happens when I'm gone? You lose business."
Bud thought this over. "Listen, just get out of here. I can find someone else."
"NO, you CAN'T. Bud, I can't lose this job. I'll work harder. I do something better. . ."
"You will?" Mimi didn't like the way Bud was grinning. "Then take it all off."
"What?"
Bud spat some chewing tobacco on the ground. "You heard me. You can dance around in skimpy little clothes all you want, but those guys out there want the goods. They wanna see it all."
"What the fuck. . ."
"If you don't, I'm firing you. What's your man gonna think when you stop going to the 'café?'"
"Go to hell."
"Is that a yes?"
"Maybe."
Bud nodded approvingly. "Then show up on time tomorrow night or else you don't have a chance."
Mimi thought it over as she walked back to the loft. Would she lose her job, or lose Roger?