Mimi woke up the next morning with a bad taste in her mouth, and felt like someone had socked her in the stomach.
She rolled over on the couch, onto her stomach, and groaned. She hadn't bothered to take off her make-up or change out of the dress. All she'd wanted to do when she got home was crash on the couch.
She could hear Edie and Maria moving around in the other room. A few seconds later, the bedroom door opened, and Edie came out.
"Get up!" she sang, poking Mimi in the side.
Mimi grumbled and slowly sat up, squinting up at her. "What time is it?"
"I don't know. It's morning. You hungry?"
"Not really. I still feel sick from last night."
"Me too. Those shots were pretty strong."
"It's alright. I've had worse," Mimi said, which was true.
"Well, Maria just left for work. Her boss is gonna kill her for coming to work with a hangover."
Mimi yawned, and scratched the back of her head. Her curly hair stuck out in different directions.
"Where does she work?" she asked.
"The Cat Scratch Club."
Mimi paused for a moment, then shook her head, showing she didn't know what that was.
"It's a club. Maria's a dancer."
"A strip club?" Mimi asked.
"You could call it that, I guess. The guys come in, they pay to drink and watch the girls dance around half naked."
Mimi laughed. "That's generally what you call a strip club."
Edie shrugged. "Whatever. Maria's fine with it, and it's decent pay. The guy who owns the place is a nice guy, surprisingly. His name's Terry. Maybe you could get a job there."
"Maybe," Mimi said. "I do need the money."
"If you're interested, just ask Maria. She could talk to Terry for you."
"Okay. Thanks," Mimi said, and then yawned again. "I'm gonna take a shower. It's so hot in here."
"Yeah, our AC's kind of fucked up," Edie apologized. "Do you have your own shampoo and shit, or do you wanna borrow some?"
"I've got some in my bag. Thanks, though."
"Alright. I'm gonna toast a bagel or something. Pray I don't burn down the apartment."
Mimi grinned. "Okay."
"Go shower. You stink," Edie commanded, and then disappeared into the kitchen.
Twenty minutes later, Mimi came out of the bathroom wearing a light blue robe, and was towel-drying her curly hair with a towel that Edie had lent her.
She wandered into the kitchen, where Edie was carelessly shoving dirty plates into the sink, under the hot water.
"Hey, beautiful. Did you get hot water?"
"Yeah. It was fine."
"It didn't go cold on you or anything?"
"Nope, it was perfect."
"Good. I'm heading out in a bit, you wanna come? I'm meeting some friends."
"Sure. If it's not a problem, I mean," Mimi said, wrapping the towel around her head.
"It's not a problem at all! They're a wild bunch…good kids, though. You'll like 'em. Go get dressed, we'll leave in a few."
Mimi pulled out a leather skirt and red halter top from her bag, and quickly slid them on.
She found her boots by the door, and put them on over her fishnets just as Edie came out, ready to go.
Edie put on a pair of sunglasses. "You look hot."
Mimi laughed. "You too."
"I know." Edie grinned at her.
They headed out for the subway, and rode for about two stops before Edie tugged on Mimi's arm and the two of them got off.
They walked to a wide alley behind Chino's restaurant, where three people, two girls and a guy, were sitting on top of old tires and passing around a lighter.
"Hey, bitches," Edie called out, and the three of them looked up.
"Hey, Edie!" a low voice came from the girl wearing a tight sixtie's-style dress, and Mimi realized that she wasn't a girl at all.
As she and Edie approached the group, Mimi realized that both of the two 'girls' were actually men.
"Mimi, this is Derek, Sushi, and Angel," Edie said, pointing to each one of them, who took a turn at shaking her hand.
"She's a cutie, Edie," the crossdresser named Angel said. She was of some Spanish descent, and had a distinct hint of an accent when she spoke. She wore a wavy black wig that flattered her dark eyes. Her broad, muscled arms and wide shoulders looked a little awkward in the tight top she was wearing, but her chest was pretty impressive.
Sushi had her make-up caked on her face, and resembled a clown, almost. She wore a heavy fur coat, even though the weather was way too warm for it. She had on white stiletto heels, that looked painfully narrow.
"I met Angel and Sushi at a gay bar last spring," Edie said. "Sushi performs there."
Sushi's bright red lips smiled. "Have you heard of me?" he asked Mimi. "Sushi Delight? There are some fliers around with my picture on them."
Mimi shook her head.
"She's kind of new to the area," Edie explained to Mimi. "And Angel is a bartender there. Only she doesn't wear the drag when she's on the job, so if you ever see her there, you probably wouldn't be able to recognize her."
Angel gave Mimi a shy smile and shrugged. Mimi smiled back at her.
"And Derek I met at the Life Café. That's a little restaurant a couple of blocks away. I'll show you it sometime. It's small, but the food's really good."
Derek had short black curly hair, and wore a dirty white T-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans. For a guy, he was pretty small. He stood leaning against the back wall and was only a little taller than Mimi, who was only 5'1.
"Are we gonna just sit here or are we gonna do something?" Sushi demanded, impatiently.
"Don't get your panties in a knot. I was thinking of showing Mimi the area. You guys wanna head over to St. Mark's place?"
"Shit, I can't go there. I have some dues to pay the man," Sushi said, with a sheepish look on her face.
"Who's 'the man'?" Mimi asked, confused.
Edie snorted. "Her drug dealer."
"Oh, don't look at me like that. You used to do that shit too."
"Yeah, but I quit because I knew better," Edie shot back.
Sushi shrugged. "To each her own," she said.
"So you're not coming, then?" Edie asked.
"No. If he sees me, he'll castrate me."
"I'll go," Angel offered.
"See, there's someone who knows how to have fun!" Edie exclaimed. "Are you coming, Derek?"
"He's staying with me," Sushi said, placing her hand over Derek's. "We have some things we need to attend to,' she winked.
Edie shrugged. "Whatever." She turned to Mimi and Angel. "Let's go, you two."
"You should see this place during the Holidays," Angel said to Mimi, as they walked through St. Mark's place. "It's crazy. And that's when all the homeless kids start hanging around more, because of the cold. It breaks my heart, seeing them."
On the subway, on their way to St. Mark's, Mimi and Angel found that they had a lot in common. They had the same taste in clothes, music…and to Mimi's surprise, men.
"Did you know before Maria and I took her in, Mimi was set on sleeping on benches?" Edie told Angel.
Angel's eyes widened. "Don't ever do that. I don't wanna see you getting hurt, honey," she said to Mimi.
Mimi smiled. "Don't worry, I won't. I'm lucky I met Edie, though."
Edie beamed. "What can I say. I'm a lifesaver," she said. She scanned the crowd, looking for a particular stand.
"Guys, I'll be right back. I'm gonna snag a new pair of sunglasses from one of those shops," she told both of them.
"Alright, babe. Don't talk to an strangers," Angel warned her, and Edie stuck her tongue out at her and disappeared in the crowd.
Angel nudged Mimi. "That's the man, over there," he said, pointing to a tall man wearing a black sweatshirt. He had his hood over his head, making him look like the grim reaper.
"You see how he's scanning the crowd like that? He's looking for his clients."
"Are you one of them?" Mimi asked her.
Angel winced. "I was. I used to…shoot up. But I stopped. I found out from a doctor that I was HIV positive.
There was a silence between the two of them.
Finally, Mimi spoke. "I'm sorry," she said, softly.
Angel smiled and shrugged. "Hey. No big deal. I'm still standing here, right?" she grinned, but her smile wavered. "I don't know if I got it from shooting up or sex, but I stopped the drugs anyway. I smoke the occasional joint now and then, but that's it."
She linked arms with Mimi and the two of them walked forward, slowly. They looked at potpourri and rip-off bags that were being sold by a large woman in a brown shawl.
"Hey, fag!" a voice called out from behind them.
Angel turned around to face a tall bald man, with a faded t-shirt and the beginnings of a beer belly.
Angel narrowed her eyes at him. "Excuse me. Are you talking to me?"
"Do you see any other faggots around here? Cause I don't," the man scoffed. "Don't you have any dignity, jesus. Who's that chick with you? Are you pretending to be his girlfriend, honey?" he grinned at Mimi, making her stomach churn.
"Don't you talk to her," Angel snapped. "I don't need to take shit from some middle-aged skinhead that probably can't tell right from left. Why don't you run along home? Get!" she said, waving him off with her hand.
The man stepped forward, menacingly. "Don't talk to me like that, you fag. I see guys like you on the street every day, and it makes me sick to my stomach. You're lucky I don't beat the shit out of you right now."
"You're all talk, honey," Angel said in a tired voice. "Leave us alone, before you exhaust yourself."
"Yeah? What about your little girlfriend then? Does she care that you're a sad man dressed like a fool?"
Angel mumbled something in spanish under her breath. "Listen, you middle-aged, balding, ugly, stupid fuck. I don't care what you think. Now why don't you go on your way, asshole?"
"I'll teach you to talk to me like that…what, if you don't care, how bout I have some fun with your girlfriend?" he sneered, grabbing Mimi's wrist tightly, making her cry out in surprise.
Suddenly, Angel's hand shot out in a fist, catching the man right between the legs.
The man was so startled that he let go of Mimi, and with both hands grabbed his crotch, in agony.
"Honey, I am more than a man then you'll ever be, and more of a woman than you'll ever get," she spat. She took Mimi's hand gently, and the two of them stalked off, leaving the man in a pitiful state.
The two of them giggled as they ran threw the crowd.
"That was amazing," Mimi gasped, trying to catch her breath. "You made him look like a complete idiot."
Angel giggled. "I deal with guys like him all the time. They have more brains in their balls than they do in their head. Come on, let's go find Edie."
Laughing, the two of them walked off and found Edie just as she was finishing paying for her sunglasses.