Roger, in fact, did not kill Mimi. He was just in a state of shock. Mark, on the other hand…
"Do you guys even know what you're doing? This is insane! What-…why-…where-…how could you let this happen!" He asked Mimi as she sat on the couch, legs crossed and eyes rolling.
"I never wanted this. I don't want to damn a child to this existence. But it happened, and I'm going to enjoy it while I can," Mimi said simply, and stood up, turned, and walked out the door.
Roger continued to sit there in shock.
"You okay Rog?" Mark asked the befuddled boy.
"Yeah…I guess…I mean…this is all happening so damn fast!" He said, "First Amy, then Collins, then Angelina…people are coming and going all at once. It's scary."
"It'll work out. It'll all be fine," Mark said, trying to be reassuring.
"That's what they always say," Roger said, and walked over to the window.
-Face The Facts-
ROGER: This can't be true, this can't be real
Is this my destiny? Is my fate sealed?
I'm used to freedom, a life of fun!
How can I raise a daughter or son?
I shoulda been more careful. This can't be right.
If we weren't drunk, we would've put up a fight.
Instead we drowned our sorrows, a critical mistake
Can I reform my ways, for Mimi's sake?
I need to face it, life is just hard.
I've shuffled my deck, I've played my card.
Now I just need to see what life brings.
Will I win the pot, or end up with nothing?
Life is just like poker, it's all a game of chance,
But it was no accident that night we…er…lost our pants.
How could I be so stupid! I'm such a frickin moron!
I guess I could blame Mimi…
She has this allure, I was drawn.
No! That's not right! I've got to take the blame!
The girl's had it tough, she's had her share of shame.
It's time to toughen up, to face the facts, and,
I'll show you, Mimi, and the whole world that I can.
With that, Roger silently turned, brushed past Mark, and headed out the door. Mark watched him leave in awe. He was serious about this. And Mark couldn't be more proud.
Time passed.
Angelina grew, and soon became a toddler, always running about and getting into mischief. Maureen had made the right choice by becoming a mother – she was more settled in now, and wasn't as raunchy as she used to be.
Mimi's baby bump started to show too. With Roger's and Mark's help, she was able to stop all of the drugs and drinking, so the baby would be healthy and happy.
When the Fourth of July came, they all came together and watched the fireworks. Joanne sat with Angelina as the little girl watched the explosions and colors in awe. Mark was filming the other spectators with Amy, and Roger, Mimi and Maureen were all chatting.
"So what names have you picked out?" Maureen asked as the two snuggled on a soft blanket.
"Well…" said Mimi, turning to Roger with a smile, "If it's a girl we're naming her Katie…"
"And if it's a boy, we're naming him Michael," Roger finished.
"Lovely, lovely…know what school he or she's going to?"
"Er…" The couple looked at each other. They hadn't really thought about it that far.
"Don't worry about it," Maureen said with a laugh , "You've got a long ways to go. Plenty of time."
Mimi smiled, but it was short-lived. Seconds later, she started to cough uncontrollably. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her, but a minute later, the coughing subsided and she waved it off.
"I'm fine," she told everyone reassuringly, "Must've had some food go down the wrong pipe earlier."
The others shrugged it off, but Roger leaned in close to her, a concerned look in his eye.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"I'm fine. Really. It's probably just a cold or something."
"You should go to the doctor. We've got to be careful now because of the baby."
"I know, I know…I'll try."
They cuddled for the rest of the fireworks show, Mimi never moving one hand from her stomach where the miracle of life was slowly developing.
Things got better, much to everyone's surprise and relief. Mimi and Roger started taking parenting classes. Sometimes Mimi started staring off into space, or became interested in something else, but whenever this happened Roger gave her a little nudge to keep her on track.
Mark and Amy became even more serious.
Very serious.
The night it happened, both of them were very nervous. After all, the last people they had done this with turned out gay.
To make a long story short, it all worked out fine, and the incident brought the two closer together, as well as removing a huge gap between them.
As for Joanne and Maureen…they continued to experience the joys of parenting, raising Angelina the best that they could. Her parents loved her, and she loved them – even when people gave them stares on the street the effervescent girl didn't mind a bit.
Everything was great.
But good things never last.