Note: This is the final chapter. I hope I did a good job and entertained you. It leaves off just before Rent begins, sort of. lol Please leave reviews! Thank you for reading!
The morning sun streamed in through the grimy windows of the loft giving the illusion of warmth. Mark was asleep on the window ledge, his head resting against the panes. Maureen tiptoed into the loft. She spied Mark across the room and felt a tug on her heart.
"He must have sat up all night waiting for me," she thought guiltily. She shook her head sadly. "What have I done to him?"
She couldn't dwell on that right now. Joanne was waiting for her downstairs. She just had to gather her meager belongings and get out. Maureen went into the room she used to share with Mark. She collected her clothes and flung them into her newly resurrected suitcase that was under the bed.
"For once in my life I would like to have a permanent place to stay," she thought.
She hated living out of a suitcase, never knowing when she would have to pick up and leave. Her makeup case and toiletries were the next items to be thrown in. She couldn't forget her most important possessions.
When she was satisfied that she had gathered all of her belongings she zipped the luggage closed. She took one last look around the small room. She and Mark had spent countless nights here in the warmth of each other's arms. She wished things could have been different. She wished her childhood wasn't so screwed up. Maybe her relationship with Mark would have been more lasting. She could have spent the rest of her life with him.
Mark was exactly the kind of man she needed. His grounded and stable nature was the balancing force to her wild streak. She could have had a fairytale ending. Unfortunately, she had hurt the one man who would never mistreat her. And the ending she sought was for just that, a fairytale.
Her eyes were drawn again to Mark's sleeping figure as she entered the living area. She set her suitcase by the door and scurried back to the bedroom. She emerged with a large blanket. She quietly approached Mark and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. His glasses had worked their way to the tip of his nose. Maureen removed them and placed them on the ledge near his knee. She watched him for a long time. Finally, she kissed him gently on the lips and ran her fingers through his feathery, blonde hair.
"Goodbye, Markie," she whispered.
She left the loft before she could change her mind. She hadn't noticed that Roger was watching her from his doorway. He didn't know what to make of her behavior. He was glad she was gone because Mark would have an easier time moving on. Apparently, she still cared about him. Why else would she have covered him? He couldn't make sense out of her.
"Women," he muttered before going back to bed.
"How did it go?" Joanne asked when Maureen emerged from the building.
"They were both asleep, so no drama."
"I guess that's a good thing. Let's get your stuff back to my apartment, grab some breakfast, and take my car to the shop."
"Sounds good to me. Thanks for letting me stay with you. I probably would have had to go back home." Maureen shuddered at the thought.
"Don't be silly. I couldn't let you go through that."
"I do have a few auditions lined up in the next few weeks. Once I save some money up I can look for a place of my own."
"Until then, you can make yourself comfortable in my apartment.
Maureen smiled at her.
They spent the rest of the morning chatting idly and running errands. Maureen began to feel more relaxed around Joanne. She enjoyed spending time with her, and she became more and more convinced that she made the right decision. Things were looking up for Maureen. That is, until she spotted the eviction notices plastered on every gate and lamppost near her former home.
"What the hell?" she wondered aloud.
"What's wrong, Honeybear?"
Maureen quickly read the note. "That bastard!" she spat. "He thinks he owns the Alphabet City ever since he became engaged to Allison Grey of the West Fourth Greys!"
Seeing Joanne's confused look, Maureen quickly explained who Benjamin Coffin III was and why she was outraged.
"In short, he thinks he's the shit and that he can do as he pleases," concluded Maureen.
"What an asshole!"
"This can't happen. These people have nowhere else to go. They can't afford to live anywhere else. The lot next to the building is my performance space. How dare he try to take that away from me!" Maureen was fuming.
Suddenly, she squealed. "I've got it! I'll stage a protest in the very lot he's trying to take over! We'll need lights, speakers, a mixer, a mic, and a cowbell!"
Joanne raised an eyebrow. "A cowbell?"
"Trust me. I am an artist. It's gonna be great!"
Joanne shrugged. "If you say so."
"Benny won't know what hit him!"