Alright, sorry about the delay. I love receiving reviews; they make me feel extremely loved. I'll try and update Ch. 4 sooner, but I write before I type, sooooo...yeah. Hope you enjoy!
It was December 26th, 1992, it had been a day (give or take a few a few hours) since Mark had met Marie. "I don't know when I should call, I mean she said she'd be waiting for my call, but she could've just been being nice. What do you think Roger, think I should call her, or do you think I should wait another day or two?"
"Oh, what, hum, huh, oh, yeah, just call her, you're driving me insane."
"Thanks for your support," Mark said sarcastically.
"Any time."
With a sigh, Mark went to the phone and dialed Marie's number.
After three rings, "Hi, you've reached Marie's answering machine because I am out taking over the world one child at a time. Leave all the usual shit, and depending upon your importance, I might call you back." Beep.
"Uh, hi, Marie, it's Mark. Um, I'll call you back later. Bye."
"No answer?" Roger questioned, more interested with his guitar than that particular conversation.
Mimi then walked out of the kitchen, "Its only 11:30am Mark, she could still be asleep. I know that's what Roger would prefer."
"Maybe you're right," Mark sighed, "I just can't help but feel that I'm being set-up or something. But then I don't want to sound desperate either."
"Give it time," Mimi said consolingly. She was going through a bridal catalog from the store she had her gift card to. She sat down on the couch next to Roger, who was now fiddling with various tunes on his guitar.
Around 4pm, Mark decided to try Mimi again. He hunted for the phone, which Roger had hidden in hopes of shutting Mark up.
In about fifteen minutes, Mark found the phone under a bowl in a cupboard. He dialed and waited, praying for an answer.
"Hello."
"Uh, hi, Marie,"
"This isn't Marie. She's in the shower."
"Oh, uh I can wait," Mark stuttered.
"No need, she just turned the water off. Whom should I say is speaking?"
"Mark, we met at the Life Café."
"Alright, one sec. Marie, Mark's on the phone, he wants to talk to you!"
Mark heard a scrambling, "Hello," and a click. "Hey Mark."
"Hey, do I want to know who that was?"
"Not now you don't. Sorry 'bout her."
"It's fine. So, uh, what are you doing on Saturday night?" Mark asked, hoping she'd be free.
"Not much, probably just hanging out with m friend who answered the phone. Why?"
"Um, would you like to join me and my friends at the Life for a get together?"
"Can my friend come as well?"
"I don't see why not," Mark concluded. "Should I pick you up?"
"Yeah, sounds good."
"See you around 6:30 then."
"Great. Bye."
"Bye," with that Mark hung up the phone, and replaced it in its base.
"So got a date then?"
"My God Roger! How long have you been standing there?" Mark asked, startled by Roger's sudden appearance in the kitchen door way.
"About a minute Captain Obvious. You got a date then or what?"
"Sorta. Yes she's coming, but she's bringing a friend."
"Oh, well at least you won't be moping around then."
"Roger, behave," Mimi said, appearing next to him.
Saturday approached quickly.
"Just don't do any table dancing, and you'll be fine," Roger teased as they got ready to leave the loft.
"Yeah, ha ha, very funny." They walked out the door and once they were outside, having once more conquered the stairs, Mimi and Roger wrapped their arms around each others waist.
Once they reached Marie's apartment building, they climbed the four flights of stairs to get to her actual apartment. Once there, Mark knocked loudly on the door.
"Hi, one sec, my friend is looking for her other shoe."
"Okay, well this is Roger, and that's Mimi. Guys this is Marie."
"How are you?" Marie questioned, trying to be polite.
"Tired," Mimi answered truthfully, "and you?"
"I am perfectly fine." The hopping of a one footed tennis shoe could be heard in the background, followed by a thud. Marie cringed, "Excuse that."
"I'm alright!" shouted someone out of sight.
"Sorry about her, she's not the most organized of people. Two days she's been living here, and already she can't find her shoe."
"I resent that, I merely misplaced it." A woman with strawberry blonde, wavy hair that reached a little past her shoulders had appeared. Something about her bluish grey eyes seemed familiar to Roger.
"Guys this is Lorana. Lorana, this is Mark, Roger, and Mimi," Marie said introducing them each in turn.
"Nice to meet you," Lorana said.
"Lorana, Lorana, name rings a bell."
"You're Roger right? Nope don't remember you from anywhere."
"Do you live here in the city?"
"I do now."
"Should we go?" Marie asked.
"Probably," Mimi answered.
The walk to the Life was cold and windy.
"I'm glad I took the time to find my tennis shoes instead of wearing heels."
"You get used to the walking, trust me," Mark stated.
When they entered the building, Maureen hollered at them.
"Glad to see you were able to get a table," Mimi said as they approached the group.
"Okay, well you've met Roger and Mimi," Mark said. "That's Collins, Angie, and that's Joanne, and that's Maureen. This is Marie and her friend Lorana."
"Hello," Joanne said in a dignified way.
As they removed their coats and such, Mark noticed that Marie was wearing a purple t-shirt and blue jeans. Next her, at the end of the table, sat Lorana. She donned a navy blue tank top, and wore black stretch pants, and a gray light-weight jacket.
"You're the anorexic dancer on that one soap opera!" Maureen exclaimed, recognizing Lorana's petite, thin figure. "What the Hell are you doing in New York?"
"I quit working for that show."
"Why? I thought you were great."
"Director was a complete sleaze ball."
"What will you all be having?" asked the waiter.
"Eight orders of fries," Roger demanded.
"ROGER!" Mimi exclaimed.
"What?" he asked attempting innocence.
"Some of us may want real food," Joanne informed him, as she did not yet have alcohol in her system.
"I don't care," Marie announced.
"Neither do I," Lorana added.
"You don't?" questioned Marie, startled.
"Nope, don't you want Miso-soup though?"
"Yeah Misoo!"
"So the order so far is what?"
"One Miso-soup, eight orders of fries, and one seaweed salad," Joanne informed.
"Anything else?" questioned the somewhat dazed waiter. "Drinks?"
Half the group wanted beer, and half wanted wine, that is with the exception of Lorana.
As the waiter found his way back to the kitchen, the manager couldn't help but think, 'Let the drunken toasts begin.'
After they all had downed their first glass, exactly that took place.
"To love!" exclaimed Mimi.
"To love!" echoed Roger.
"To performers!" Maureen toasted.
"To rebellion!" Marie shouted.
"To Angel!" Collins added glancing upward.
"To lesbians!" Joanne interjected.
"To life!" Mark said.
"To friendship!" Angie shouted.
"To no more 3am wake-up calls!" Lorana said, joining the fun.
Some time during dinner, Mark asked Marie to go out with him, though no one was entirely sure of when exactly this took place.
Dinner ended with the manager shooing them out, preventing anything extreme from taking place within the walls of the café.
Over the fist few weeks of January, everyone was exceedingly busy. School had resumed, and the majority of the group returned to work. Roger and Lorana were pretty much the only ones who didn't have a daily commitment. Although Lorana was trying her hardest to rectify that.
"I'm starting to miss those 3am wake up calls," she confided to Roger as they sat in the loft alone.
"3am wake up calls, no thanks I'll pass."
"Well it beats not working and being broke," Lorana retorted, a firm harshness in her voice.
With that, Roger went back to playing his guitar, and Lorana went back to searching the want ads.
That night, everyone got a particularly shocking phone call. Collins had caught pneumonia and was in the hospital.
Angie, being his girlfriend, was extremely concerned and rushed to the hospital Collins was at.
While the others were worried, they knew that since it was 8:45, visitation hours would soon be over. They all decided to visit Collins in the morning. The most worried of the group were the ones who had experienced Angel's death.
"We should probably call Benny," Joanne suggested. Those who knew Benny nodded, Roger with a look of disgust.
Angie returned at 9:52, "I was allowed to stay longer because Collins confirmed I was his girlfriend," she explained as she sat down next to Maureen.
"How was he?" asked Maureen concerned.
"Tired and ill."
Around 10:30, all who didn't live in the loft left. Roger, Mimi, and Mark sat in silence. Eventually, Mimi got up to make tea.
At 11:50, they all agreed that they should get some sleep. Roger and Mimi headed into Roger's room, and Mark retired into his own. Once in bed, he fell into a night of fitful sleep.
Morning came with a pound on the door. Mark got up and answered. Maureen and Joanne stood there fully dressed, but looking tired.
"You didn't get a good nights sleep either then?" Joanne questioned.
"No," Mark said. "Come on in, I'll go wake Roger and Mimi, then I'll go get changed."
The couple entered the loft and sat on the old battered couch. Mark exited from Roger's room, and returned to his own.
Five minutes later, they all emerged from their rooms fully dressed, Roger pulling on a t-shirt. They took the coffee Maureen offered gratefully.
"Shit," Maureen sighed, "did any of you call Benny?"
She could tell by the look on Roger's face that they hadn't. "I'll call him."
After the five minute phone call, they left the loft, pulling on jackets as they went.
On the way to the hospital, they picked up Marie and Lorana, knowing that Angie would be there already.
They arrived at the hospital around 8:30am.
To their surprise, Angie was waiting for them in the lobby.
He's sleeping," she explained. Maureen embraced her in a sisterly fashion. Angie's eyes were red, a sign of her recent tears. As she and Maureen cuddled, fresh tears filled her eyes.
Benny walked though the entrance, and, not wishing to disturb or interrupt the group, sat a row away from the group. Joanne walked over, and then informed him of all that was occurring.
Collins awoke twelve minutes later. The rules stated that only 5 people at a time could visit. Benny hung back with Mark, Marie, and Lorana.
After about four days, Collins had made immense improvements health wise, Angie making daily visits. "Shouldn't you be studying?" he reprimanded her one day.
"I'd rather be with you."
So what did you think? Please let me know, good or bad, ideas, pretty please?
Okay, enough begging. I'll update as soon as possible!