Miso Soup

Maya sat in her room, staring at the needle. She stood up, disgusted with herself. She couldn't understand why she was so scared to take a hit.

She made her way to her wardrobe and pulled open the doors. The cracked mirror gave her a distorted look, but she liked it. She liked it, because she didn't want to deal with looking at the real her. Suddenly there was a knock on the wall outside her bedroom. She didn't have a door, so they substituted one, using a white shower curtain that hung in the doorway.

"One minute," she said. She quickly grabbed the syringe and shoved it into the cardboard box that served as a drawer in the bottom of the wardrobe.

"Come in," she said. She grabbed a book and threw herself on the bed, looking preoccupied.

"Hi," Collins said slowly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said.

"I was thinking that you should be enrolled in a school soon," he said, cutting to the chase. "NYU offers a great College prep school for a cheap price. It is a few blocks away from my work. It is a well known school and a lot of kids from this area go there. I know a bunch of girls your age that go there. Most of the kids have parents that work with me. I signed you up. You are going to start on Monday." He laid a uniform on the bed and left the room. Tom had not treated Maya with any emotion since Mimi brought her in from the alley.

Maya sincerely felt bad for hurting Tom, but she couldn't help it. She looked in her mirror again.

"I can't change who I am," she said sounding unconvincing. "Right?"

"What if who you think you are is not really you," said a small voice in her head.

She slammed her wardrobe closed and went to look at her uniform. It was a plain white collared shirt, with maroon letters that spelt out NYU Prep. The skirt was gray with pleats.

She sighed, "Ew."

o o o o o

"Wake up babe," Mimi said. "We're going to The Life."

"What time is it?" Roger mumbled.

"Afternoon," Mimi said, pulling her boyfriend out of bed. He stood up and stumbled forward.

"Get dressed," she said, throwing his leather coat at him. He caught it and glared at Mimi. She smiled and walked away.

Mark and Maureen walked through the door.

"Who is ready to go eat?" Maureen yelled.

"Is Collins coming?" Mimi asked.

"He is at work and Maya is at school," Mark laughed.

"I'm impressed," Mimi laughed. "Roger, get the fuck in here!"

Roger came in, looking sulky.

"Still haven't left the house?" Mark laughed.

"I was waiting for you, don't you know," Roger said in a fake happy voice.

"Well today's the day, come to the Life Café," Mark said.

"No flow," Roger reminded everyone.

"I am the benefactor for lunch," Mimi laughed, pulling a wad of bills out of her bra.

Mimi grabbed Roger's hand and pulled him out of the apartment. Maureen mimicked Mimi and pulled Mark behind her. The four of them walked down the street.

"I want a grilled cheese," Mimi laughed. Roger smiled at her. She began skipping and singing some unknown song.

Mark squinted up at the sun. The sun made a bright glare through his glasses, which burned his eyes. He let go of Maureen's hand and rubbed his eyes.

Maureen gave him a concerned look. "You okay Pookie?" she asked.

"Yea," Mark mumbled.

He really wasn't okay, though. He had gotten a call from the hospital that prescribed Roger's AZT. They informed him, that Roger wasn't responding well to the medicine, so they wanted to move him to a "new" plan. "New," meaning more expensive. Mark, who always jumped to conclusions or made fast decisions in a time of crisis, called Alexi Darling. Her high pitched voice rang through his head the rest of the walk to the Café.

"Alexi Darling," said an annoying voice. "Buzzline."

"Hi Alexi," Mark gulped. "It's Mark."

"Marky," she sang. "How are you? We have been waiting for your call. Ratings are in and riots are hot."

"Um, yea," Mark coughed.

"Ratings are also asking for human interest stories," she cried.

"This show is so sleazy," Mark thought.

"So whatta say Mark?" she asked.

"Huh?" Mark asked.

"Do you want to join the Buzzline team?" The hopefulness in her voice made Mark chuckle. No one had really ever begged him to do anything. He was usually the one on his knees.

"That is actually why I am calling," he said. "I know that in the past I have rejected your offers, but something came up. What are your available hours?"

o o o o o

"Roger," Mimi whined. "You need to eat." Roger was staring down at his miso soup. He hated it, but he wasn't in the mood for anything else.

"I am not hungry," Roger sighed. Mark had gulfed down his tofu dog the minute it came. Maureen had half of her soy burger still steaming on the plate. No matter what food Maureen ordered, it always managed to stay hot until she was done eating. It was one of the mysteries of life. Maureen always claimed it was because she was "so damn sexy."

"Roger, please eat," Mimi picked up the spoon and put it towards his mouth. Roger knocked the spoon away, sending it flying across the table.

"Mimi, please stop," Roger got up and walked away. Mimi stood up to follow him, when Maureen reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Give him some time."

Roger was standing in the bathroom. He rolled up his sleeves and splashed his face with some cold water.

"What is happening to me?" he asked out loud.

"Roger Davis," said a tall man, emerging from the stall.

"Yes?" Roger asked. He saw the black handle of a blade, sticking out of his pocket.

"The Man sent me to talk to you. I'm Bert." Surprisingly, the guy stuck out his hand. Roger, not thinking, took his hand.

The next part happened so fast, that Roger didn't even have time to think. Bert grabbed his hand and flicked the blade open, like a pro. He shoved Roger up against the wall and stabbed his arm. He let go of the musician and Roger slid to the floor.

Bert twirled the knife round and round. Roger's disease filled blood glistened on the sharp blade. "Now you do what he said," Bert laughed, "Or your little camera friend will be positive, if you know what I mean."

"What does he exactly want?" Roger coughed, clutching his arm.

"He wants his main client back," Bert said. "Mainly, he wants to mess with your head and destroy your happy bohemian life." Bert laughed maliciously.

"Why would he do that?" Roger asked.

Bert simply walked away. Roger tried to pull himself up, but couldn't find the strength. After 10 minutes he sat up, he took a towel and wrapped it around his arm. He pulled his sleeve over it and walked outside.

Mimi put her hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Sorry."

He winced at her touch, but managed a smile. To make her happy, he took a bite of the poorly made soup.