Disclaimer: Characters and everything RENT belongs to Jonathan Larson
Warnings: Rated R for situations and language
Author's Note: The chapter titles are all (hopefully) going to be lines from the musical. Here it is--here's the Mimi and Joanne explanations. Quite a bit of drama in this one and more than a bit depressing.
Mark wandered into the cemetery, camera rolling. "Okay, Baby-Who's-Yet-to-be-Named, here we are. This is the cemetery. I'm hoping we won't have to take you here but there's some people here we want you to meet. Okay, that sounds morbid, I know but you should know them. They're good people."
Mark's feet moved to the first grave, not even having to glance at the headstones to know it was the right place. He knelt in front of it.
"Okay, here we are. Angel Dumott Schunard. Born June 7, 1962. Died October 29, 1990. Angel died of complications due to AIDS. She was Collins's lover. They met on the way to the loft after some guys jumped Collins for his coat. Angel took him home, cleaned him up…they were inseparable. Angel was, um, Angel was the most wonderful person you could imagine. She was everything kind and good and generous. Oh, I almost forgot. There's a quote on her stone, too. I don't know if you can read it. It says 'Today for you, tomorrow for me.' That was her motto. Angel spent every day of her short life taking care of other people, always saying she'd worry about herself tomorrow. She was completely selfless."
Mark spent a moment in silence, remembering Angel, and said a silent goodbye. He knew he'd return again soon. He tried to visit all of them at least once or twice a month. The next grave was Joanne's.
Mark took a deep breath. "Okay, buddy, here's the second person I want you to meet. Joanne Jefferson. Born September 9, 1960. Died January 4, 1991. She was killed in a car accident. There was a patch of black ice that this driver didn't see. He hit her head on…She was a lawyer. And one hell of a dancer. Especially tango. Joanne…Joanne was Maureen's girlfriend. They had a commitment ceremony, actually, so in our minds, Joanne was her wife. The ceremony was in September 1990, just before Angel…Okay, getting too depressing. Joanne was an amazing woman. She was smart and patient and compassionate."
He touched her headstone lightly, remembering how shocked they'd all been. Everyone braced themselves for death in their little family. But expected death. They knew Angel would get sick, that she'd die. They knew Mimi would get sick. They knew eventually Collins and Roger would follow. But not Joanne. Joanne was supposed to still be around. Mark shook his head and went to the grave beside it.
"Okay, last site, I promise. But every bit as important as the other two. Mimi Marquez-Davis. Born May 14, 1970. Died August 17, 1991. Mimi and Roger were married March 24th, 1991. Roger's still only HIV, even now. Mimi, though, she was already in full-blown AIDS when they got married. She died of complications from AIDS. She was a dancer. She was beautiful and vivacious, spirited, wild, impulsive…Mimi made Roger live. Really live."
Mark stopped rolling and set the camera down in the grass. Mimi's grave was always the hardest. Maybe because it was the newest….maybe because it had been so drawn out. Maybe….there were too many maybes. Mark wiped a tear from his cheek and stood up.
"I'll be back soon, Meems," he said.
With a last sigh, Mark picked himself up off the ground and carried the camera out of the cemetery.
