Mimi sat in the lobby of the hospital, watching people walk back and forth behind a floor-to-ceiling window. A young couple caught her eyes as they moved down the sidewalk together, laughing and holding onto each other, the taller boy bending down to kiss the girl every few steps. Mimi watched them walk away, her stomach churning. They reminded her…
Mimi squealed and buried her head in her pillow. It had happened! It had finally happened! After waiting so long…Mimi turned over and grinned at the ceiling, seeing not the dried, flaking paint but Roger's face, smiling down at her in the way that made her heart skip. All the flirting of earlier had worked its magic. Roger had invited her to dinner, which in itself was a blast, and then…for once, probably the only time in her life, Mimi felt glad that she had needed to take an AZT break.
Now they were together, and Mimi shivered as she thought of what the next few days alone might be like. Roger, once he had gotten past the moody stuff, was one of the best guys she had ever met. Hot, too. Mimi giggled like a little girl and rolled over.
And Angel had met someone too! A tall, handsome guy who turned out to be a professor, of all things. Mimi had often been wary of Angel's "love interests" in the past, for fear that they might do something to the cheerful drag queen she couldn't deal with. But after her first look at Tom Collins, seeing the way he himself looked at Angel, Mimi felt better about him than she had about anyone.
Mimi shivered in excitement, the rest of the year swimming before her eyes. This would be the best year ever. She could feel it.
Mimi sighed again and got up, walking down the hall.