Chapter 6: Meeting the Gang
The phone rang throughout the loft. A loud beep sounded out as Mark sat next to the answering machine. Without her number, he hadn't been able to call her. Instead, he patiently waited for her call.
BEEEP
"Marky? Nannette." The voice said. Mark jumped up and picked up the receiver.
"Nannette?" he said.
"Marky," there was a smile in her voice.
"Hi," he whispered.
"How are you?" she asked him. He grinned.
"Wonderful. And yourself?"
"Amazing," she told him. Mark's smile widened with her answer. "Do you," she asked, "want to do something? Tonight, maybe?"
"Tonight?" he said, thinking. Tonight was the night of Maureen's protest. Crap, he thought. "I can't," he said, not bothering to hide his disappointment, "Maureen is protesting."
"Oh," Nannette responded, also sounding bummed.
"Oh!" Mark remembered, "I don't have to film it! You can come, if you want!"
The girl brightened. "Really?" she asked.
"Sure," he said happily, "then you can meet the gang!"
"That'd be great!" she said.
They made plans to meet about a half-an-hour before the show at the 11th Street lot.
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Mark ran around the loft frantic as Roger plucked at his usual instrument. It was 8:15, and he was meeting Nannette at nine.
"Where's my scarf?" he asked his roommate.
"On your neck," the musician responded, not even looking up. Mark felt the scarf he was wearing, and sighed.
"Thanks," he old his friend. He ran his fingers through his hair, "How do I look?"
"Like a scrawny albino," Roger laughed.
"Very funny," Mark mocked, "not take your ATZ."
Nannette stood in the center of the lot, with her hands stuck in her pockets. As son as she saw Mark, she ran up to him.
"Hi," he said to her. She grinned in response. "Roger and Mimi will be here soon," he told her, and looked around. "I think that Collins and angel are here now."
As he said that, the drag queen pushed through the crowd and up toward the two.
"Angel?" Nannette asked Mark, and he nodded. She looked back nervously.
"You'll be fine," he told her confidently, "they'll love you." He paused, and whispered in her ear, "I do." Her eyes and mouth opened as she turned to him like a child to their Christmas presents.
"Mark!" she shouted, her eyes smiling, "Do you really?"
He nodded, and she jumped up at him for a kiss. He laughed as he pressed his lips to hers.
"Hey, you two!" Angel giggled, coming up to them. The parted, and turned to greet her.
Nannette stuck out her hand and introduced herself. Angel looked at her, and grinned.
"A friend of Mark's is a friend of everyone's!" she announced, and hugged the Jewish girl tight.
Collins joined them, and smiled at the slightly disoriented girl. He stuck out his hand to her. "Collins," he said, "nice to meet ya'."
"And you," she responded, grinning.
"Angel!" a voice shrieked from being them. Angel turned to look, and laughed.
"Mimi!" she shouted back.
"Mark!" Roger shouted, mocking the girls.
Mark took Nannette's hand and led her to his roommate. "Roger," he said, "this is Nannette. Nannette: Roger, my roommate, and his girlfriend, Mimi."
Roger smiled, looking her up and down. "So this is the famous Miss Himmlefarb I've heard so much about," he said, elbowing his friend. Mimi smiled, and shook her hand, before running over to Angel. Roger, Mark, and Nannette walked over to meet them.
Suddenly, the light went off. Nannette grabbed Mark hand and squeezed. He looked down at where he thought she'd be, and reached out. His fingers groped her cheek.
"It's ok," he whispered, "It's just Maureen."
Then, the spotlight appeared on the stage, as well as a puff of white smoke. As the cloud cleared, Maureen's body became more visible to the crowd.
"I was lost one night," she started, and everyone cheered. "It was the night," she continued, "that I gave the world light." She snapped her fingers, and the house lights came back on.
Nannette giggled. "This is so cool," she told Mark.
They barely listened to Maureen's angstful monologue, as they were giggling and kissing the whole time. Mimi and Angel awed the cute couple, as Collins and Roger rolled their eyes.
As Maureen walked off stage, Roger nudged Mark. "C'mon," he said, "we're going to the Life."
Mark looked down at Nannette. "You up for it?" he asked.
"You kidding me?" she laughed, "Of course I am!"
They laughed, and got together to leave. Joanne looked down to them from her place on the high stand.
"We'll meet you there!" she called, as they nodded, and left. Joanne climbed down, and went to give her lover a congratulatory peck on the lips. Maureen just stepped away from her.
"Who was that?" she asked angrily, "With Mark?"
Joanne looked at her. "I think it was Nannette," she told her, "from the art showing."
Maureen shook her head and glared out the door. "Now why would he bring that skank to my show?!"