Chapter 5: Staying at Mimi's
"Now, I'm just going to go for two weeks, alright?" Collins told Angel.
"Baby, I know," she said, "you've told me three times."
Collins sighed. "I know, but I just want to make sure that you'll be ok."
"I'm just going to be at Mimi's. Everything'll be fine. See you in two weeks."
She kissed her lover goodbye, and he climbed into his cab. She ran upstairs and grabbed her bag, and left the building. He flagged down a cab and told the driver to take her to her late friend's apartment.
The fact the Mimi was gone still hung in her heart, but she was going to do what she had to do. She's stay in Mimi's loft, spending her time cleaning out her things and finding what needed to be salvaged. Also, she wanted to be close by if and when Roger had any issues letting go.
Collins was off for two weeks at a philosophy convention that NYU had sent him on. They both needed a break. He had been over-worked lately, and stressed about his old roommate's condition. She had been upset and not knowing hat to do with herself, stuck at home all day, with no best friend to enjoy the town with.
She paid the cab driver, and called up to roger and Mark's loft. The answering machine beeped.
"Mark, it's Angel," she said into the receiver, "Honey, can you let me in? It's freezing out here."
She hung up and crossed the street. Mark came out onto the balcony. He tossed the key ring down t her, and smiled weakly.
"I'm glad you're here," he told her. She nodded as if to say, 'me too.'
Once inside, she dropped off her bag at Mimi's empty apartment. As she walked the next flight of stairs, her hand ran along the graffiti they had painted together: Fight AIDS.
"Mark," she opened the door to their apartment. He sat with his projector, cutting and marking, putting together a film. She handed him the keys, and without saying anymore, left.
In Mimi's loft, she decided to first get a good night's sleep, in order to be rested for the work tomorrow, and to be able to say goodbye one last time.