"Roger, pick up the phone. Roger it's Joanne, pick up the damn phone." she yelled into the answering machine as Roger came running out of his room in the loft.
"What Joanne?... So, we're not together anymore... was she high?... What do you want me to do?... How am I gonna talk to her? I moved on remember?... She didn't listen to me for a year and half, what makes you think she will now?... Joanne, I'm sorry. I can't... Because it's not my cause anymore... I just can't... Whatever." he said hanging up the phone as he let out a sigh.
"What happened Roger?" Gina asked standing in the doorway of his bedroom wearing one of his heavy metal shirts and a pair of his sweatpants.
"Nothing Baby. Do you want coffee?" he asked going into the kitchen.
"Roger, don't do this. I heard you on the phone. Is it Mimi?" she asked holding his bare arm.
"Yeah. Joanne found her in the park and she brought her home, but she wants to leave again and Joanne wants me to go over there and talk to her." Roger said looking down at her.
"So let's go." she said beginning to go back in to Roger's room until he stopped her.
"Gina, you don't know Mimi the way I do. If she wants to go out and score, she will. No one is gonna stop her. Even when she swore she loved me more than anything, she still went out and got high. I can't do it anymore. I moved on with my life." he told her holding her hand in his.
"I know you did, but Roger, she needs us. She needs help. We can't turn our backs on her." Gina told him reaching up to run her fingers through his hair.
"Maybe we can just go over and talk to her. You know, see how she's doin'?" he said caressing her face as he reached down and pulled her into an embrace. "I love you Gina." he said kissing her head.
"What a coincidence, I love you too Roger." she said laughing as she buried her face in his chest.
"You go get dressed, I'll call Joanne and tell her we're on our way." he told her as he loosened his embrace on her so she could go get dressed.
"OK. I'll see you in a minute?" she asked standing by the bedroom door.
"Yeah. I'll be right in." he answered smiling as he dialed Joanne's phone. "Jo, yeah it's Roger. I'm sorry about before. Is she still there?... she is? OK listen, Gina and I will be there in 10 minutes. Keep her there... No actually Gina spoke to me... We'll be there soon... OK Bye." he said hanging up the phone walking across the loft to his room where Gina was getting dressed.
"Ya know what I was just thinking?" she asked putting her bra on.
"What Baby?" he asked rummaging through his drawers for his clothes.
"You can move downstairs with me and Mimi can move into your room. That way she'll never be alone and we can take care of her." she suggested slipping on one of Roger's shirts.
"You want me to move in with you?" he asked looking back at her.
"Yeah, why not? I mean you practically live down there anyway. We only spend a couple of nights a week up here, so why not?" she told him slipping on her sneakers.
"I would love to move in with you." he said approaching her as he sat on the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her
"OK then. It's settled. You and me are finally living together." she said smiling at him.
"Yeah we are." he told her smiling as he finished getting dressed. "Are you ready?" he said running the brush through his hair and checking himself out in the mirror over his dresser.
"Yeah, let's go. Roomie." she said giggling like a school girl.
"You know, I wanted to ask you something for the last 3 months." he told her wrapping his arms around her waist.
"So what stopped you?" she asked holding on to his biceps.
"I don't know. I thought it might be too soon, but what the hell. I'm gonna ask you anyway. Will you marry me Gina?" he asked looking deep into her blue eyes.
"I have waited 7 years for you to ask me that. Of course I will Roger. Yes, I'll marry you." she said wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tight.
"So, we're engaged?" he asked smiling.
"Yeah we're engaged." she squealed laughing.
"Good. Now all I gotta do is get you a better ring than the one I got you when we were 17." he told her caressing her head.
"No way. I love my ring. It's us. It represents our love for each other. The fact that you gave it to me and the fact that I still have it. I am keeping this one." she told him pulling back to look at her ring again. This time it was an engagement ring.
"OK. As long as it makes you happy and it tells you how much I love you." he told her kissing her head.
"We should go Roger. They're expecting us." she said kissing him as they left the loft.
"Joanne, it's us." Roger said over the intercom before hearing a buzz that opened the door. "Are we gonna tell everyone?" he asked as they rode the elevator up to Joanne and Maureen's apartment.
"Do you think now is the time? I mean, Mimi needs us. It can wait until later." she told him kissing him before they got off the elevator and approached the apartment.
"Are you ready to meet Mimi Marquez?" Roger asked her nervously before knocking on the door.
"Yeah, I think so. I love you Roger." she said leaning up to kiss him.
"I love you too Gina." he said as the door opened.
"Finally you guys are here. We've been waiting forever." Maureen yelled at them as Roger looked past her and saw everyone in the living room sitting with Mimi.
"Hello to you too Maureen. We had to get dressed and take care of something first. What's goin on?" he asked entering the apartment clutching Gina's hand.
"We've all been telling Mimi how glad we are to have found her and how much we all want to help her." Joanne told him sitting on the coffee table in front of Mimi.
"OK. Hi Mimi." Roger said quietly looking down at Gina.
"Hi Roger. Can I talk to you alone in the bedroom a minute?" she asked getting up from in between Collins and Mark.
"How about just the hallway?" he told her as he gave Gina's hand a little squeeze before following Mimi.
"Fine. Are you still mad at me?" she asked scratching at her arms.
"Not anymore. I was when you first left, but I'm going on with my life. I'm only here because... Well let's just say I want to see you get help and get clean." he told her rubbing the back of his neck looking at the carpet.
"Are you and her together?" she asked looking over at Gina, who was sitting on the other side of Collins.
"Yeah, you can definitely say that." he said looking over at Gina who was talking to everyone.
"Where did you meet her?" Mimi asked looking hurt.
"She was my high school girlfriend and one night I played at the Life Cafe and she was there. We live in your old place below the loft. She fixed it up real nice." he told her smiling at the sight of Gina laughing with the others.
"So she's taken my old life, I see. She has my man, my place..." Mimi started, sounding very hurt until Roger cut her off.
"You left me Mimi. Not even a note, you just left. At least April had the decency to leave me a note when she left. You just vanished and now 9 months later, Joanne finds you in the park and your high, so she brings you back here and you're mad at me because I moved on? No way Mimi, it doesn't work that way. You don't have the right. It took me 6 months to get over you and now that I am, I'm not going back to that place. I'm happy. Really happy." he yelled at her, the other's couldn't help but over hear.
"Do you love her?" she asked just as loudly.
"Yes I do. I always did. I've loved her since I was 15 years old. Nothing is gonna change that. I'm with Gina now." he told her angrily.
"So, you replaced me with that little white girl..." Mimi began yelling hitting Roger's chest.
"Don't talk about my fiance that way. She's the reason I'm here. She didn't want us to turn our backs on you." he said pointing his finger in her face. His words stopped everyone.
"You guys are engaged?" Collins said breaking the silence as Gina nodded. "When?" he asked looking at her.
"This morning." Gina whispered to him as Roger and Mimi looked over at them.
"So now you're getting married? You're kidding." Mimi yelled sliding down the wall holding herself.
"Mimi, I'm sorry." Gina said going over to Mimi sitting on the floor in front of her.
"Why did you guys come?" she asked crying into her hands.
"Because I want to be friends with you Mimi. I want to help you. We all do." Gina told her quietly.
"Why? I mean, Roger hates me and I don't see why you would want to be friends with your fiance's old girlfriend." Mimi told her looking up at her.
"Roger does not hate you, Mimi. He just wants to see you get help and get better. And I want to be friends with you because these guys here have been such good friends to me, and since they want to help you, so do I. You know, I had a drug problem before I came to the East Village." she told her as everyone else looked on.
"Your not..." Mimi started looking up at Roger.
"No, she's not. Thankfully." he said kneeling down next to Gina.
"Good. Roger couldn't take it if you were." Mimi said smiling at them.
"My drug was cocaine and I went to rehab before I moved here. I was in a really bad relationship and the guy used to abuse me. I used with him. I left him when I went to rehab and then when I got out, I sold everything I could and ran away. I was living below Roger for a month before I ever saw him." she said smiling at Roger as he put his hand on her shoulder.
"You guys seem to be doing good. Why do you want to help me?" she asked looking at them.
"Because everyone deserves a second chance." Gina told her looking over to Roger.
"Where am I gonna stay?" Mimi asked looking hopeful.
"Roger's old room in the loft, if that's OK with you guys?" she asked looking over at Mark and Collins who nodded.
"Are you sure you guys want me so close? Won't that complicate things?" Mimi asked standing up.
"We're positive. We want someone to be there for you if you need us." Roger told her smiling as he and Gina got up.
"OK, I'll go." Mimi said as Roger and Gina looked at each other smiling as the others got up happily to congratulate Mimi on her decision.
"Good for you Mimi." Collins told her smiling as he brought the tiny woman into his arms.
"We're here for you Mimi. Every step of the way." Mark told her as he hugged her next. She was smaller than he was.
"OK it's settled then." Joanne said as she stood there smiling at her.
"You guys got engaged and didn't tell us?" Maureen asked looking at Roger and Gina.
"Maureen, it just happened this morning." Roger told her with his arm around Gina.
"When this morning? How did he ask you? You have to tell me." Maureen asked as Roger and Gina looked at each other.
"Another time Maureen. We have to get Mimi settled in at the loft." Gina told her looking at Mimi.
"No, it's OK. I'm fine. I'm happy for you guys. Roger deserves to be happy." Mimi told her smiling at them.
"Are you sure Mimi? I mean it can wait." Gina asked holding out her hand to Mimi.
"I'm positive, really. I'm glad Roger has someone like you to love, who loves him back. I just want you guys to be happy. So how did he ask you?" Mimi asked taking Gina's hand and holding it in friendship.
"Well, we were talking about helping Mimi and I asked Roger to officially move in with me so Mimi could have his room at the loft and he said yes. So we were leaving to come here and he just asked me. It wasn't supposed to come out the way it did." Gina said looking at Roger.
"I'm sorry, it slipped out. I'm sorry I told you like that Mimi. I shouldn't have done that." Roger said looking at Mimi looking down.
"Roger, it's fine. You were sticking up for Gina because I was attacking her when I didn't even know her. I shouldn't have said that." Mimi said looking at Gina.
"I understand Mimi." Gina said hugging Mimi as Roger looked on happily. "Why don't we get you settled in and we can order some food and just get to know each other." she continued looking up at everyone.
"That sounds like a great idea." Mark said smiling at everyone as they all went back into the living room so Mimi could grab her stuff and everyone could get their coats on.