Up and About {Carson}

[Mimi Marquez]

It had been a good week and a half since Mimi had been on her feet, longer than that since she'd left her apartment. Mostly at Roger's request, she'd spent the time since her fall scourging the newspapers for available jobs. She'd been able to handle the little spills and injuries, but broken bones crossed a line. Sadly, there weren't many jobs that she was qualified to do. Or, as she'd known all along, many places who would take her. She was a question mark, not someone who could be a dependable, steady employee.

Deciding she needed to get out of the apartment and away from the newspapers before she went insane, she hobbled her way down to the Life Cafe, leaving a note for Roger so he didn't freak out and think she'd been kidnapped or something. Taking a seat in a booth by the window, she sat with her coffee and people watched, completely zoning out and thinking of nothing in particular. Because of this, she didn't hear the approaching footsteps.

[Carson Davis]

carson davis
it happens every now and then. i hear the words i need to hear
coming from the tiny speakers that i’ve shoved into my ears.

Carson Davis was so happy. She had gotten over $100 for a picture she had taken. She couldn't believe a girl who came to New York to escape a crazed ex boyfriend who probably wanted to kill her could do that. She had a grin on her face as she walked into the Life Cafe. She unwound her teal scarf and let it hung around her neck and she pulled off her gloves. She saw it was pretty empty that day. The only other girl in there at that moment looked very familar but she didn't know from where. Maybe she saw her around the apartment building.

Carson sat down at a table not too far from that other girl's. The waiter came over and greeted her by name. She was in there a lot, she felt, but she really wasn't. She just came every time after she had a meeting about her photography. She ordered a tea and it was brought to her quickly. She kept wondering where she'd seen the other girl in the near by booth before.

[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi looked up after a moent, getting bored of watching people through the window. God, it sucked to be incapacitated. Glancing around the room for no apparent reason, her eyes rested a moment on a young girl who had just walked in. She looked really familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd seen her before. Turning away so she didn't just sit and stare at the girl, she pondered over her cup of coffee until it dawned on her. It was Carson, Roger's little sister. Smiling to herself, she stood up and hobbled over, leaning her weight on her left leg as she came to a stop beside the girl's table. "Hi. This is probably going to sound really weird, but your name's not Carson, is it? You look really familiar."

[Carson Davis]

carson davis
the crickets setting the tempo, the wind dancing across my skin,
reminding me of conversations, summer nights when I stayed in.

Carson could feel the other girl's eyes on her as she sat down. She had her tea for a bit when she saw the girl was coming over to her. "Hi. This is probably going to sound really weird, but your name's not Carson, is it?" She looked up at the other girl. "My name's Carson..." she said, "Why?" "You look really familiar." "You look familar too..." she said, "I can't place where I know ya from..." She smiled softly. "What's your name?"

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[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi smiled as Carson replied, proud of herself for remembering. "I"m Mimi Marquez. I'm dating your brother, Roger." It was an abnormal way to introduce yourself, but, hey, life worked in abnormal ways sometimes. So long as no one was getting hurt or anything... "You've probably seen me around the apartment sometime, usually attached to Roger. Mind if I sit with you?"

[Carson Davis]

carson davis
back home, before i moved. back home, before i got here.
back home with the people who loved me my eighteen years.

Carson watched the other girl smile. She knew she'd seen her somewhere before...she just couldn't place the memory. "I"m Mimi Marquez. I'm dating your brother, Roger." "Oh, of course!" she said. She remembered the name mentioned by Roger now. "You've probably seen me around the apartment sometime, usually attached to Roger." "Oh, yes!" Carson said, "I remember. I saw you the first day I was here, when Roger stopped in to talk to me. I saw you were in the hall." "Mind if I sit with you?" "No, please." she said and gestured for Mimi to sit across from her. "You mind if I ask what happened to your leg?"

[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi smiled and sat across from the girl, glad to get off her feet. The stupid cast was heavy and cumbersome, and took all the fun out of mobility. Geez, Meems, no wonder Roger's not been around lately. You're depressing, she thought bitterly. "Oh, yeah! That's right! Sorry I didn't introduce myself then. I didn't want to interrupt." Ah, and there came the million dollar question. Taking another quick drink, she explained, "I work at the Cat Scratch Club a few blocks down, and was going through my routine a few weeks ago and twisted my ankle a bit. I didn't think it was a big deal, went back out later and fell on it, wound up snapping my ankle."

[Carson Davis]

carson davis
my heart is split between home and here.
i’m cut in half, two beds, two lives, and i live in between
my porch back at home and this strange new world i knit. my heart is split.

Carson watched as Mimi sat down across from her. She smiled. She hoped they could be friends, since she was Roger's sister and Mimi was Roger's girlfriend. "Oh, yeah! That's right! Sorry I didn't introduce myself then. I didn't want to interrupt." "s'okay." Carson said with a smile and then took a sip of her tea. "I work at the Cat Scratch Club a few blocks down, and was going through my routine a few weeks ago and twisted my ankle a bit. I didn't think it was a big deal, went back out later and fell on it, wound up snapping my ankle." She winced slightly. "That sounds painful." she said, "Are you sure you should be walking around?" The brusies on her face were still clearly visible around her eyes and down onto her cheeks. She couldn't hide them with make-up, they wouldn't stay hiden. She flexed her fingers slowly as she spoke. The ones that were broken when James beat her up got still every so often and she had to keep moving them every so often.

[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi shrugged a little at Carson's question. "Not sure, really. I bummed the one hospital trip to fix it off of Benny, 'cause there's no way in hell I could pay for it myself. Haven't been back since. I figure it's been two weeks now, I should be safe. Still can't go back to work, though." She sighed heavily, rubbing the back of her neck. Things were starting to get really tough for her. She'd been without AZT for days, which was dangerous enough... Suddenly, as if stuck by a lightening bolt of memory, she remembered the emergency stash she'd saved up incase she slid backward on her road to being clean, hidden behhind the toilet. "Hallelujah, I'm saved!" she cried suddenly in excitement, bouncing a little in her seat. People may have looked at her like she was crazy, but she didn't really care.

[Carson Davis]

carson davis
as sudden as the onset of winter, as nat’ral as the trail mix they all eat
this untamed and icy place i live has swept me off my size-five feet.

"Not sure, really. I bummed the one hospital trip to fix it off of Benny, 'cause there's no way in hell I could pay for it myself. Haven't been back since. I figure it's been two weeks now, I should be safe. Still can't go back to work, though." Carson nodded thoughtfully. "You know," she said, "If you need to go to the doctor or hospital, I could pay for it...I wouldn't mind..." She smiled. "You are my brother's girlfriend and I have a feeling we're gonna be friends to so I wouldn't mind..." "Hallelujah, I'm saved!" Carson raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay, Mimi...?" she asked.

[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi blushed from embarrassment as Carson offered to pay for a hospital visit, and she shook her head before the younger girl had finished. "No no, it's fine. I couldn't ask you to do that. Benny's got money to spare and he owes me." She laughed a bit after her little outburst, doing her best to calm herself down. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just remembered the little money I'd saved away that I kept hidden from myself. Roger's going out and getting my meds later," she vowed with a nod.

[Carson Davis]

carson davis
i read non-stop to quell the absence. i drink too much. i fall in love too fast.
obsessively collecting songs and details. nothing’s gone but nothing’s lasting.

"No no, it's fine. I couldn't ask you to do that. Benny's got money to spare and he owes me." "You sure?" Carson asked, "I wouldn't mind..." She had a feeling she and Mimi would be friends and Carson liked to help her friends so she definately wouldn't have minded paying for Mimi to go back to the doctor for her leg. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just remembered the little money I'd saved away that I kept hidden from myself. Roger's going out and getting my meds later," She nodded. Roger was reliable. She knew her brother won't forget. She smiled. "How is my brother?" she asked, "I haven't seen him in awhile...."