The End of His Season

I.

Spring mornings are exceptionally cold this year. Three friends, Maureen, Tom Collins and Joanne make their way down the street, bundled up as best as they can to get to Mark, Roger and Mimi's apartment, which they've nicknamed 'the loft', as if it were some swanky place rather than the pigsty the filmmaker and the musician have turned it into. Thank God for Mimi who cleans it up once in a while. None of them doubt that today the loft is going to be brand spanking clean.

Maureen halts by the entrance to the building, shaking her head and clutching the brand new bottle of wine they've brought with them.

"I can't do this…" she says, looking as if she's about to cry. "I can't see Roger like this…not this way…I'm not ready…"

Joanne and Collins go over to her and wrap an arm each around her shoulders.

"Oh honey…" Joanne says comfortingly. "We have to be there. Roger would want us there and so will Mark and Mimi. Baby, they need all the support they can get,"

"We can do this, Maur," Collins says, his voice trembling. "They need us. They've been there for us before. We…we owe it to Rog, eh?"

Maureen nods shakily, hastily wiping tears from her eyes.

"Yeah…okay…okay…"

She takes a deep breath and looks up at the bright April sky that promises sun despite the cold snap. From her spot, she can see the fire escape leading to Mark, Roger and Mimi's apartment, where she used to smoke and Roger used to play a guitar on and where Mark threw the keys down to Collins from...there was always someone there, because it has such a great view of the city, but today it's empty. Maureen bites back tears.

Today is April 17, 1991. Roger's 26th birthday. One of the baby boys is a year older and Maureen knows she should be happy. She should be happy for Roger, for Mimi, for Mark, for all of them. But she isn't. Her breath comes out in little white clouds as she breathes.

"I'll keep smiling for you, baby boy," she smiles, as she looks at the empty fire escape. "I'll kick your ass if you make fun of me now because this is hard. This is the hardest thing you've made me go through my whole life…"

She pauses as if she's waiting for a retort from Roger, as he always does, but instead there's a hollow silence that makes her stomach churn.

"C'mon, baby, let's go inside…"

Joanne takes Maureen and leads her towards the entrance of the building, Collins following slowly behind as he too takes a look at the fire escape with a sad, yet hopeful look in his eyes.