Faith

Chapter Two

Faith Hill

Banging interrupts Faith's sleep. She shifts her body on the living room floor and gets up, being the only person in the house.

Sheila left for summer school and Angela was God knows where. Her Grandmother left a hour earlier, going to work.

On the other side of the door, the landlord Steve is knocking like crazy, beyond pissed that he cashed a check that bounced against his account. That's 950 dollars that he don't want to replace or honestly, doesn't have the funds for.

Faith looks through the peep hole and glances at a pissed looking Steve.

"Yes?" She asked sleepily, through the door.

"Ms. Hill, is your Grandmother home?" Steve questions, moving his eye all in the peephole.

"Um" Faith thinks. Her brain processes a little slower at 6 in the morning so it takes her a minute to answer his question. "No, I believe she left some time earlier"

"Well" He says bitterly. "You have to pay $2,000 in the next week or I will have no other choice than to evict you"

That wakes Faith up. He can't just kick them out, she says to herself. She also found it impossible for them to owe so much.

"You can't just kick us out without proof of evidence and a court order from the judge" Faith says rehearsing the same line she has for years.

Steve blood begans to boil. He knows she's right but going to a judge means he has to provide ownership of the house, something he doesn't have being that he bought the house off of Craigslist. That would just put him in a even worse predicament than where he started.

He thinks of a quick comeback. He needs to get her scared so she doesn't involve the law in his already illegal process.

Faith stands proudly waiting for a reply. She knew she did the right thing by asking for documents. After a couple seconds of silence has passed, Faith begins to talk just as Steve begins to.

"Goodbye Mr--" Faith says.

"24 hours to vacate the premises" Steve says quickly, cutting Faith off.

Faith stops talking.

"What?"

"You have 24 --"

"You need a court order to evict us" Faith said cutting him off, telling him again for the second time that day.

"I know about the drugs your Grandmother does so in your best interest, you will have $2000 dollars ready to give me by Friday or I will give you 24 hours to leave"

"My Grandmother doesn't do drugs" Faith says quickly. "And I am asking you to leave."

"Are you sure sweet heart?" Steve says cunningly. "Maybe you should check in the cupboard, behind all those papers"

Faith gets quiet and starts questioning his words. She did admit to seeing a big black duffle bag in the cabinet but she never investigated due to work and church. Now she regrets it.

"If you don't leave, I'm calling the police" she says.

Steve laughs. "Oh no need. I'm going and if I were you I wouldn't do that. You could get in some serious trouble"

Steve walks down the hall happily.

"So will I have my 2,000 in a week or should I book another tenant?" Steve calls back.

Faith stays quiet but finally gives in.

"I'll see you in a week" Faith says, devastated.

Steve continues on walking down the hall, happily whistling. In account of hiding some drugs for his friend Tori, he put it in one of the houses he owned, forgetting all about it. He never removed it when he sold the house to the Hills. The idea suddenly popped in his head when he was trying to think of a way to get Faith to agree with his deal. She could do a lot of time for 3 bags full of pure cocaine.