marshall

4/ beer

Marshall has been gone for like three days straight again. Maybe he's at work or something, but he's like 'completely' gone.
For example: he's away for three days straight. There's no sign of his presence. Not a peep, not a sound, nothing at all. It scares me a little bit, and I can't really explain why. Maybe because he seems so mysterious to me, and I want to know more about him. More about Marshall.

Marshall
It feels good to know his name.
It feels good to talk about him.
Why?

________

I woke up around 10:00 am. It was really cold in my apartment, so I got up and checked the radiator.

Ice cold.
Radiators in my apartment are often cold, but it's always bearable.
I decided it was the right time to visit my mom's place and take my winter and warm clothes together with some blankets.

I couldn't take a shower, because the water is usually cold in the morning.
That made a change in my morning routine because I used to have a shower almost every morning back when I used to live with my mom. So now it's just a breakfast, and makeup, if I'm going out. Which is not that often anyway.

The bus station is not so far away from my apartment. I don't really like to wait for a bus. Even worse is to wait alone. I always start to think about my life, about my future, my past. Pessimistic. Negative.

Ann Arbor, around 4:00 pm.
My hometown?
Not anymore.

Ann Arbor looks the same as Detroit does. Same cold weather, same wind. I called my mom to ask her if she's home because you know, I don't have the keys anymore. Her voice was full of annoyance and ignorance.

My mom lives 2 miles away from the bus station. So I hailed myself a cab. Not that I'm lazy or something, I like to walk. But not when iťs this cold outside.

I made it to her house. I pressed the doorbell shortly. My mom opened the door, and it felt just so weird.
No expression.
"Come in" was all she said.

I went straight into my bedroom. My bags were already packed. Two bags full of clothes.
I took a look around my room, and then I realized.

My shelves were empty. Everything was gone.
Videogames, books, tv figures. My childhood. Empty.

I grabbed my bags and ran downstairs.

"Where is my stuff?" I yelled at my mom.
"Are you talking about those useless pieces of nothing?"
How could she?
"I'm talking about the things I've had on my shelves since I was a kid" I couldn't stop the raised voice.
"Oh, I sold them. I don't really need to have another dust catchers in my house"
How could she?
"You sold my childhood?"
"Your childhood? Jesus, Tanya. Start to concentrate on your adulthood. Your college, your career"
I was shaking my head in disbelief.
"You know I said no to college. Why did you do that?"
"What kind of mother would want to see her
daughter grow up to be an underachiever? Not me. So do something with your life or I'll regret the day you were born" she said, callously.
This can't be my mom. No.

Enough.
I stormed out of her house with nothing but anger in me.
I checked my purse, and I've had enough money to hail a cab straight to Detroit.
I couldn't imagine going home by bus in the psychical state I was in.

I got home around six. I placed my bags on the floor and I could already feel it wasn't cold anymore in my apartment. I checked the radiators, and they were hot by now. I took a quick shower, and that relaxed me a bit.

I wasn't even in a mood to make myself a dinner, so I just had a bowl of cereal.

Suddenly, I've heard some noise coming from behind the wall.
Marshall is back.

I went straight to the window and opened it. Hoping for Marshall to notice.

I lost my hope after five minutes, and when I was about to close my window, Marshall opened his.

"Yo, Tanya. Wait, " he called my name.
"Oh, hi," I said as calmly as I could, trying to hide my emotions

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

He noticed. How?

"My mom. It's nothing" I waved my hand.

"Hold on," Marshall said and disappeared for like 20 seconds. He came back with two cans of beer.

He handed me one can.
His warm fingertips touched my cold hand.
Our eyes met.

I took the can out of his hand, opened it and took a sip.

"Oh god yes" I 'moaned' and wiped remaining beer of my lips with my hand.
"I've made you moan sooner than I expected" Marshall stated with a silly smile.
"No, just the beer is good" I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

We were silent again, sipping our beers.

"Yo, um, so the beer. It's good?" Marshall asked out of nothing.
"Yeah, I don't really drink beer, but this one is really good"
"Well, I've got more in my fridge. So.. feel free to come. Whenever"
"Sure, but only because you got the beer" I winked and gave him a mischievous smile.
"Just wait until you get to know the real Marshall," he said with a smirk. His smirk.

We said our goodbyes and closed the windows.

Yes.