Match

39: Love Is Like A Maze

Cole:

r u sure ur fine enough to go today?

Jonah:

100%. I know that situation was a bit of a scare, but I want us to go out and have fun. :)

Jonah's lucky that when he got home that night, nobody was there. He immediately ran to the bathroom, washed up, and covered the battle wound. When he woke up the next day however, the right side of his jaw was immensely sore. He felt like he got struck by brass knuckles, but was thankful that was his only injury. Still, he continued to hide the pain by downing an ibuprofen pill behind his parents' backs, then hopping into his co-worker's car to start the work day.

"Jonah! Charlotte!"

Carol hollers from in the house. She gives a wide wave, holding an orange feather duster.

"Sorry we're a little late," Charlotte says, getting out of the car. "We got held up in morning traffic."

"That's fine. Me and Jenny got the interior. We need you both to start with the patio."

Jonah shuts his door, then examines the house. It's a frequent house that him and the team go to clean, usually once or twice a month. He remembers that a woman is normally there, napping in the residence with her three year old child. But today there are no other cars, except for Charlotte's and Carol's.

"Is nobody else here?" He asks, opening the door.

"Nope," Carol dusts the blinds. "The wife had to drop her kiddo off at daycare. But she made sure to wait for either of us to enter the house first."

"Ah."

He follows Charlotte to the patio, who's already grabbing the broom and sweeping off the dried leaves on the floor. His eyes scour for any cleaner bottles.

"I'll be right back," he says.

As he turns to fetch what he needs, he bumps into Jenny by accident. The side of his face lands against her head.

"Whoa!"

"Sorry!" He clutches the side of his face.

Jenny chuckles. "That's okay, just be careful where you walk."

Soon he realizes he instinctively rubbed the side of his face on accident, and notices the smudge caking his fingertips. Shit. He didn't have enough time to put tender care into concealing the wound.

"What's that?"

He looks up and sees Carol with worry all over her face.

"Oh my God, Jonah," she walks up to him. "Did you just get that?"

"No."

"Well what in the hell happened? A fight?"

He feels his shoulders tense up.

Carol shakes her head, knowing that's what it was without him saying it aloud. "Boys and their hunger for physical altercations."

Jonah shies his eyes away. He recalls Carol at one point telling him she used to work as an officer, repeating stories over and over on how she had to deal with a lot of teenagers in back alleys, and adults bootlegging for booze.

"I was trying to stop a fight," he finally says as he grabs a cleaner bottle and a wad of paper towels. He wipes his hands with a spare one and tosses it in a garbage bag.

"I had to deal with lots of angry women when I worked as a bartender," Jenny chimes in. "You'd be surprised how mixed the age and gender range is. She was so mad at me just for asking for her ID. Like, I'm sorry lady, it's protocol."