"wake your asses up!" the landlord yelled. his banging and yelling were waking up other tenants and started to cause arguing. jahseh opened the door. "what's the fucking idea?" nick their second landlord laughed in his face. "watch your fucking tone. i'm taking rent today. hand me the fucking money."
"who do you think you're talking to?" jahseh snarled. jahseh was a hothead and the only thing that fused a spark in a hothead besides pushed limits was another hothead. larry was somewhat better than nick as a landlord. he'd knock, collect, and leave. nick always added something snooty and wanted to seem like he was better than everyone in the building. others could take his shitty behaviour but jahseh wouldn't. he always made sure to put nick in check because if he couldn't get to him in the day, his boys would in the night.
"i'm talking to you piece of shit. you're the same couple that's always fucking late." nick said
"talk to me again yellow yuck mouth dog-headed bitch..
"here's the money." maya handed an enevelope to nick. she shut the door in his face and walked to the bathroom. "you need to control your anger. you can't get mad at everyone who attracts an oh and ah out of you."
it was true. jahseh let anything get to him and it was the most destructive thing about him. he didn't talk to maya much about his past but he was taking stuff like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, carbamazepine, and lurasidone so she knew it was bad.
jahseh was never close with his mom or siblings because he couldn't contain himself around people. his father was the only person who could manage him until he eventually got tired of jahseh. he was fighting in school, trashing the house, keying his car, jahseh had no respect for others or himself and there was only so much dwayne could put up with. so he sent him to an institution for four years.
"don't tell me what to do!" jahseh yelled at her.
maya spat mouth wash into the sink. "you're such a fucking baby, jahseh. i'm telling you not to get upset over the silliest shit. so don't." she walked to the kitchen and grabbed the cigarette pack laying on the counter.
"you make it so easy to hate you. you know that right?" jahseh yelled.
maya pulled a cigarette to her lips and lit it. "if you hate me so much jah, kick me out. you have nobody. just me."
"i got a job."
maya took a drag and blew the smoke in his face. "probably something shitty like selling to minors."
"you told me to get a job! you!" he barked at her.
"jahseh, i didn't ask you a favour. i asked for the bare minimum. how did you think we'd get by with rent? i can't sell my clothes forever." she turned to him.
"it's a restaurant, okay? jarad got me washing plates. it doesn't pay well. i have long hours."
"more time away from you. finally."
jahseh grabbed her by the wrist. "if it weren't for me, you'd still be the druggie i saw on the street begging for money."
"let go of me or i'll fucking call my dad."
jahseh released her and grabbed his keys off the counter. "your dad is a piece of shit who will never love you."
"so is yours." maya stomped off to the bathroom.
......
maya spent the day doing nothing. she had no occupation or obligation so she just relaxed. for an hour she played on her nintendo switch, then she made pasta for dinner, and went on a walk. she finally got some sleep at two in the morning. she didn't question why jahseh wasn't home yet and didn't care. her phone vibrated on her chest twice and then a voicemail was left. when she woke up and saw who the sender was her jaw dropped.
"hi, maya. i'm having a rehearsal dinner tomorrow for my wedding. i know this phone call is very late but i would love for you to be there. i will send you the address. it starts at six thirty and- just please come. we haven't spoken in a long time and i would love to see you, okay? it's dad."
maya ignored the automated voice message and saved her dad's voice mail. it had been almost a year since they talked and she's just finding out he's engaged. she dialled jahseh twice and no answer. he was at geneva's. no doubt. maya wasn't overthinking anything she was viewing geneva's story and could see jahseh in the background of geneva's selfie. maya couldn't even bother to care right now. she was considering her dad's offer. she could show up and humiliate him, or attempt a relationship with him again. she spent the next two hours looking for dresses and calling in expensive boutiques. maya was no longer in the prada range so she spent the last two hundred dollars on an average dress. it wasn't anything fancy but her father didn't deserve any better.
at seven thirty am, jahseh finally came home. not alone, but with stokeley and two other girls. "what the hell?" maya pointed at them.
"may may, they're my friends chill the fuck out." stokeley told her.
"why is he here?" maya raised her voice.
jahseh set a case of beer on the counter that he had draped in his arms.
"jahseh." maya called him once.
he opened the box and passed bottles around.
"jahseh." she called him twice.
"we're going to be on the balcony if you want something." jahseh muttered. he and the crew left the room.
maya shot up and stomped to the balcony. "i will call your other fucking girlfriend, geneva and tell her what you do. how you're a bad person and piece of penniless shit."
"maya, go away." jahseh mumbled.
"another tantrum, jah? you act like a fucking kid." maya poked at him.
"i swear to god, maya. this is not a joke. get out of my face."
"you don't just leave in the night and don't call. i don't even care if you're with her. be with her. please. but at least call me"
jahseh picked her up and held her over the balcony. "what the fuck? put her down!" stokeley yelled. "are you fucking stupid?"
"i'm not getting trouble for this i have a kid." of the nameless women said she got up and left.
"fuck this." the other one came after her.
"let go of me!" maya struggled in his grasp.
"j, STOP!" stokeley pulled at him.
below, were a couple of bystanders. some watching and others recording. "that's it. i'm calling the cops." said a white women.
"drop me!" maya smiled through wheezes.
"maya shut the fuck up!" stokeley barked. he pushed jahseh off her and set him on the ground. "you need to stop acting crazy."
