I Can See You

Prove it

Prove it

"You realize I'm a light sleeper, correct?" I speak with my eyes closed.

And I know for a fact he just tripped on something and fell.

"Mari, it's been two weeks. I'm here! You come in here like three times a night!"

"Uhhhh, I was going to wake you up because my Mom wants to join us for breakfast, but you seemed really tired when you came home from your run yesterday so I was going to leave."

At that, I sit up.

I look at him. I see it all over his face.

"She's already here, isn't she?"

He nods.

Getting upset won't do anything, so I get up and get ready for the day.

When I'm presentable, I walk into the living space where Mari is laughing with his mom.

"Mornin' Mrs. J," I greet her making my lemon water and check whatever Mari has on the stove.

"Mar, go help her!"

Mari frowns, and I laugh. "It's alright. He does more than enough-"

"Then why doesn't he do anything? He don't pay rent. He don't buy no groceries. Izzy, has he picked up a broom?"

I cover my mouth, trying so hard not to laugh.

"Iz, I swear if you laugh-"

I break.

The thing is she's right but, "okay, okay. I don't let him pay rent. I just happen to clean so regularly that it's never messy. Mari usually washes dishes, and I buy groceries because if I gave him that power he wouldn't look like that."

Mari is over two hundred pounds of prominent muscle.

"Izzy, let the boy pay the water bill. He has too much money that he spends on useless crap."

"I do not buy useless things-"

I cut in, "Mari... last week you bought a box of homemade soap and bath bombs shaped like dumbbells and weight plates that was probably two hundred dollars."

No one says a word. We are all thinking it. But no one says it. No he is not responsible with money.

We have a nice morning. I really like Mari's mom. She's very open and welcoming. His Dad is more on the quiet side, but he works really hard. It's funny how Mari is very much like his parents, his enthusiasm is from his Mom, but his caring, serious side is from his Dad.

"You know what, whenever you two are together, you are against me!" The man lashes out because someone, also known as he himself, mentioned that he wanted like those types of rings connected by chains to each finger that had a rose on it. And someone just had to mention how horrible the man's nails are.

"You make it too easy. Have you ever gotten your nails done Mari?" I ask him.

"No. And I don't need to-"

"Boy, your nails look like you scratch bark off of trees as a hobby. Don't get me started on those hobbit feet."

Mari looks at me.

I question him.

"You aren't gonna laugh? Out of all things, you don't laugh when she says I have hobbit feet!"

"I honestly have no idea what that is." I shrug.

We move on from that very quickly as Mari had had enough.