Through the open door there is the roar of shouting in heavily accented English. But it isn't Jesús and the accent is decidedly Slavic. The landlord is blocking the door with his back and wielding what appears to be a baseball bat.
"You pay me rent!" he bellows. "You pay me full rent for next month or I smash out your brain!" Carl yanks the bat from his arms and tosses it over to Sarah who hands it to me. It is Sarah who is doing the talking.
"Excuse me, would you kindly explain why you are threatening our friend with a baseball bat." She sounds calm, but clearly is not about to take prisoners.
"Who are these people?" shouts the landlord, still almost screaming.
"We are his friends", says Carl, "and he is going to be living with us."
He turns around., his face is round with hard looking dark eyes, a pudgy face that hasn't been properly shaved in several days, and a very bad, greasy comb over that is coming loose. I can smell alcohol.
Waving his arms dramatically he shouts, "I come from Ukraine three year ago get 'way from dis kind bullshit and now tis stupid little foreigner cheat me. Cheat me. Cheat me!" his voice ascends to a high pitched squeal.
"Has he paid this month's rent?" says Sarah.
"Yes", says Jesús, standing as far away from him as possible. The apartment appears dark and dingy, shabbily furnished.
"You no give me one month notice. You owe me one month rent.
"He owes you nothing" says Sarah.
"You shut up, dumb stupid bitch."
"this is an illegal suite, the tenancy laws are not binding in this case. He is free to go..."
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