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Her new little family, Jess, baby Suzi and Snoopy the ancient beagle move into a flat together. Suzi was technically Jess's second cousin. Her mother, a first cousin of Jess, had been neglectful and Jess and Lisa had stepped in to take care of her. Saw her as a daughter now. Were going through tedious legal issues to try to officially adopt her.
Jess is a beautician, Lisa works at an animal shelter. Don't make that much money to be honest...but at least they work in areas they enjoy, which they couldn't say for their past jobs in retail and fast food hell.
The building has five flats, three on the first floor and two flats and some undercover parking on the ground level. The top flats have small balconies and the bottom flats have small front gardens. They’re at the top, right at the end. They get a lot of entertainment spying on their neighbors.
Heavily pregnant Jenny O'Brian next door is always on the phone having shouting matches with her mother and Dale O'Brian sits outside on the balcony to avoid them both. Jess will listen to the phone fights with her ear pressed to their adjoining wall.
There’s the Weiss’s a door down from the O'Brian's who look after three grandkids that Suzi likes to play with and they’re the sweetest family ever, offering them food and always saying hello. Jess is desperate to sneakily find out why they look after the grandkids and what happened to the parents.
On the first floor underneath the O'Brian's is a retired widow named Carmelina Alvarez who insists that Jess, Lisa and Suzi call her Abuelita and who’s small garden is literally overflowing with flowers, bursting to the brim. Jess has a theory she’s killed her husband and the nurse who comes over to look after her is her secret lesbian lover.
And it’s a damned small world, because Lisa’s highschool boyfriend back when she thought she was straight and his redneck husband who both happen to be Jess's old coworkers from fast food hell just so happen to live in the flat underneath them. They have about three scheduled shouting arguments a day. Jess sometimes lies on the floor to listen better.
Jess is sitting on the balcony, watching Suzi play with the Weiss kids down by the mailboxes. Lisa brings her a cup of coffee although there's so much cream and sugar it could barely be considered that anymore.
"Oh my god, lifesaver," Jess said thankfully, blinking up at her with tiredness. Why children insist on getting up at the ass crack of dawn they had no idea.
They enjoy their coffee, watching Suzi as Jess decides she wants to braid Lisa's hair, brushing out the morning tangles with her fingers. Nice relaxing morning ritual. They hear a door slam beneath them. Glance at each other. Time for their telenovela.
Benson is in the garden with a big black stroller. Jess stifles a giggle. Many people would peer in to coo at what they thought was a baby only to be greeted with a fucking cat instead. Benson took his Maine Coon named Whiskey out on walks.
"Why are you acting mad at me?" Randy snapped from behind the screen door. "I didn't do anything. You did!"
Benson ignores him, shoulders all tensed up. Storming for the garden gate. Randy runs after him in a dressing gown like a pissed off housewife.
“You did it on purpose, I know you did it on purpose..."
Benson turns on him, face ablaze.
“Well maybe I should just fucking run into traffic then, huh? I’m such a disgusting piece of shit and you can’t stand me…"
Randy threw up his hands.
"Oh my god…you always make it my fault! You always make out like I hate you! You’re the one who does something shit and I have to apologise!"
"Well you obviously fucking do fucking hate me!"
They were right in each other's faces now, looking close enough to either passionately kiss or rip each other's skin off with their teeth.
"You fucking do shit to purposely annoy me then when I get annoyed you throw a goddamn fit about how I must hate you! Am I supposed to just sit sweet and not feel a damn thing?"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, I’m an evil bastard, of course, of course I’m the villain…"
Randy's temper snapped at once like an elastic band, furious and unbridled.
"Just listen to me, just fucking listen to me, why won’t you listen to me, why are you doing this to me why are you trying to act like jerk on purpose to try to make me run away, I’m not gonna run away you can’t make me leave, I’m not gonna leave ever, ever, ever so stop fucking trying to make me, stop this stupid fucking bullshit game, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you...!"
"Bench and Ranny! Bench and Ranny!" Suzi suddenly hollers with delight. Randy is a babysitter who takes care of Suzi on the days when Jess and Lisa both work. She waddles over and tackles Benson's leg in a hug, babbling excitedly.
"Up, up!" she exclaims and does grabby hands at them. The duo glance up towards Lisa and Jess's balcony and they have to quickly look away and pretend they weren't eavesdropping. Benson picks up Suzi who reaches her grabby hands for the stroller, wanting to pet Whiskey who was purring inside, completely unbothered.
"All of this cause of..." Lisa whispered but can't finish before Jess bursts into muffled laughter. The night before there'd been a scream from the first floor.
"What the fuck? Why would you do that?
"Jesus it's natural..."
"No! You turned around on purpose and aimed it at me and tried to put the blanket over my head...!"
Couldn't believe that much melodrama was caused by a fart of all things.
Randy was looking at Benson carrying Suzi and his face had gone all soft. Tears started to roll down his face. Benson immediately reached over to brush it away.
Baby fever fixed most of their stupid arguments.
"They just find reasons to fight so they can have make up sex after," Jess said.
Lisa was pretty sure she was right.