"The only reason I hire these people is to see what the hell?"

Josie ushered Sheriya and Carl back into the conference room. Rodney sat at the head. His face was tight with an evil grin. Sheriya scanned her the paperwork. "Did I turn somebody down for some ass? Should I really be flippin' in here?"

"Oh no. Nothing like that," Rodney said. He steepled his finger. "The company decided for us to permanently part ways. Fair enough?"

"Capitalism," Carl said under his breath. "I actually need this job. I'm behind on rent. Can we work something out?"

Rodney slowly shook his head.

I should get unemployment, Carl thought. About $300 a week. He snatched his check and scurried out, hoping to raid the fridge. Last time he checked, there were TV dinners. But there was a line for the fridge. O'Ryan appeared with security. Carl walked out calmly.

He ended up walking shoulder to shoulder with Sheriya. "Got plans?" she asked.

"Naw. Get some weed. Hit Indeed." He opened doors for her. It was 1 p.m., their break time.

"I could smoke right now," she said, and giggled into her fist. "But I get full. I'm Hennessy and Coke. Smoke ah Swishah."

"I get down like that."

"Oh. So it's you who tames tigers?"

"Not sure exactly what that entails, but I'd definitely get on one with you."

"Hmm." Her forehead burrowed. She had diamond shaped eyes. She looked devious.

"Where’d you park?" she asked.

"I jumped a bus. My tags are out of date."

"I parked over here." She nudged him with her breasts. They were big and pressed hard against her shirt. She pressed a button on a remote. Door locks clicked on a Mustang GT; sittin' on chrome, pink paint with two fat racing stripes along the top.

"Can you host?" she asked."

"I can. But my landlords... they're Chinese. My neighbors are white."

"Never mind. Everbody in yo business. Chinese ah bring the whole China on black dude. Whites call cops on me like, WHORE!"

Carl sighed deeply. She was right.

"I'll drive you home though," she said with a soft tone.

Her phone rang. "Don’t say nothin'. It's my man. He calls me at break."

"Hi daddy."

"Hey baby. You got some good shit?"

"Ahm finna buy ah salad."

"That's the salad ahma toss. Get the Asian salad from Jack-n-the-Box. That shit sweet.”

She gave Carl an up and down scan. He was a scrub and might have to kick rocks. Her nigga had game.

"What're you doing?” she asked.

He walked into a room with an R&B instrumental playing loudly. Carl heard the guy sing in multiple pitches. He was a professional singer.

"Put it down on this one," she said. "In the club, we still playin' 'Freaky Tales' to get wet."

Carl instructed her to drive east on Imperial. She said, “So if I wanna smoke a Swishah you’ll get the weed?”

"Yeah. But gotta cash my check first."

"Where's the weed at?"

"State College and Orangethorpe."

By the Motel 6?”

"Yeah."

"I know where that is." She sped up. She pulled into a liquor store a stone's throw from the dispensary and Motel 6. Carl stayed in the car. She bought a fifth of Hennessy, an apple juice, two Black and Milds, and two Swishels.

Carl directed her to the dispensary in the shopping center next door. She took out a twenty and told him to buy some fire.

Carl bought two Hashishes, which is Indica Chronic weed wrapped in a leaf laced with hash and sprayed with a chemical, and a gram of Likwid OG for the $20.