"At least I'm not a self-centered drama queen!" Joanne spat irritably.
"Well at least I try to spend time with the one's I love! Unlike some people!"
A screaming match had erupted in the Jefferson-Johnson residence and there was no stopping the equally strong women once they got going. This particular time, Maureen and Joanne had started the fight over where to go to dinner, and it had escalated to their seemingly dysfunctional relationship. Needless to say, it was a typical evening.
"Maureen, I do spend time with you, but I have work to do. Why can't you see how important that is?"
"Yes, yes I know. Work, work, work, it's all you ever do. I bet work comes before me in your mind, doesn't it?" Maureen shouted.
"Well at least my work contributes to the bills. No, strike that. My work pays all the bills! What do you do to help around here?" Joanne shot back.
Maureen didn't miss a beat. "I contribute myself artistically and that will always be more beautiful and inspiring than your fucking job. I go out and change the world through my protests".
"All your protests do is get people thrown in prison! I help bring criminals to justice. Now that's how you help people!"
"Who gives a damn about how you help rich people get out of spats with the law! I inspire real people! And I still have time to spend with you! I wish you could say the same!"
"Being a lawyer takes up time, we've discussed this Maureen! I work long hours so we can eat food! What's more important, Maureen? Don't you want to eat?"
"Not if it means I can't spend any time with you! What's the point of eating if I have to do it alone?"
"You are overreacting! I do spend time with you, hell, we were about to go to dinner before you started this ridiculous fight!"
"Oh, so I'm to blame? That's sweet, Joanne. You know what? Screw dinner. I'm going to the loft," Maureen yelled as she snatched her purse from the couch.
"That figures Maureen, go ahead and do what you what you always do, run away from your problems! Classic Maureen! Just know that when you come crawling back, there's not a chance in hell that I'll be here for you to walk all over!" said a fuming Joanne.
"Like I fucking care Joanne, go to hell" Maureen said as she stormed out of Joanne's apartment, not forgetting to slam the door on her way out.
xxx
Joanne sat alone on her couch, sipping a beer and watching a rerun of "Friends" on her TV.
"Stupid Maureen" she thought to herself, "This happens every fucking time I try to do something nice.'Oh Maureen, let's go to dinner, it'll be sooo nice to get out'. So stupid, I was so stupid to think we could have one good evening out together. She's like a child, so fucking immature, I can't stand it."
She was still pissed at Maureen and was only making herself angrier and angrier the more she thought about her, which caused her to drink more and more beer.
"Fuck, if I had my way, she'd stay at the fucking loft until she got her shit together."
The more Joanne thought about it, the more she liked her idea. "You know what" she said to herself, "Maureen should just stay at the loft until she apologizes. It's always the other way around and I'd love it if this fucking once, she'd say she's sorry for ruining this for me."
Jumping to her feet abruptly, Joanne rushed to the phone. She was so caught up in her drunken impulses, that she didn't even notice that Maureen had accidentally left her cell phone on her couch and when Joanne raced towards her phone, Maureen's cell phone dropped between the cushions.
Joanne dialed up the loft and waited for somebody to answer. It rang for a minute, but went to voicemail. Not giving the bohemians a chance to answer, Joanne hung up as soon as she heard Speak and gave up completely.
"That's a fucking stupid idea anyways" she thought.
Plopping herself back down on the couch, Joanne chugged a beer and continued to watch "Friends". Not even five minutes later, Joanne's phone rang.
"It's probably Maureen asking me to bail her out of some fucking mess" Joanne thought as she answered.
"Yeah?" Joanne asked, annoyed.
"Hey, it's Mark. You called a second ago, sorry nobody answered, but it's, like, 3 in the morning. What's up?"
"Oh nothing, I just called to talk to Maureen, but I've changed my mind. Don't tell her I even called, alright?"
"Sorry Joanne, but Maureen's not here".
Joanne stopped for a minute, puzzled. She could have sworn Maureen said that she was headed to the loft.
"Maureen and I had a fight and I thought she said she was heading to the loft. I must've been mistaken. Sorry for waking you Mark".
"Oh, it's no problem, don't worry about it. Should I call you if she shows up here?"
"Don't bother" Joanne said bitterly, "I think she needs to learn her lesson and part of that is me not taking her back right away"
There was an awkward silence for a minute, until Mark replied hesitantly, "Alright Joanne. Have a good night".
"Bye Mark, sorry again for waking you" Joanne said, hanging up the phone.
"I wonder where the diva is" Joanne thought as she made her way back to the couch.
Not even a minute went by before Joanne was passed out on her couch in a dreamless slumber.