Today me and the boogie man went out for coffee...

...I ordered a latte, and he wanted his black, of course he did. As we sat his eyes burnt through my soul, but I have learned to ignore it. I kept my gaze lowered as if it would make him disappear, I must have forgot how much he hates it when I do that.

"how's your mom?"

he groaned, each word hanging onto his lips before being spat in my direction.

"good."

I replied, my hand clenching the warm mug in anticipation of his reply,

"oh really?"

even though I wasn't looking at him I felt his grin stretch,

"well, when was the last time you spoke to her?"

God, I saw this coming. After I long pause I managed to murmur,

"I...don't remember"

My leg shook violently, anxiety flooded my veins pushing me to the brink of another panick attack.

"you don't remember? well how do you know if she's good Junior?"

lost for words I just sat there feeling the breeze run it’s fingers down my spine, nicotine and despair suddenly become so much more noticeable hanging in the thick Thursday air.

"It's okay, you must have been busy this week."

his tone so condescending it brought upon the weight of a thousand elephants on my shoulders. Truth is I wasn't busy, and he knew that. I only manged to whisper back,

"why do you do this..?"

i watched him tilt his head to the side, like a child who's just been asked about missing cookies from the kitchen,

"do what Junior?"

I finally raised my head high enough to look him in the eye,

"why do you always have to be around?"

Unblinking he shifted his gaze from me to the clear ocean sky above, each of his vertebrae snapping like burning wood.

"Junior, remember dinners at your uncles place?"

my teeth gritted as I replied with,

"what does that have to do with anything?"

the frustration bleeding from my tone.

"Remember how you would always take a little less gravy so everyone else could have more?"

I stared blankly wondering where he was going with this,

"In this world, there are people who enjoy the colours in life, they enjoy the sounds of a private pianist and flavours of fancy meals, trips to the Maldives and sex that could make Zeus jealous...but there are also people who are on the other side of the spectrum. People who don't have three meals to eat, who shower with freezing cold water and sleep on hard concrete floors."

His voice cut out everything around me, it was hypnotic, claiming the attention of a every cell in my being.

"For the fortunate to enjoy someone must suffer. I just, simply exist to make sure you stay in your boundaries, to make sure you don't take too much gravy Junior."

he returned his dark pupil-less gaze back to me,

"and anyways, you want me gone so bad. When was the last time I wasn't there for you? You don't know life without me."

In that moment, I hated him more than I ever have, only because...he was right.

"Your coffee. It's gotten cold."

I said walking away.