43 | Serotina

May 16, 2015

Rufus shook his head at the computer screen. “Can’t get these damn invoices to print,” he said, punching at the keyboard. They were all on edge, trying to fulfill their current Greenfields orders. The new seedlings had arrived to replace the molded plants they’d disposed of, but they were behind on their output. “I guess I can send them to the printer in Micah’s office upstairs.”

“I’ll run up and get them,” Serotina said, eager for the chance to catch a moment with Micah. He’d been so distracted lately and disappeared for long periods of time behind his closed door, where she could hear him on the phone. Questions accumulated in Sero’s mind. Small things, like the cell phone in Micah’s room and the junk food when he was supposed to be fasting, she could excuse. She’d even tried to overlook the mass-manufactured food in their kitchen. Micah might not even know about the groceries, since he rarely helped with meal preparation. Chef Guy was the right person to ask about that. But other things were harder to ignore, and Justin’s accusations hung in her mind with a truth she recognized. Micah was a good person—the kind of person who took care of an infirm woman’s garden and fed the homeless after Thanksgiving. But his compassion didn’t seem to extend to a suffering creature like Buddy or to the neighbor’s potentially blameless dog. If she was wrong about Micah, what would that mean for her now? Her world had come tumbling down with the realization she had been wrong about James.

“Thanks, Sero,” Jasmine called out as she left.

Outside, she spotted Ericka and Zoe working in the fields in the distance. Zoe was always recognizable with her mass of dreadlocks, but Ericka looked increasingly diminished, her shirt hanging off her bony frame like adult’s clothing on a child. Sero swallowed back her concern and entered the house. Upstairs, she found Micah’s bedroom door open and wandered into the closet office, which was empty. Trying not to feel upset by this small disappointment, she picked up the paper sitting in the printer’s output tray.

It wasn’t an invoice; it was a letter addressed to someone named Joe Petrosyan. The letter was short, and Micah’s name was at the bottom, awaiting his signature.

Pursuant to California Civil Code 1941.1, landlord has breached warranty of habitability in the residential lease. The house is uninhabitable due to ongoing plumbing issues since March 2015 that impede the regular supply of water to fixtures, which materially affects tenant’s health and safety. After landlord failed to address multiple requests for repair, tenant properly issued notice that rent payments would be withheld until such time as conditions are made habitable. As such, California Civil Code 1942.5 prevents landlord from evicting tenant for 180 days after repair request was made. Tenant kindly requests that landlord cease and desist from sending eviction notices and furthermore provide immediate reimbursement for the $20,000 tenant has incurred in his efforts to have the plumbing problem repaired.