A Fire As Date 5
Episode 5: “Escalation”
The next morning, Niesha’s mother called her at work.
“Baby, that boy is sitting in his car outside the house again.”
Niesha’s heart sank. She was standing in the break room at the hospital where she worked as a nurse, and her hands started shaking.
“How long has he been sitting out there?”
“About ten minutes. Just sitting in that car, staring at the house.” Her mother said.
“Did you call the police?” Niesha asked her mom.
“They said they can’t do anything unless he gets out of the car or threatens someone.”
Niesha closed her eyes. “I’m coming home.”
“No, baby. You stay at work. I called Marcus.”
“Mama, no. Please don’t let Marcus try to handle this.”
“It’s too late. He’s already on his way.”
Niesha hung up and immediately dialed her brother.
“Marcus, please don’t do anything stupid.”
“I’m not going to do anything stupid. I’m going to do smash his face in.” Marcus replied.
Niesha: “Marcus—”
Niesha: I’m so tired of this.
Marcus: We’re all tired of this. You can’t live your life hiding from this fool.”
Niesha: “I know, but—”
Marcus: “But nothing. This ends today.”
The line went dead. Niesha called Dre, but his phone went straight to voicemail. She called her mother back.
“They’re both here now,” her mother said.
Mom: “Marcus is talking to Dre in the driveway. Paul’s still just sitting there.”
Niesha’s supervisor was walking around making his rounds and noticed her distress and told her to go home. She drove toward her mother’s house with her heart pounding, calling Nick’s number even though she’d said they couldn’t see each other anymore.
Nick: “Niesha?”
Niesha: “Nick, I need your help. My brothers are about to do something stupid, and I don’t know how to stop them.”
Nick: “Where are you?”
Niesha: “Driving to my mom’s house. Paul’s been sitting outside for over ten minutes, and Marcus and Dre are there now.”
Nick: “I’m on my way.”
Niesha: “Nick, you don’t understand. If they hurt Paul, they’ll go to jail. Marcus just got out last year, and Dre has a wife and kids—”
Nick: “I understand. Just try to get there before they do anything.”
Niesha pulled up to her mother’s house to find Marcus and Dre walking toward Paul’s car. Paul was getting out, his face set in that stubborn expression she knew too well.
“Stay back, Niesha,” Marcus yelled over his shoulder.
“Paul, you need to leave,” Dre said, his voice calm but firm.
“I’m on a public street. I can be here if I want.” Paul responded.
“Not when sitting in front of my mom’s house stalking our sister, no you can’t.”
Paul’s face reddened.
Paul: “I’m not stalking anybody. I’m trying to talk to my girlfriend.”
Marcus: “Ex-girlfriend fool, and she doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Paul: “She’ll talk to me when she’s ready.”
Dre: “She’s been ready—ready for you to leave her alone.”
Paul looked past them to Neisha.
Paul: “Baby, just give me five minutes. We can work this out.”
Niesha: “No, we can’t work it out. It’s over, Paul.”
Paul: “It’s not over until I say it’s over.”
That’s when Marcus snapped. He stepped forward, chest to chest with Paul.
Marcus: “What did you just say?”
Paul: “Boy you heard me.”
Dre put a hand on Marcus’s arm.
Dre: “Marcus, don’t.” Pulling him back.
Marcus: “Nah, I want to hear this fool repeat what he just said.”
Paul looked at Marcus, then at Dre, then back at Niesha.
Paul: “I said it’s not over until I say it’s over. She’s my woman.”
Marcus drew back his fist, but before he could throw it, Marcus and Niesha jumped in front of Marcus. Then you can hear Nick’s voice cut through the tension.
Nick: “Paul, you coward you really want to do this here right now?”
Everyone turned to see Nick walking down the driveway.
Marcus: “Who the hell are you?”
Nick: “I’m Nick. Niesha friend. I talked to Paul yesterday about leaving Niesha alone. Apparently, he didn’t listen.”
Paul’s eyes narrowed.
Paul: “I told you to stay the hell away from her.”
Nick: “And I told yo ass to stop stalking her. Looks like we’re both bad at following directions.”
Paul: “This is between me and Niesha.”
Nick: “No, it’s not. It stopped being between you and Niesha the moment you started terrorizing her.”
Marcus looked at Nick.
Marcus: “You know this fool?”
Nick: “We’ve met,” (not taking his eyes off Paul). “Paul, you’ve got about thirty seconds to get your ass In your car and leave before gets ugly.”
Paul: “I’m not going anywhere.”
Nick: “Then you’re going to the hospital or jail. Your choice.”
Paul looked around at the three men surrounding him, then at Niesha standing behind them. For a moment, his face showed something like awareness of the situation he’d created.
“This isn’t over,” Paul said to Niesha.
“Yes, it is,” Niesha replied.
Paul got in his car, but not before leaving he rolled down his window showing his middle finger and shouting,
Paul: “I’ll be back!”
Marcus started walking toward the street, but Dre grabbed him.
Dre: “Let him go. We know where to find him.”
Nick looked over at Niesha.
Nick: “You okay?”
Niesha: “No, I’m not okay. This is going to keep happening until someone gets hurt.”
Nick: “Not if we do it right way.”
Niesha: “And what’s the right way for this situation besides calling the authorities?”
Nick looked at Marcus and Dre, then back at Niesha.
Nick: “We make sure he knows the consequences of coming back.”
Marcus: “What kind of consequences?”
Nick: “Legal ones. Smart ones. Ones that don’t put you back in jail or take Dre away from his wife and kids.”
Dre nodded slowly.
Dre: “I’m listening.”
Nick: “We document everything. We get that restraining order served. We make sure he knows that if he comes near Niesha again, he’s going to face more than just you two.”
Niesha: “What do you mean?”
Nick: “I mean we let him build I’ll case for us against him. We get the police involved properly. We make sure he knows that this time, when he crosses the line, there will be consequences that he can’t charm his way out of.”
Marcus looked skeptical.
Marcus: “And if that doesn’t work?”
Nick met his eyes.
Nick: “Then we try Plan B.”
Marcus: “What’s Plan B?”
Nick: “We give him an ol’ fashioned ass whipping to make sure he understands that terrorizing women has consequences in the real world.”
To be continued……