Short Nasty Return
Keisha the next door neighbor to Dorothy calls her son and tells him the recent news about his mother.
A long, tired sigh.
Marcus Junior: “What did she do now?”
Keisha: “She has gone beyond wild making… sounds. Sexual sounds. With her window open. At 9:30 PM. On a Monday.”
Another sigh, longer this time.
Marcus Junior: “Mama, are you serious right now?”
Dorothy: “Baby, they’re exaggerating! I was just—”
Marcus Junior: “Mama, please don’t say exercising.”
Dorothy:“…stretching?”
Marcus Junior: “That’s the same thing! Mama, I thought we talked about this! You promised you’d stop with the Ralph situation!”
Dorothy: “I did stop! That wasn’t even about him!”
Everyone looked at Dorothy in disbelief.
Dorothy: “Okay, just a LITTLE bit could have been about him, but—”
Marcus Junior: “Pack a bag. I’m driving up there tomorrow. You’re coming back to Atlanta with me. For good this time.”
Dorothy: “Marcus Junior, I’m a grown woman you forgot—”
Marcus Junior: “A grown woman who’s been harassing her neighbors for MONTHS! Mama, they could press charges! Do you understand that?”
Dorothy looked around at all the neighbors’ faces. For the first time, she looked genuinely scared.
Dorothy: “I… I didn’t think about that.”
Marcus Junior: “No, you didn’t think about a LOT of things. Put Keisha back on the phone.”
Dorothy handed Keisha her phone back.
Marcus Junior: “I’m so sorry, I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. I’m taking her back with me. She needs… professional help. And possibly medication.”
Keisha: “We appreciate that, We know this isn’t easy for you.”
Marcus Junior: “She’s been like this since my dad died. But it’s gotten worse. Way worse.” He paused. “Tell Ralph I’m sorry he had to deal with all this.”
Keisha: “Will do.”
After they hung up, the neighbors talked amongst themselves and slowly dispersed, shaking their heads. Ralph and Keisha walked back to their house.
Dorothy stood in her doorway, still in her nightgown and bonnet, looking smaller somehow.
Dorothy: “Ralph?”
He stopped but didn’t turn around.
Ralph: “Yes, ma’am?”
Dorothy: “I really am sorry. I just… I have been so lonely. And you were nice to me that one time. And I guess I just… I went crazy.”
Ralph finally turned to face her.
Ralph: “Ms. Dorothy, I know losing someone and being alone is hard. But what doing is not the way you want to perceive yourself to be. You need real help. Real friends. Not… whatever this was.”
Dorothy: “I know, I know that now.”
Ralph: “I hope you get that help. I really do.”
Dorothy nodded and closed her door.
To be continued…..