Reasonable Insanity

by Cynthia Freeman Gibbs

  Olivia sat on the sofa and shook her head in disbelief, thinking about how wrong Savvy was to accuse Dwain of this nonsense. All this time, I thought Savvy was my best friend. Instead, she’s clearly jealous. I’m better off without friends like her.

  She walked to the phone and called Dwain. His phone rang four times before his answering machine picked up. The sound of Keith Sweat’s song, “How Deep Is Your Love,” played before his deep sexy voice said, “Hey, this is Dwain. You know what to do when you hear the beep.”

  “Hey, babe, this is Olivia. I don’t know if you got my message earlier. I’m home now. Call me soon. I miss you.” Olivia hung up the phone disappointed he hadn’t tried to reach her since she left the hospital. She figured he was still at practice.

  In the meantime, she decided to call the police department and request for them to send an officer so she could file a report.

  Shortly after her call, the doorbell rang. She peered through the peephole and a big burly man with curly, dark brown hair in a police uniform stood on her porch. She opened the door and he smiled. He began talking in a heavy, southern drawl. “Hello, I’m Officer Oberlton. We received a call that someone wanted to file a report on an incident.”

  Olivia nervously nodded. “Yes, Officer Oberlton, I’m the one who called.”

  “Do you mind if I come in?” the officer asked.

  “Please do, come on in,” Olivia responded and led him into her apartment.

  “Did this incident occur in the Tallahassee city limits?” Officer Oberlton inquired.

  Olivia nodded and began to tell him what happened. He listened patiently and followed her out to the blood-stained sidewalk. He reached into his ink-stained shirt pocket to remove a notepad and pen.

  “What you experienced is a crime of aggravated assault and battery. The Violent Crimes Unit will handle the investigation of this crime against you,” he explained. “Do you know the girls that assaulted you?”

  “I know one of them is named Isabella. She’s Hispanic and petite. She had on a The State University of Florida sweatshirt. The other girl is Black. She’s also petite and light-skinned. I’ve seen her cheering on the TSUF cheerleading squad. That’s all I know about them,” Olivia said.

  “Were there any witnesses?” Officer Oberlton asked.

  “Yes, my next-door neighbor, Beverly, heard everything. I think she’s still at work.”

  “Okay. Please ask her to contact us to provide a statement as soon as possible. Here’s your case number and someone from the Violent Crimes Unit will contact you. You can call the number on this card to get an update on the case or to provide additional information.” He handed a business card to her. “Do you have any questions?”

  “No. I don’t have any questions.” Olivia took the card. “Thank you, Officer Oberlton.”

  The officer sauntered out to his police car and drove off. Olivia closed the door to her apartment and leaned against it, mulling about how to handle this situation.

  Olivia really needed Dwain. This was all just too much. She grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the door to drive by his apartment.

  When she pulled into his lot, Dwain’s Saab caught her eye. He lived in an apartment facing the parking lot on the first floor. Olivia figured he must’ve just arrived at home since he hadn’t answered her calls. She couldn’t wait to tell him about this craziness with Savvy and for him to comfort her.

  She started to back in and noticed a girl coming out of Dwain’s apartment. He stepped onto the patio without a shirt or shoes on. They hugged and kissed before she headed toward the parking lot. Olivia gasped when she recognized Isabella.

  Olivia’s blood began to boil. Her skin became hot and she stewed inside. Her head throbbed in pain when Isabella crossed through the parking lot. She clenched her hands onto her steering wheel, leaving nail prints in the leather, and contemplated several scenarios in her mind.

  I can’t believe this ho is kissing my man. I’m ‘bout to jump out of this car and stomp her into the ground. Her hand grabbed the door handle and pain shot through the back of her head. She caught her breath with the realization of the fact she was still sore from her bruises and had a head injury. She had to come up with a different plan. I should run her over with my car. No, she told herself. The last thing she wanted was to go to prison for killing someone. Isabella would end up with Dwain while she was locked up.

  Olivia pounded her steering wheel with frustration as she tried to figure out her next move.

  Isabella got into a maroon-colored Toyota Camry with a TSUF sticker on the bumper. Olivia decided to follow her wherever she headed, hoping to figure out a plan while she trailed her.

  Olivia maneuvered through the Tallahassee traffic, close behind Isabella’s car. They drove across town toward FAMU and headed on to a two-lane highway past a golf course. She turned into a neighborhood with several quadruplexes on both sides of the street.

  Olivia slowed behind Isabella, who turned into one of the parking lots. She made a mental note of the address and made a U-turn on the street to head out of the neighborhood.

  Her heart pounded in her chest and her breath became shallow. She thought about what she’d witnessed. Savvy had been telling the truth.

  Olivia drove back to her apartment with tears blinding her eyes. She didn’t even remember making her way through town. She sunk into a daze thinking about everything happening to her. How could Dwain do this to me? Olivia swiped away her tears. After everything I did to please him and to be perfect, why did he have to cheat on me? Am I still too fat? It’s because she’s light-skinned.

  She stared at herself in the rearview mirror and screamed, “I’m a fat, black pig. This is the fat face that drove him into the arms of Isabella. Dwain tried to let me know I needed to lose more weight and I failed. I failed.”

  Defeated, she stopped looking in the mirror, slowly got out of the car, and dragged herself toward her apartment.

  Weak with despair with her head pounding, she entered the door. She headed straight to the answering machine in the living room and there weren’t any messages. Dwain hadn’t even called to check on her.

  Olivia sat on the sofa in a numb daze, massaging her throbbing temples with her thumbs. They’re going to pay for hurting me like this. How dare he cheat on me. This isn’t over. I’ll find a way to get them both back some way, somehow.

  CHAPTER 19

  Savvy sat at the kitchen table writing a paper for her English class. The phone rang and the caller ID box showed Olivia’s name. It had been two weeks since Olivia kicked her out of her apartment. Reluctantly, after three more rings, Savvy took a deep breath and answered.

  “Hello?” Savvy said into the phone.

  “Savvy? It’s me, Olivia.” Olivia’s voice was timid.

  “I know. Your name showed on caller ID,” Savvy said dryly.

  “Look, I know we haven’t spoken in a while, and I wanted to call you to say I’m sorry,” Olivia said quickly.

  “What are you sorry for this time?”

  “Savvy, I miss you. I’m sorry I yelled at you and kicked you out. I didn’t believe what you said about Dwain.” Olivia spoke so fast, Savvy could hardly understand her. “You were right Savvy. You were right.”

  “About what?” Savvy asked.

  “About Dwain. He’s a liar. I know he’s cheating on me with Isabella. They were together at his apartment. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I can’t believe my stupidity in thinking you made the story up,” Olivia said apologetically.

  “So, now you believe me and you’re calling me why?” Savvy asked.

  “I’m calling you to ask for your forgiveness. I never should’ve treated you the way I did, and I’m sorry,” Olivia cried into the phone. “I’ve been a mess and trying to figure out what to do. I should’ve called you sooner. I’m embarrassed about how I treated you and didn’t think you’d want to hear from me.”

  “Okay, okay. Against my better judgment, I forgive you,” Savvy said. “I
know you’ve been through a lot. I’m not going to hold this against you. It sounds like you’ve punished yourself enough for how you treated me.”

  “You don’t know how hard this has been for me. I haven’t been going to work and thankfully, our manager has been supportive after what happened. My face has finally healed from the scratches and bruises. I still get headaches from time to time though,” Olivia explained.

  “I’ve been wondering why I haven’t seen you on the job. I thought about calling to check on you, however, you made it crystal clear you didn’t want to have anything to do with me. You might need to get those headaches checked out to make sure your head is okay,” Savvy said.

  “I know, I know. I’m wrong for how I treated you. Can we start again with our friendship? Please?” Olivia begged.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. We can start over,” Savvy agreed. “Now slow your roll and tell me what’s going on.”

  “Well, I filed the police report just like we talked about. Can you believe they still haven’t arrested Isabella or the other girl for trying to kill me? I thought they would’ve done something by now,” Olivia exclaimed.

  “I’m surprised it’s taking this long. Have you called the police department to get an update?” Savvy asked.

  “I’ve called almost every day. Each time, the investigator only tells me he’s working on it and for me to be patient,” Olivia complained.

  “Okay, perhaps he hasn’t been able to find out anything. Try to trust the process and believe they’ll make a move soon.” Savvy tried to comfort Olivia.

  “I’m trying hard to wait on them. If they don’t do something soon, I’m going to have to do something myself,” Olivia exclaimed.

  “Like what?” Savvy questioned. “Don’t do anything stupid, Olivia.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ve talked myself out of many ideas.”

  “Well, have you thought about going to the TSUF campus police? Perhaps they can do something in the meantime. Why don’t you give them a call?” Savvy advised.

  “You know, I hadn’t thought about that. I’ll call them now and see if they can do something,” Olivia agreed. “Savvy, I’m thankful for you and I appreciate you for being my friend. Can we get together this Friday to hang out? I miss seeing you.”

  “Sure, let’s plan for Friday to start a new chapter. Let’s talk later this week. Maybe we can go see that Spike Lee Movie, “Do the Right Thing.” I heard it’s good.” Savvy suggested. “Now call TSUF and see if they can help you out.”

  “Will do. Thanks, Savvy,” Olivia said.

  “Bye.” She sighed with relief and hung up the phone. She was glad to have her friend back again, however, she had a nagging feeling Olivia was keeping something from her.

  CHAPTER 20

  Friday night in Tallahassee bustled with college students hitting the various nightclubs and bars for stress relief.

  Olivia picked Savvy up from her apartment to go to The Moon, seeing as it had been a while since either of them had been to the club. They both thought it would be a good idea to go dancing and check out the guys instead of seeing the movie.

  Savvy had on a short emerald green dress with high heel gold sandals with a matching purse and gold jewelry. She had on precisely enough perfume to give a man a faint whiff of it when passing by.

  Savvy opened the car door and noticed Olivia had on baggy blue jeans with an old gray t-shirt. She had her hair pulled into a messy ponytail and didn’t have on makeup. Surprisingly, her face healed completely except for a scar on her forehead.

  “Hey, girl. What’s with the jeans and why didn’t you do your hair or makeup?” Savvy questioned Olivia and fastened her seatbelt.

  “I couldn’t figure out what to wear and this humidity destroyed my hairstyle. I hate the weather here in Tallahassee where it rains long enough to make everyone run for cover. It’s crazy how you can see steam coming from the ground when it stops. Doesn’t make for good hair days,” Olivia explained and began driving out of the neighborhood.

  “Girl. You got that right. I feel the same way. But, do you think they’ll let you into The Moon wearing jeans and that t-shirt?” Savvy asked.

  “They should. If they don’t, I’ll run back home and change. No big deal.” Olivia turned into a bank parking lot. “By the way, I need to get some cash from the Buck machine. I’ll be right back.” Olivia parked the car and jumped out to run to the ATM.

  Savvy noticed Olivia also wore sneakers which was highly unusual for her.

  When Olivia returned to the car, she stumbled around to the passenger side where Savvy sat. “Hey, do you mind driving for a minute? My head is hurting. I want to pop a couple of aspirins to get some pain relief before we get to the club.”

  “Sure, no problem.” Savvy opened the door to get out of the car. Once she got into the driver’s seat, she said, “By the way, you know you can’t get into the club wearing those shoes. Where are your dressier ones? You have a closet full of cute sandals.”

  Olivia stared at her feet like she suddenly realized she had on sneakers. “Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I need to stop by a friend’s house to borrow her shoes. She has some cute ones I want to wear tonight. She lives off Darryl Drive, which isn’t too far from The Moon. We can head there right now. I’ll tell you where to go.”

  “Okay, that’s good. Which way?” Savvy asked and fastened her seatbelt before backing out of the parking space and veering onto the road.

  “Just turn right at this corner and left on the next street,” Olivia directed.

  They drove past FAMU’s campus and headed onto a two-lane highway leading out to the country.

  “I think it’s right past the golf course. Slow down,” Olivia said in a strange way, which made Savvy glance at her. She noticed her eyes appeared dull and empty. “Yeah. This is it. Make a left here.”

  Savvy turned onto the street Olivia pointed out. They passed several apartment buildings. “These are nice quadruplexes. Maybe I’ll come back out and see about getting one for me here,” Savvy said.

  “Yeah, they’re nice.” Olivia's voice was hollow which made Savvy glance at her again. Her face reminded her of when she stole the swimsuit at the mall.

  “Are you okay?” Savvy asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Go further.” Olivia pointed to the side of the street. “See that maroon Toyota Camry sitting in the parking lot on the left? Go into that one and back into the spot next to it.”

  It started to get dark, and Savvy could barely make out the color of the car. She noticed a TSUF sticker on the bumper. When she backed into the parking space and put the car into park, Olivia quickly jumped out.

  Olivia opened the back door to her car and pulled out a huge brick. Before Savvy realized it, she bolted to the maroon car, lifted the brick above the windshield, and threw it with all the force she could. It hit the window and slightly cracked it before it bounced off and fell to the ground.

  Savvy yelled, “Olivia. What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?”

  Olivia ignored Savvy and grabbed the brick again. This time, Savvy could see her raging eyes and spittle on her twisted lips. She repeated the same motion and threw it on the windshield with even more force. It shattered the window, bounced off the car, and hit a red Geo Prizm parked on the other side of it causing its alarm to go off.

  Olivia jumped back into the car. “Floor it, Savvy. Get us out of here,” she yelled at the top of her lungs. She searched around with wild eyes to see if anyone had seen them.

  Savvy pushed the gas pedal to the floor as she screeched out of the parking lot. She almost hit another car from racing out onto the dark street.

  “Come on. Drive faster before we get caught,” Olivia barked.

  “I can’t go any faster. Why did you do that?” Savvy yelled back and maneuvered the Honda onto the road.

  “I’ll tell you after we get away from here,” Olivia said. Savvy turned out of the neighborhood on two wheels.

  They drove back toward FAMU, and Olivia had
Savvy pull into a gas station. Savvy parked, jumped out, and ran around to Olivia’s side of the car. She yanked the door open, grabbed Olivia’s t-shirt, and pulled her out of her seat. Despite the fact Olivia towered over Savvy, Savvy had greater strength. Since Olivia’s body has wasted away, grabbing her was like handling a skeleton.

  Savvy slammed Olivia’s back against the car and yelled in her face. “What is wrong with you? You had me drive you to someone’s place for you throw a brick at their car and expect me to be your get-a-way driver? Have you lost your frickin’ mind?”

  Olivia leaned back on the side of the car and appeared dazed. She glanced at Savvy. “I can understand why you’re upset with me.”

  “You can understand why I’m upset with you?” Savvy glared at Olivia with disgust and shook her. “That has to be the stupidest thing you could ever say.”

  “I know you don’t understand. It’s something I had to do,” Olivia said, still looking dazed.

  Savvy shook her head and released Olivia’s shirt. “You better believe I don’t understand. Why did you have to involve me? Huh? If you choose to live this kind of drama-filled life, why do you have to bring me into it and risk me getting in trouble?”

  “I knew we wouldn’t get caught,” Olivia tried to explain.

  “Oh, shut up,” Savvy yelled and did her best to shoot arrows through her glare at Olivia. “The more you open your mouth, the more I want to smack you.”

  “I get that. I don’t blame you if you did. I needed you there with me.” Olivia was now eerily calm.

  “Who owns the car? Why did you decide to put a brick through that window?”

  “The car belongs to Isabella.” Olivia shrugged. “You know, the slut who beat me up.”

  Savvy’s eyes got wide. “Isabella’s car? How did you know what kind of car she drives and where she lives?”

  “I saw her coming out of Dwain’s apartment with my own two eyes. They kissed on his front porch,” Olivia fumed. “When she left, I followed her to this apartment complex. I’ve gone by her place a million times and Dwain’s car has been there almost every night. It’s not fair that she and the other girl who jumped me are living their lives without pain. I’m the one who’s suffering to no end. She took my boyfriend and needs to pay for what they did. You know I’m mad about the fact they got away with trying to kill me and the police never did anything.”