by Doris Miller
Another few weeks have gone by. It is now the weekend. Dana is at work at the Community Center. Her family and friends are there inside the office with her as she sits at the computers and the copy machines. Her family and friends stay inside the office with her to help her out.
After a couple of hours, Diane D, Missy and Londa decide to step outside of the office for a while to walk around and take a break. They walk pass a group of small children who are running through the hallway.
Diane D, Missy and Londa soon stop in the cafeteria to get some coffee and some snacks from there. They buy a few trays worth of food to bring back inside the office. After they finish their purchases, they carry the trays back towards the office.
Diane D, Missy and Londa soon bring the trays of coffee and snacks inside the office where Landa, Linda and Teresa are sitting with Dana. Dana is still sitting at the machines, holding and frowning down at a sheet of paper. Teresa sits there besides a frowning Dana, showing Dana something on the sheet of paper. Dana then turns the sheet of paper around looking at the other side of it. Diane D brings two cups of coffee over towards Dana. She hands Dana a cup of coffee and says, "Here Dana. We brought you some coffee."
"Thanks a lot Diane," Dana says as she takes the cup of coffee.
Diane D then hands Teresa the other cup of coffee as Teresa happily says, "Thanks Diane."
Londa approaches Dana with some snacks and says, "We brought you some snacks too Dana."
"Thanks," Dana says as she takes a snack.
As Dana takes a sip of coffee, Londa asks, "So when are you gonna step off and take a break Dana?"
"I don't know yet Londa. I guess as soon as I finish copying this sheet. I just want to get this out the way."
Diane D then sits on the other side of Dana and tells her, "Well don't sit there too long Dana. You're gonna have to step outside to get some fresh air sooner or later you know."
"I know Diane. I just want to finish this sheet and get it over with." Dana takes another sip of coffee as she continues to frown at the sheet.
Missy then calls out from the back of the room and shouts, "Hey Dana! Where do you want these papers at?! Can I put them on the side for now so we can use this table?!"
"Yeah go ahead Missy!" Dana shouts out as she turns her head to the side. She turns her head back forward and continues to frown down at the sheet. Missy then takes the papers off the table and puts them down on the side of the room. She puts the food and snacks on the table. She and Landa then carry the table of food towards Dana and sit the table close to Dana, where Dana could reach for the snacks as she works on the computers and the machines. Missy and the rest of the girls surround Dana as Dana continues to work at the computers and the machines. They stay there in the office with Dana all day, until time for her to leave.
It is the end of the day now. Dana and the girls get ready to leave out of the office. They start to head for home.
The following Monday morning, Dana and Teresa drive to work together. They drive on the highway towards Long Island City, Queens. They soon arrive to work and walk through the hallway, heading towards the stockroom. They enter the stockroom where there are still only two employees working in there.
That same morning, Missy goes to work at the school. At the end of the school day, all the employees leave the school and head for home. Missy goes home to her grandparents' house and Raymond goes home to his apartment way across town.
Around an hour and a half later, Raymond is home alone inside his apartment. He stands in his kitchen drinking a glass of juice. Suddenly, there is a loud knock at his front door! He puts his glass of juice down and hurries towards his front door! As he approaches his front door, the knock becomes louder and faster as if someone is desperately trying to get inside his apartment! He looks through his peephole and quickly opens the front door! Kathy comes bursting inside his apartment! She is all sweating and hysterical! She is breathing very heavy! She is scared! Raymond shouts, "WHAT HAPPENED KATHY? WHAT'S WRONG? WHAT'S THE MATTER?"
"I JUST SAW MISSY'S SISTER AGAIN! I THINK SHE'S FOLLOWING ME AGAIN!"
"WHAT! WHO DANA?"
"YES! HER!"
Raymond grabs Kathy by the shoulders and shouts, "WAIT A MINUTE KATHY! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN DANA IS FOLLOWING YOU AGAIN? ARE YOU SURE?"
"YES, I'M SURE! I JUST SAW HER! SHE WAS RIGHT ON THE NEXT BLOCK WHEN I GOT OFF THE BUS! I HAD JUST GOT OFF THE BUS AND STARTED WALKING TOWARDS HERE! WHEN I HAPPENED TO TURN MY HEAD AROUND, I SAW DANA COMING AT A DISTANCE! SHE WAS COMING RIGHT TOWARDS MY DIRECTION! IT IS STILL DAYLIGHT OUTSIDE AND I WAS ABLE TO SEE HER FACE THIS TIME! IT LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS LOOKING RIGHT AT ME! I THINK SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN WATCHING ME AS SOON AS I GOT OFF THE BUS BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST TURNED MY HEAD AROUND, SHE WAS ALREADY COMING TOWARDS MY DIRECTION REAL SLOW, THEN SHE STOPPED WHEN SHE NOTICED I SAW HER! WHEN I SAW THAT, I JUST RAN OUT OF THAT AREA LIKE CRAZY!"
"OH YEAH?"
"YEAH!"
"COME ON, LET'S GO LOOK OUT THE WINDOW!" Raymond and Kathy rush to the living room window to look out! They do not see Dana or any other suspicious persons outside! They then leave the window! Raymond grabs Kathy and says, "Well Kathy if that was Dana that you saw out there, you know what that means? That means she must have been standing there waiting for you all this time! How did she know you were coming over here?" Raymond then looks up and asks, "How did she even know where I live?"
"I don't know! I sure didn't tell her!"
"I don't think Missy ever told anybody in her family where I live, because Missy doesn't even know where I live! Missy doesn't even know where you live and you live two miles away from me, but yet you saw her sister Dana following you over there right outside your building, right?"
"Yes!"
"What was Dana wearing this time when you saw her?"
"I think she had on a dark brown leather jacket! That's the main thing I can remember!"
"Yeah? Well was she with anybody this time or was she alone?"
"I think she was alone again! I mean I saw several people walking up and down the block walking right pass her and everything, but I don't think any of them were with her!"
"No?"
"No!"
Raymond and Kathy frighteningly look at each other! Raymond then says, "Well, I'm gonna call the police!" He goes to the telephone and makes a quick phone call to the police! While Raymond is speaking on the telephone, Kathy stares nervously towards the living room window!
Raymond soon finishes speaking on the telephone! He approaches Kathy and hysterically says, "Okay Kathy, the police are on their way over, alright? Now listen Kathy, you're gonna have to start carrying some kind of protection or something!"
"WHAT!"
"Yeah! You should start carrying a gun! I'm gonna get one for you to carry!"
"A GUN? WAIT A MINUTE RAYMOND, I DON'T WANT TO CARRY A GUN! I'M AFRAID OF GUNS!"
Raymond grabs Kathy by the shoulders and shoves her as he angrily shouts, "LISTEN KATHY DO YOU WANT DANA TO COME CHOKE YOU TO DEATH LIKE SHE DID ROSE? HUH? NOW SHE TRIED TO CHOKE YOU TO DEATH BEFORE! DO YOU WANT HER TO SUCCEED THIS TIME? HUH? NOW DANA ALREADY KILLED ROSE AND SHE'S PROBABLY THE ONE WHO KILLED SANDRA! DO YOU WANT HER TO COME KILL YOU TOO? HUH?"
"NO! OF COURSE NOT! WHY CAN'T I JUST GO TO COURT AND GET AN ORDER OF PROTECTION?"
"ORDER OF PROTECTION? ORDERS OF PROTECTION DON'T ALWAYS WORK! I HEAR PLENTY OF PEOPLE STILL GET MURDERED AND KILLED WHILE THEY HAVE ORDERS OF PROTECTION! LISTEN KATHY, YOU CAN TRY TO GET AN ORDER OF PROTECTION, BUT I STILL WANT YOU TO CARRY A GUN TO PROTECT YOURSELF! KATHY, I DON'T WANT YOU TO SHOOT DANA, BELIEVE ME I DON'T! BUT IF YOU EVER HAVE TO SHOOT HER AND YOU GET CAUGHT, JUST TELL THE POLICE AND THE COURTS THAT IT WAS SELF-DEFENSE AND THAT YOUR LIFE WAS IN DANGER! THE COURTS CANNOT HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR TRYING TO SAVE YOUR OWN LIFE!"
"OH RAYMOND! WHY CAN'T I JUST MAKE SURE THAT I'M AROUND A CROWD OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, LIKE A BUSY STREET OR SOMETHING?"
"A CROWD OF PEOPLE?! A CROWD OF PEOPLE WEREN'T ABLE
TO SAVE ROSE! DANA WAS STILL ABLE TO CHOKE THE LIFE OUT OF ROSE, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A BIG CROWD OF PEOPLE THERE! DANA TOOK ROSE'S LIFE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CROWD OF PEOPLE! I HEARD THERE WERE AROUND 50 OR MORE PEOPLE THERE AT THAT FIGHT, TRYING TO PULL DANA'S TIGHT GRIP FROM AROUND ROSE'S NECK, BUT THEY ALL HAD A HARD TIME DOING THAT! I EVEN HEARD THE CROWD OF PEOPLE WAS TRYING TO PULL DANA'S TIGHT GRIP FROM AROUND YOUR NECK, BUT THEY HAD A HARD TIME WITH THAT TOO! I EVEN HEARD A FEW MEN TRIED TO BODY SLAM DANA RIGHT OFF OF YOU AND OFF OF ROSE, THEN THEY WOUND UP HURT AND PUT INTO THE HOSPITAL WITH BROKEN BONES! I EVEN HEARD ONE OF THOSE GUYS LOST AN EYE WHEN HE BANGED HIS FACE INTO DANA'S ELBOW, TRYING TO SAVE YOU AND ROSE FROM DANA'S TIGHT GRIP, BUT HE STILL FAILED! THEY ALL FAILED TRYING TO SAVE YOU AND ROSE FROM DANA'S GRIP! YOU STILL WOUND UP BLUE IN THE FACE AND UNCONSCIOUS AND ROSE STILL WOUND UP DEAD, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A BIG CROWD OF PEOPLE THERE! EVEN THOUGH THE CROWD OF PEOPLE GRABBED AND BEAT ON DANA TO GET HER HANDS FROM AROUND YOUR NECK AND ROSE’S NECK, DANA NEVER BUDGED! SHE WAS WILLING TO TAKE THE BEATING FROM THE CROWD BECAUSE SHE WAS THAT DETERMINED TO CHOKE YOU AND CHOKE ROSE! KATHY, IF YOU WERE WALKING DOWN A VERY CROWDED BUSY STREET RIGHT NOW AND DANA DECIDES TO COME RIGHT UP TO YOU TO CHOKE YOU TO DEATH, I THINK SHE STILL WOULD BE ABLE TO DO SO, RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CROWD OF PEOPLE! SO KATHY, I DON'T THINK A CROWD OF PEOPLE IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU FROM DANA'S TIGHT GRIP, EVEN IF THEY TRY! JUST LIKE A CROWD OF PEOPLE WEREN'T ABLE TO SAVE ROSE FROM DANA'S TIGHT GRIP, EVEN THOUGH THEY TRIED! ROSE STILL WOUND UP DEAD! SHE STILL WOUND UP 6 FEET UNDER, AND NOW SANDRA IS DEAD, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHO KILLED HER! IT COULD HAVE BEEN ANYBODY, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE ANY CHANCES!"
"OH RAYMOND, WHY DIDN'T THE HELL THEY JUST KEEP DANA IN PRISON? WHY DID THEY HAVE TO LET HER OUT SO SOON?"
"BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL, DANA'S FAMILY HIRED A COUPLE OF PRIVATE LAWYERS FOR HER! SECOND OF ALL, SHE TOOK A PLEA BARGAIN AND SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO SERVE TOO MUCH TIME! OH KATHY NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE IF YOU WOULD HAVE JUST LEFT MISSY ALOOONE!"
"WHAT?"
Raymond tearfully shouts, "YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER BOTHERED MISSY, KATHY! I TOLD YOU BEFORE THAT THERE WAS NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN ME AND MISSY! SHE EVEN TOLD YOU THAT THERE WAS NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN ME AND HER, BUT YOU WEREN'T SATISFIED! YOU DECIDED THAT YOU WANTED TO FIGHT MISSY! YOU DECIDED THAT YOU WANTED TO BRING ROSE, SANDRA AND DEREK INTO IT! YOU ALL DECIDED TO GANG UP ON MISSY! YOU ALL DECIDED TO BEAT ON HER PRETTY BAD AND PUT A BRUISE ON HER FACE AND NOW YOU GOT HER VIOLENT TEMPERED SISTER STILL AFTER YOU! WHERE'RE YOUR FRIENDS AT NOW WHEN YOU REALLY NEED THEM? ROSE IS DEAD! SANDRA IS DEAD TOO! WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED TO DEREK! HE PROBABLY SKIPPED TOWN SOMEWHERE! SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW KATHY? YOU KEPT SEEING MISSY AS A THREAT, YOU KEPT SEEING HER AS A THREAT, BUT OBVIOUSLY, MISSY IS NOT THE ONE THAT'S A THREAT! WE BOTH SEE WHO THE REAL THREAT IS NOW! LISTEN KATHY, MISSY IS NOT A BAD PERSON! SHE WOULDN'T HAVE DONE YOU OR ANYBODY ELSE ANY HARM! IT'S HER SISTER DANA THE ONE THAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR!"
"BUT RAYMOND WHY IS DANA STILL AFTER ME? I'M NOT BOTHERING MISSY ANYMORE!"
"KATHY YOU MIGHT NOT BE BOTHERING MISSY ANYMORE, BUT THAT STILL DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT HER SISTER DANA WAS SENT TO PRISON! DANA IS THE ONE WHO WAS SENT TO PRISON BEHIND EVERYTHING! NEITHER YOU OR YOUR BUDDIES WERE SENT TO PRISON, EVEN THOUGH YOU ALL WERE THE ONES WHO . STARTED EVERYTHING BY GOING AND GANGING UP ON MISSY! YOU AND YOUR BUDDIES WENT OUT AND GANGED UP ON MISSY! YOU ALL BEATED ON HER PRETTY BAD AND PUT A BRUISE ON HER FACE, BUT WHO WOUND UP IN PRISON IN THE LONG RUN, HUH? HER SISTER DANA! DANA IS THE ONE WHO HAD TO DO THE TIME AFTER WHAT YOU AND YOUR BUDDIES DID TO HER SISTER AND SHE'S PROBABLY FURIOUS ABOUT THAT! DANA IS PROBABLY ANGRY THAT SHE'S THE ONE WHO WAS SENT TO PRISON INSTEAD OF YOU AND YOUR BUDDIES EVEN THOUGH YOU ALL WERE THE ONES WHO STARTED EVERYTHING! DANA IS PROBABLY ANGRY THAT SHE WAS SENT TO PRISON TRYING TO PROTECT HER OWN SISTER FROM YOU AND YOUR BUDDIES! SHE PROBABLY BLAMES YOU FOR HERSELF BEING LOCKED UP IN PRISON AND THINKS THAT IT WAS YOUR FAULT THAT SHE WAS SENT TO PRISON IN THE FIRST PLACE! SHE MIGHT NEVER FORGET ABOUT THAT! I HEAR SOME PEOPLE BECOME REAL BITTER WHEN THEY GET OUT OF PRISON KATHY! I HEAR THEY BECOME VENGEFUL TOO! DANA WAS PROBABLY THINKING ABOUT YOU THE WHOLE ENTIRE TIME SHE WAS SITTING IN PRISON! SHE'S PROBABLY THINKING TO HERSELF THAT IF YOU HADN'T BOTHERED HER SISTER IN THE FIRST PLACE, SHE WOULDN'T BE WHERE SHE'S AT RIGHT NOW, BEING ON PROBATION, DOING COMMUNITY SERVICES FOR A YEAR! SHE'S NOT HAPPY WITH THAT KATHY! DANA WOULD HAVE NEVER ATTACKED YOU OR YOUR BUDDIES IF YOU ALL HAD NEVER ATTACKED OR BOTHERED HER SISTER MISSY IN THE FIRST PLACE! I HEAR THAT DANA IS VERY PROTECTIVE OF HER SISTERS! MISSY TELLS ME THAT A LOT OF TIMES SHE'S AFRAID TO TELL DANA ANYTHING BAD OR WRONG THAT HAPPENS TO HERSELF OR HER OTHER THREE SISTERS BECAUSE SHE KNOWS HOW DANA IS GONNA REACT! SHE KNOWS THAT DANA IS GONNA REACT WITH VIOLENCE!" Raymond calmly says, "You know Kathy, Missy had told me one thing that she said she never told anybody else before, but she told me that her sister Dana scares the daylights out of her! Missy tells me that she and her other three sisters had feared Dana all their lives, ever since they were small kids. Missy tells me that they all still fear Dana to this day!"
"Oh yeah? Why?"
"I don't know why! Missy never told me why! She just tells me that Dana scares her and her other sisters! You know Missy had told me stories before about her sister Dana! One time Missy told me that Dana had went after some guy, fought him real viciously, broke his jaw in three places and broke his arm in two places after she heard that the guy tried to molest one of their triplet sisters! Dana would have never fought the guy or brake his jaw and arm if he had never tried to molest her sister! Missy tells me that Dana would jump into a fire for her sisters! Missy told me that one time there was a fire in their home town, down in Jamaica several years ago! Her three triplet sisters were at some party down there. A few hours later, a fire broke out at the place the party was held in! People started running out of the place like crazy, but there was still a few people trapped inside. Everyone had thought that one of the people who was still trapped in the fire was Londa, one of the triplets. Missy told me that Dana had come down to the place when she heard that one of the triplets was trapped in the fire! Missy told me that Dana had started going crazy and was about to go right into the burning place to save her sister. Missy told me that she and the whole crowd were trying to pull Dana back to keep her from going into the burning place but Dana was so determined to go into the burning place to save her sister! Missy then said that the fire had started getting out of control! She told me that she and everyone else in the crowd were trying with all their might to keep Dana away from the burning place, but Dana was so strong, that she kept getting closer and closer to the place. Everyone then realized that Londa wasn't in the fire and that she had made it outside safely! Missy then told me that everyone started trying to convince Dana that Londa had made it outside safely and that Londa wasn't in the fire! They showed Dana that Londa had made it outside safely! They brought Londa right in Dana's face so that Dana could see her, but Missy told me that Dana still wasn't satisfied! Missy told me that Dana had to see all three identical triplets' faces together at the same time, to be convinced that none of them were in the fire! Missy told me that everyone in the crowd went to look for the other two triplets, but couldn't find them because there was such a big crowd of people there, that it was hard to find anybody that was missing! Everyone was so desperate and determined to find the other two triplets as Dana continued to go towards the fire! Missy told me that the people in the crowd finally found one of the other triplets and brought her over to Dana, but the third triplet was still missing somewhere in the crowd. After a few minutes, people finally found the third triplet and brought her over to Dana also! Missy then told me that everyone in the crowd had to put all three identical faces together so that Dana could see all three of their faces at once, to convince her that none of them were in the fire! And Missy told me when Dana saw all three identical faces there together, everyone said a miracle happened! They said a smile finally came
on Dana's face! Everyone thought it was a miracle that she smiled because everyone say that a smile is hardly ever seen on Dana's face! I heard that Dana grabbed all three triplets and started hugging and holding on to them very tightly and would not let go of them!"
"Damn! I wish I had known all of that before!"
"Yeah, and I wish I would have told you all of this before Kathy, but I didn't think that it would have come to all of this! I wish I would have told you before, but I think it's a little too late right now. You see Kathy, you might not think that Dana should still be after you because you're not bothering Missy anymore, or that the fight you had with Missy was over two years ago. You're not bothering Missy anymore so therefore, you think that it's all over and done with, right? But in Dana's mind, it is not over! She probably couldn't wait to get out of prison just so she could come back after you!"
Kathy stares frighteningly at Raymond. Raymond then turns and walks away.
Several minutes later, the doorbell rings. Raymond goes to answer it. Two policemen are at the door. Raymond lets them in. They ask Raymond and Kathy what the problem is. Kathy tearfully and nervously tells the police, "A woman named Dana is following me again. She had followed me before a couple of months ago and now she's following me again. I first spotted her following me outside my mother's place around two miles away, which was a couple of months ago, and now she is following me again over here, where my boyfriend lives. I spotted her outside a little while ago when I had got off the bus. I had made a report of it before when I spotted her following me near my mother's place around two miles away."
"Do you have a description of this person, or do you know or remember what they were wearing?"
"I remember her wearing a dark brown leather jacket. That's the main thing I can remember." Kathy continues to give the police all the information about Dana and being followed.
The police tell Kathy, "Okay Miss, we will watch out for the area. Do you need to be escorted home?"
"Yes."
"You should go to court to get an order of protection because if the perpetrator comes within a certain feet of you, they could be arrested."
"Okay. I will go to court to get an order of protection as soon as possible."
The police then escort Kathy home.
Kathy soon arrives home and tells her mother Julie of what happened when she went to Raymond's apartment. Julie becomes hysterical and shouts, "OH MY GOD KATHY, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"
"Yeah Ma, I'm alright! I'm just shook up that's all! Raymond had called the police! Then the police came by his apartment to make a report! They had brought me home! They suggest that I should go to court to get an order of protection just in case the perpetrator comes within a certain feet of me, they can be arrested! Ma, I'm going to go to court to get an order of protection!"
"Yeah I think you should Kathy! When do you think you'll be able to go to court to get this order of protection?"
"I'm not sure yet Ma! But as soon as possible!"
"Okay Kathy! Just let me know when you're going to be able to go! I'll go with you!"
"Oh thanks Ma."
"No problem Kathy." Julie and Kathy frighteningly put their arms around each other. They hold each other very tightly. Julie agrees to go along with Kathy, fearing for Kathy's life.
Several minutes later, Kathy calls up Raymond on the telephone. Raymond picks up the telephone and says, "Hello?"
"Hi Raymond. It's me Kathy."
"Oh hi Kathy!"
"Hi. How are you?"
"The question is, how are you? So you made it home safe, huh?"
"Yeah. The police had walked me all the way to my apartment door."
"Oh that's good! I'm glad you made it home safe!"
"Yeah me too! Listen Raymond? Could you speak with Missy again when you see her tomorrow? Tell Missy that I spotted her sister Dana following me again! Tell Missy that I spotted her sister Dana following me as soon as I got off the bus and that this time, it was near your place! Tell Missy that I spotted Dana walking towards my direction real slow right on the next block! Tell Missy that it was still daylight outside and I was able to see Dana's face this time! Tell Missy that it looked like Dana was looking right at me! Tell Missy that it looked like Dana was about to follow me when I got off the bus, but then Dana stopped when she noticed that I saw her! Tell Missy that I also saw Dana wearing a dark brown leather jacket too! Ask Missy to try to find out if her sister Dana will admit that she was following me again? Tell Missy that if Dana denies following me again this time, I know that she's lying and she might have been lying the first time when I spotted a person that kind of looked like her following me near me and my mom's place."
"Okay Kathy. I will speak to Missy again in the morning when I see her."
"Thanks Raymond."
"Okay. Remember Kathy, be careful! I'll see you later."
"Okay Raymond. Bye."
"Bye." Raymond hangs up the phone and stares frighteningly into space.
The next morning, Raymond is walking inside the school hallway. He gives a swift walk as he wears his long dark blue smock. He sees Missy in the hallway and approaches her. He starts to tell Missy about Kathy's frightening situation again and says, "Missy, Kathy had spotted your sister Dana following her again!"
Missy becomes shocked and stunned as she holds her hand over her mouth.
"Yeah! Kathy had spotted your sister Dana following her as soon as she got off the city bus yesterday! This time, it was near my place! Kathy said that she spotted Dana coming towards her direction real slow right on the next block! It was still daylight outside and Kathy said she was able to see Dana's face! She said it looked like Dana was looking right at her! She had described the kind of jacket that Dana was wearing! She said that Dana was wearing a dark brown leather jacket!"
Missy shockingly puts her hand over her mouth again!
"Kathy said that it appeared as though if Dana was about to follow her! Then she said that Dana had stopped when she noticed that Kathy saw her!"
Missy is shocked and stunned again! She gets hysterical and says, "Now Raymond, I never told Dana where you live, so don't even THINK of asking me have I ever told Dana where you live, because I don't know where you live!"
"I was not going to ask you that! I know you never told Dana where I live and I know that you don't know where I live! I figured that your sister might have found out on her own somehow! Missy, could you speak with your sister Dana again? Find out if she was following Kathy yesterday? See if your sister Dana will admit to following Kathy? Tell your sister Dana that Kathy claimed she had seen her face this time and said it looked like Dana was looking right at her! Tell your sister Dana that Kathy had described the dark brown leather jacket she was wearing! Could you find out for me, please?"
"Okay Raymond. I will speak to Dana again tonight."
"Oh thanks Missy! I really appreciate this. Listen, I'll see you later, okay? I got to get ready to head to the office!"
"Okay Raymond. See you later."
"Okay." Raymond then hurries off and leaves.
Missy stares nervously into space. Then she turns around and walks away.
Later on that same evening, Raymond is at home. The phone rings. He picks it up and says, "Hello?"
Kathy on the other end of the phone says, "Hi Raymond! It's me Kathy! Well, did you speak to Missy about what happened to me? How did it go?"
"I spoke to Missy about what happened to you and she was very shocked! I told Missy that you had spotted Dana following you again. I told Missy that this time it was near my place. I told her that it was still daylight outside and you had seen Dana's face this time! I told Missy that you said it looked like Dana was looking right at you! I also told Missy the dark brown leather jacket you had described Dana wearing! I told Missy that you said it looked like Dana was about to follow you when you had got off the bus, but then Dana stopped when she noticed that you saw her! Missy says that she will mention everything to Dana and ask her about it tonight."
>
"Oh good! Thanks a lot Raymond! I really appreciate this!"
"No problem Kathy."
"Okay Raymond, I'm gonna get ready to take a shower now. I'll keep in touch."
"Okay Kathy."
"I'll see you later Raymond. I love you."
"I love you too Kathy. That's why I want you to be careful."
Kathy sadly stares into space. She then says, "I'll be careful Raymond."
"Now that's what I want to hear. Okay Kathy, I'll talk to you later."
"Okay Raymond. Bye now."
"Bye." Raymond hangs up the telephone.
The next morning, Raymond is inside the school. He is wearing his long blue smock again. He gives a swift walk through the school corridor. He sees Missy walking inside the school. She does not appear happy. Raymond approaches Missy and pulls her to the side. She does not look pleased. Raymond asks, "Are you okay Missy? You don't look too happy! What's wrong? Did you speak to your sister Dana about what I said happened to Kathy?"
Missy's eyes become filled with tears as she angrily shouts, "YES! I DID SPEAK TO DANA ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID HAPPENED TO KATHY! I TOLD DANA THAT KATHY HAD CLAIMED SHE HAD SEEN HER FOLLOWING HER AGAIN, AND THAT THIS TIME IT WAS NEAR YOUR PLACE! I TOLD DANA THAT KATHY HAD SAID SHE SAW HER RIGHT ON THE NEXT BLOCK, WALKING TOWARDS HER DIRECTION REAL SLOW! I TOLD DANA THAT KATHY SAID IT WAS STILL DAYLIGHT OUTSIDE AND THAT KATHY WAS ABLE TO SEE HER FACE THIS TIME! I TOLD DANA THAT KATHY SAID IT LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS LOOKING RIGHT AT HER! I TOLD DANA KATHY HAD DESCRIBED THE DARK BROWN LEATHER JACKET THAT SHE WAS WEARING! I TOLD DANA THAT KATHY SAID IT LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS ABOUT TO FOLLOW HER WHEN SHE GOT OFF THE CITY BUS THE OTHER DAY! I TOLD DANA ABOUT EVERYTHING WHEN SHE CAME BY MY GRANDPARENTS' HOUSE LAST NIGHT AND ASKED HER ABOUT EVERYTHING AND SHE GOT ANGRY WITH ME! SHE STARTED BLOWING UP AT ME RAYMOND! SHE TOLD ME NOT TO BOTHER HER ANYMORE WITH WHAT YOU AND KATHY WANT TO KNOW AND NOT TO EVER QUESTION HER ABOUT ANYTHING LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN! SHE GOT PRETTY ANGRY WITH ME LAST NIGHT RAYMOND! SHE STARTED GOING AROUND MY GRANDPARENTS' HOUSE BANGING AND SLAMMING THE DOORS AND EVERYTHING! I MEAN SHE HAD BANGED AND SLAMMED THE DOORS SO HARD THAT ONE OF THE DOORS BROKE RIGHT OFF ITS HINGES AND FELL RIGHT ON THE FLOOR! SHE ACTUALLY BROKE THE DOOR DOWN RAYMOND!" Raymond becomes shocked and stunned as Missy continues, "SOMEBODY IN MY FAMILY COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT! MY FATHER, MY BROTHERS AND MY UNCLES HAD TO WIND UP TRYING TO FIX THE DOOR AND THE HINGES, BUT THEY COULDN'T! THE DOOR AND THE HINGES WERE DAMAGED! NOW MY FAMILY HAVE TO WIND UP OREDERING A NEW DOOR AND A NEW SET OF HINGES! THEN MY GRANDFATHER AND MY WHOLE ENTIRE FAMILY STARTED JUMPING DOWN MY THROAT, ASKING ME WHY AM I GETTING DANA UPSET, WHY AM I GETTING DANA UPSET! THEY WERE ALL GOING AROUND THE HOUSE SAYING 'WE DON'T NEED DANA BEING UPSET RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T NEED DANA BEING UPSET!' THEY ALL TOLD ME THAT SINCE I'M THE ONE WHO CAUSED DANA TO GET ANGRY AND UPSET, I SHOULD PAY FOR THE NEW DOOR AND HINGES!" Raymond stunned looks at Missy as Missy calmly continues, "Listen Raymond, if you or Kathy want to know anything else about whether Dana is following Kathy or not, then I'm afraid that you two are just going to have to ask Dana yourselves! I'm sorry Raymond!" Missy then hurries away sobbing! Raymond watches her stunned and worried!
Later on that evening, Raymond comes by Kathy's apartment. Kathy lets him in. She says, "Hey Raymond. What's going on?"
"Listen Kathy, I spoke to Missy at the school this morning. Missy said she had tried to get through to Dana last night. She said that she had mentioned everything to Dana about her following you and that you had seen her face this time! Missy told Dana that you had seen her wearing a dark brown leather jacket! Missy said she asked Dana about everything last night, but she didn't succeed. Missy said that Dana did not admit anything to her, but instead, Dana got very angry and blew up at her! Missy was very upset in the school this morning, Kathy! Listen Kathy, even though you said you saw Dana following you with your very own two eyes, and that you had seen her face with your very own two eyes, and I believe you saw her, she is not going to admit to anything. Dana is not going to admit to anybody that she was standing around waiting for you or following you! But what person would? Kathy, I don't mean to scare you or anything like that, but if a person wants to get somebody, or is after somebody, it is not something that they're going to let everyone know about! Not even their family! It's something that they're going to keep strictly to themselves!"
Kathy frighteningly stares at Raymond.
The next morning, Missy is walking down the school corridor with a small dark skinned female student. She frustratingly holds on to the student's hand as the student angrily tries to pull away from her. Missy points her other finger at the little girl and angrily tells her, "I'm going to call up your mother and tell her about your behavior!"
Missy then hears someone shouting her name, "MISSY!" Missy stops and turns around. She sees Kathy approaching her. She is stunned to find Kathy inside the school calling her. Missy tells the small student, "Wait on the side."
The little girl goes to the side. Kathy starts to talk to Missy. She starts telling Missy everything about herself being followed by Dana. Kathy tearfully asks, "Missy, is your sister Dana ever gonna forgive me or forget about what happened to you with that fight? Missy, I know I was wrong for jumping and ganging up on you and everything, but I can't erase what happened! I can't erase what I've done! All I can say is that I'm real sorry for what I've done to you! Could you ever forgive me for what happened? Could you?"
"Yeah. I guess so."
Kathy sighs and says, "Oh thanks a lot Missy. Well could you tell your sister Dana that I'm sorry! Tell Dana that I'm sorry for everything I've done! Tell your sister Dana I'm sorry that she was sent to prison for something me and my buddies had started and did! Tell her that you've forgiven me! Maybe she will too! Could you please tell her that?"
"No Kathy. I'm sorry," Missy says. Kathy tries to grab Missy as Missy backs up and shouts, "I CAN'T! I CAN'T MENTION ANYTHING TO DANA ABOUT YOUR SITUATION ANYMORE! SHE ALREADY BLEW UP AND GOT VERY ANGRY WITH ME THE SECOND TIME I HAD MENTIONED YOUR NAME TO HER! SHE BLEW UP AT ME WHEN I QUESTIONED HER ABOUT YOU SEEING HER FOLLOWING YOU AND EVERYTHING, THEN SHE CAME RIGHT UP TO ME, LOOKED ME STRAIGHT EST THE EYE AND TOLD ME DON'T EVER BRING UP YOUR NAME TO HER AGAIN! IT'S NOTHING I CAN REALLY SAY TO DANA ABOUT YOUR SITUATION ANYMORE KATHY!"
"OH COME ON MISSY! EVERY TIME I COME AND GO, I GOT TO WATCH MY BACK AND LOOK OVER MY SHOULDERS TO SEE IF YOUR SISTER DANA IS STANDING AROUND WAITING FOR ME OR FOLLOWING ME! IT'S NOT COMFORTABLE TO LIVE LIKE THAT MISSY! ESPECIALLY KNOWING THAT TWO FRIENDS OF MINE ARE ALREADY DEAD! IT'S JUST NOT COMFORTABLE TO LIVE LIKE THAT!"
"It's really nothing I can say or do anymore Kathy! Do you want to try apologizing to Dana yourself?"
"NO! I DON'T WANT TO COME ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR SISTER!"
"No? Well would you like to speak to her on the telephone?"
"NO! NEVER MIND! FORGET IT! I'LL JUST DO WHAT I GOT TO DO THEN!"
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see! You'll see!" Kathy turns and hurries off! Missy stares at Kathy stunned and worried! Missy then goes to take the small student's hand and walks away with the child, looking back towards Kathy worriedly!
Later on that evening, Raymond comes by Kathy's apartment. He has a box in his hands. Kathy lets him inside. She is crying, sobbing and worrying! Raymond asks her, "What's wrong Kathy? What happened?"
"I WENT TO THE SCHOOL THIS MORNING TO SPEAK WITH MISSY! I TOLD MISSY TO TELL DANA THAT I AM SORRY FOR WHAT I'VE DONE! I TOLD MISSY TO TELL DANA THAT I'M SORRY THAT SHE WAS SENT TO PRISON AND EVERYTHING! I TOLD MISSY TO TELL DANA THAT I'M SORRY SO THAT DANA COULD STOP FOLLOWING ME, BUT MISSY SAYS THAT SHE WILL NOT SPEAK TO DANA ANYMORE ABOUT ME OR THE SUBJECT! SHE TOLD ME THAT DANA HAD GOTTEN VERY ANGRY WITH HER AND TOLD HER NOT TO EVER BRING UP MY NAME TO HER AGAIN! MISSY TOLD ME THAT SHE'S NOT GOING TO MENTION ANYTHING TO DANA ABOUT ME APOLOGIZING OR ANYTHING! SHE SAYS SHE'S NOT GOING TO MENTION ANYTHING ELSE TO DANAABOUT ME AT ALL!" Kathy starts to cry uncontrollably!
"Kathy, listen to me
! You got to realize something! Missy fears Dana too!" Kathy stunned looks at Raymond as he continues, "She and her other three sisters fear Dana! They don't like to push Dana's button Kathy! They don't like to get Dana upset! They know that Dana has a violent temper! They all know that!"
"Yeah?"
"Yes!"
"Well that's why I decided to go to court to get an order of protection!"
"What!"
"That's right! The first thing I'm gonna do tomorrow morning is go down to the court building so I can get an order of protection to get this mad angry woman off my back and to leave me alone!"
"Oh yeah?"
"YES!"
"Alright then Kathy, you do that." Raymond then looks around and asks, "Is your mother home yet?"
"No. Why?"
Raymond sits Kathy down on a chair. He kneels down in front of Kathy and says, "Because I brought something over here for you to carry." He puts the box that he is carrying on Kathy's lap. He opens up the box and shows Kathy a gun! Kathy gasps! She becomes hysterical! She is frightened of the gun! She shouts, "GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME! I DON'T WANT TO CARRY THAT THING," as she throws the box with the gun in it aside! The box and the gun land on the floor! Kathy and Raymond stare wide eyed at the gun, hoping that it won't go off!
Raymond then shouts, "YOU KNOW KATHY THAT GUN COULD HAVE BEEN LOADED! IT COULD HAVE WENT OFF!" Raymond then sighs, "Thank God it wasn't loaded!"
Raymond and Kathy take a few deep breaths. Raymond goes to pick up the gun and puts it back inside the box. He closes the box back up. He kneels back down in front of Kathy. He lays the box with the gun in it on the other side of the floor near Kathy. He takes another few deep breaths. He gives a firm look at Kathy and says, "Now listen to me Kathy, and listen to me very carefully, alright? Now, you said that you saw Dana following you a couple of times before, right? Okay. You said that you saw Dana following you here which is where you live, and then you said that you saw her following you near where I live, which are both two miles apart, right? And she lives several miles away from both of us! Do you know what that means? That means that Dana is following you for a reason." Kathy shockingly looks at Raymond as Raymond quickly says, "I don't think she's following you for nothing! Kathy what do you think Dana's following you for? You think she's following you because she likes to look at you, or because she likes the sight of you? You think Dana is following you to ask you for a friendly date, or a social visit? No! Dana is following you because she has something else in mind! Now Kathy, when you had decided to go gang and beat up on Missy, and bring Rose, Sandra and Derek into it, they all agreed to it, right? Okay. They all agreed to go along with you to gang up on Missy, to beat her up pretty bad and to put a bruise on her face, but Rose and Sandra already paid the price for going along and agreeing with you! Dana already choked Rose to death! Sandra is already found murdered! Do you know what that means? That means that Dana is capable of murder! You know Kathy you kept worrying about Missy hanging around me, being friends with me and all. You kept seeing Missy as a threat so you decided to go out and attack Missy with a group of your friends, but Kathy, you're not dealing with Missy anymore! You're dealing with a totally different person now! A person with a totally different personality! You're dealing with a person that will kill!" Kathy frighteningly looks at Raymond as Raymond continues, "You're dealing with a person that will kill or murder other people out of revenge or anger! You're dealing with a person that is capable of killing people out of revenge and anger and will think nothing of it! And I have a strong feeling, that Missy knows it also! Now Dana could have murdered other people that nobody else knows about! Dana seems to be a very dangerous individual if she is provoked! I don't mean she goes out and just picks people or anybody out of random and starts to harm them or anything like that, but, if a person harms her or anyone else in her family, especially any of her sisters, Dana will come after that person with violence! Most times deadly violence! I hear she fights like a one-woman army! I think she's worst than her brothers! I think she's worst than all three of her brothers put together! Now nobody knows who could have murdered Sandra because the police still don't have any witnesses nor any evidence, but, whoever had followed Sandra to her apartment door, or whoever had waited around for her to come home, or whoever could have snuck up behind her, ambushed her over the head and killed her, I have a very strong feeling, deep down inside of me, that it's the same individual that you see following you! Now Kathy the police cannot protect you all the time! They cannot watch over you and guard over you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! They'll make a few rounds around the neighborhood every so often, but Kathy, there are going to be times when you have to be alone! And I think that's what Dana is waiting for! I think that she is waiting for you to be alone because she does not want any witnesses around! Now there might had been fifty or more witnesses around when Dana had choked Rose to death! Dana might have killed Rose openly, but, she is going to make sure that there are no witnesses around this time, just like there were no witnesses around when Sandra was murdered. Now Kathy, you're gonna have to decide, which one are you more afraid of, a gun, or her. You decide." Raymond then stands up. He starts to walk away.
"OKAY," Kathy frighteningly shouts!
Raymond turns around and looks at Kathy. Kathy says in a low nervous voice, "I'll carry the gun."
"You will?"
"Yes! I'll carry it!"
Raymond becomes relieved to hear that. He goes to take the gun out of the box. Kathy frighteningly looks at it. Raymond puts the gun inside a pouch. He bends back down in front of Kathy and tells her, "Now listen to me Kathy, and listen to me good, alright? Now, I want you to be very, very careful with this gun, okay? This is not a toy, this is not something to glamorize. This is a very dangerous weapon, okay? This is only to be used to protect yourself, alright? Only use it when it is absolutely and I mean ABSOLUTELY necessary, alright? Only use it when it is a matter of life or death! Be very careful with it. Don't let anybody or anyone know that you are carrying this gun! Don't even let your mother know that you have this gun, okay? Let only you and I know that you are carrying a gun or that you are armed, okay? Keep it very hidden inside your clothes. Have it in a way that you can easily grab for it just in case you see that your life is in danger or is about to flash in front of your eyes, alright?"
"Alright Raymond. Well what about you? What are you going to carry? Aren't you going to carry some kind of protection too?"
"Me? Kathy, I don't know if Dana is after me! I'm not the one who ganged up and beat up on Missy! Like I said before Kathy, Dana does not go out and starts picking people or anybody out of random and starts harming them! You have to harm her or any of her loved ones in order for her to come after you! I guess in Dana's mind, if you harm or hurt anyone in her family, you're harming and hurting her! I've never harmed Missy or anyone in their family." Raymond then stands back up. He starts to walk away. Kathy's teary eyes frighteningly stare at him.
Chapter 14
Kathy Gets An Order of Protection
