The Revenge Diaries is on  hiatus for the holidays.  The new post will be up on January 5th.  Until then my revengers!

XOXO!

Entry #11: Taking a Step Away from the Edge, Part 2

AALIYAH JASMINDA

I was sitting in the family room face to face with another victim by the name of Cassandra.  I don't know how she found out the address to Geoffrey's house but I guessed once she found out his real name she had done some research of her own.  This really put a hitch in the plans that Omar and I had.  She came out of nowhere ringing the doorbell like a mad woman.  I made Terry go downstairs and sit in the family room so that I could keep my eyes on her because I had to answer the door when Cassandra started banging on it just to avoid any attention from the neighbors.  When I opened the door, she stared at me as if she didn't know what to do next.   I immediately recognized her from the photos that Omar had of the other victims.

"Cassandra?"  I asked.

She seemed stunned that I knew her name.  I then grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside of the house. 

"What the hell are you doing here?"  I asked.

Again, she still seemed stunned.  It appeared that I had caught her off guard.  She finally got her bearings together and managed to speak.  "How do you know my name and who are you?  Are you Geoffrey's wife?"

I led her to the family room and pointed to Terry.  "No, she is.  Again, what are you doing here?"

"To tell you the truth, I didn't even know he was married until some guy named Smith said that Jason, I mean Geoffrey had a wife.  So I got on the internet and found this address and figured I had nothing to lose if I told the wife what was going on.  Now who are you again?"

"I never said who I was and all you need to know is that I am taking care of the situation.  You need to get out of here now," I said. 

"I'm not going anywhere until I tell his wife what has been going on," Cassandra stated.

"You think she doesn't already know?  Look, I've got this, you need to go."

Cassandra then looked around and then her eyes landed on the broken vase on the floor.  "Really?  From the looks of things, it seems as if some things got out of control." 

It was right then and there I realized that I was not going to get this crazy chick out of the house as she was not budging.  I then picked up the phone, called Omar and told him that we had a situation and that he needed to come back to the house.

"Cassandra, did you get your money back?"  I asked.

"Yes," she replied. 

"Then what else do you want?  Clearly the matter is being handled," I needed to get her out of there.  I didn't need to run the risk of someone else knowing what Omar and I were up to.

Cassandra then started walking around the family room looking at the photos of Geoffrey and his family on the walls and on the mantle.  She picked up a frame of a photo that appeared to be from a professional photo shoot.  She rubbed her fingers across the frame and then out of nowhere flung it across the room.  A flicker of anger and rage came across her face but then she quickly regained her composure.  This chick without a doubt was cookoo for coco puffs.  It was clear and apparent that she was actually in love with Geoffrey.  Great.   A woman scorned was never a good thing.

I walked over to Cassandra and stood in front of her.  "I know," I said.  "You're hurt, you're angry.  You don't know if you are angrier at yourself for falling for him and his con or angry that you saw that something wasn't right all along.  You're mad that you didn't follow the feeling that you had in your gut that was nagging at you all along that you chose to ignore.  You feel betrayed, I get it, but this is not the way to handle it."

The anger and rage returned to Cassandra's face.  "I don't think that angry even begins to describe how I am feeling.  This bastard was in my bed and he has a family.  He has a child.  He didn't even acknowledge having a son.  Who does that?" At this point, Cassandra was yelling.  I looked at my watch as it was feeling like an eternity for Omar to get there.

Terry then spoke up.  "How do you think I feel?" she asked.  "This was supposed to be a simple scam, sleeping with other women was not a part of the deal." 

I placed my hands on my head and began rubbing my temple because I knew what was about to happen next.  Cassandra stood there and stared at Terry.  I watched Cassandra as it began to slowly sink in. 

"So you mean to tell me that you were in on the scam?"  Cassandra asked Terry.  I could see the rage growing by the second.  Before I knew it, Cassandra's hands were around Terry's neck and the two of them were rolling around on the ground.  I then lifted my hand gun and cocked it. 

"I suggest that the two of you stop," I said calmly.   Cassandra looked at me and her eyes widened as she acknowledged the gun and let go of Terry's hair.  "Are we serious right now?  Are the two of you sitting here fighting over this man when all of us are victims?"

I nodded over to the couch as I looked at Cassandra.  "Sit down.  I told you to leave and you couldn't just listen. "  At that moment I heard the garage door open.  Shortly thereafter, Omar entered the family room. 

He looked at the three of us and then said, "Oh hell nah!  What the hell are you doing here Cassandra?"

Before she could answer I said, "I told you that we had a situation.  I tried to get her to leave but she wouldn't and now she knows that the wife was in on the scam. "  My head started pounding.  This whole situation was getting out of control.  I couldn't think straight anymore.

Cassandra looked frightened.  I was beginning to think that she had some serious issues below the surface.  Her mood swings seemed off the chart. 

Omar walked over to Cassandra and said,  "I think you are way in over your head Cassandra.  You have no business here and you are going to leave and make no mention of what you saw here tonight.  If you do, there are consequences that you will have to face."

Cassandra then glared at Omar.  "I am the one who has been violated," she said through clenched teeth.  "These people cannot get away with this." 

"Why do you think we are here Cassandra?"  I asked.  "We are trying to right the wrongs done by these people.  You got your money back didn't you?  Look, the less you know about what's going on here, the better off you are."

The next thing that I knew, Cassandra slid down to the floor and began crying.  She balled her hands 

into a fist and banged them against her calves.  Omar and I looked at each other and exchanged glances.  We had a nut case on our hands.  Cassandra hugged her knees to her chest and began rocking back and forth.  I pulled Omar to the side and said, "Omar we have got to get her out of here.  She is about to blow a gasket and lose it."

Before Omar could respond, Cassandra started mumbling about how she was tired of men hurting her and how she was tired of being used.  Her voice carried anger that seemed to be deeply rooted.  Omar began to walk towards her and I lightly touched his arm and shook my head no.  This required a woman's touch.  I walked over to Cassandra and sat down next to her. 

"You know, I get where you are coming from and I really don't blame you," I said softly.  "You're human and you have feelings and it hurts to be taken for granted.  No one deserves that kind of treatment but it is in moments like this you have to take the hurt and the pain and turn it into something positive.  Moving forward, you will never make the same mistake again.  You now know how important it is to learn as much as you can about a person before you let them into the inner parts of your heart. " I paused.

Cassandra lifted her head and looked at me.  Her make-up was smeared all over her face due to her tears.  I then continued.  "I know you want to take revenge out on every last man who ever hurt your heart, but trust me, it's not worth it.  Look around, you have nothing to gain.  You have two people here who are going to handle this for you.  I promise you, these two will get their just desserts but you have to let us do our jobs.  You need to keep your name out of this if not, you run the risk of being an accessory.  Let me ask you this, do you have any kids?"

Cassandra nodded.  Clearly still too choked up to speak.  "Well think about them.  You can't afford to get yourself into any trouble for their sake."  I then looked up at Omar who in turn walked over and held his hand out to Cassandra to help her stand up.  Cassandra hesitated and then reached out and took his hand.  I looked over at Terry who looked relieved that I managed to talk Cassandra off of the ledge. 

"So what happens now?"  Cassandra asked. 

"You go home, hug your kids and you forget that you ever met us,"  I replied.

"Where is Geoffrey?"  Cassandra asked.

"Don't worry," Omar said.  "You will never hear from him again.  I can ensure that."

Cassandra looked around and her eyes landed on Terry.  Omar and I both braced ourselves because this chick was visibly unstable.  "The only reason I'm not going ape shit on your ass is because this lady here has a point.  I have my kids to think about.  I hope you suffer from whatever they have in store for you.  You and your rat bastard of a husband deserve everything coming your way."  With that said Cassandra turned back to us and said, "Thank you."  She then headed to the door and left.

I must have stopped breathing because I felt myself taking a really deep breath.  "That was intense," I said to no one in particular.  I turned my attention to Terry.  "Go get your packed bags and your son, we need to leave."

"Where are we going?"  Terry asked.

"That's not pertinent information right now.  You'll know when you get there."  I turned to Omar.  "You can help her with her things."  As the two of them went upstairs, I sat down on the couch.  This whole revenge thing was getting out of control and it needed to come to an end.  I was beginning to wonder if seeking revenge was even worth it anymore.  What was to stop some other crazy shit from happening?  I was getting tired as it was a long day and an even longer night.  It was the wee hour of the morning and like a car driving around all day, my body was on empty.  I felt like I had no more fight left in me. 

I stood up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen table and turned on the laptop.  I needed to get Terry and her son out of town for a while.  Omar and I still had to deal with Geoffrey and get him situated.  Up to this point I had no idea where Geoffrey was but I wanted to make sure that I personally had the last word.  I went to one of those cheap bus websites and purchased two one way tickets to Albany, Georgia.  I remembered from my research that Terry's mother lived there.  If it wasn't for the little boy, Terry would have been wherever Geoffrey was.  That was for sure.  But the child was innocent and needed to be shielded from his parents' transgressions.

A few minutes later, Omar, Terry and the little boy came downstairs.  Omar was carrying the child as he was still sleeping.  Terry looked nervous.

"No need to look like that," I said.  "We are not going to kill you.  You are going to go to Albany to stay with your mother for awhile.  I have purchased two one way bus tickets so that is where you will go.  We will drive you to the bus station but you cannot come back here until I say it is okay." 

"But what about my business?"   Terry asked.

I laughed.  "Are you serious?   You said it yourself that business had not been that great.  Do I look like I was born yesterday?  The only income you had coming in was from the scam.  It looks like you may have to find a real job because as you know, your bank account has been drained.  You're lucky that I even paid for your bus fare.  The only reason I am being so generous is because of your son.  By the way, if you come back before I say it's okay, you are going to regret it, I can promise you that.  Plus we need to go before some other crazy chick shows up."

I motioned for Omar to go into the garage and then looked at Terry.  "Take one last look around as it will be awhile before you come back here anytime soon."

Omar had secured the boy into his car seat and Terry slid into the back.  I pressed the garage door opener and saw that there was car in the driveway.  Omar walked over to the entrance of the garage door to get a closer look at who was inside of the car.

"Omar, who is that?"  I asked as I walked towards him.  The person then got out of the car.  It was Cassandra. 

"Shit," I whispered to Omar.  "I thought she left."

As Cassandra approached us, she had a crazy looking smile on her face. 

"Cassandra is everything okay?"  I asked.

"Well, we have some unfinished business to discuss," Cassandra replied.

Omar and I looked at each other knowingly.  This Cassandra was throwing a monkey wrench into our plans and I had no clue how to deal with crazy.

"I want in on whatever you two are doing or I go rogue and handle things my way."

I placed my hand on my forehead, if I thought my day was long, my night was about to get longer.  Omar and I needed to get rid of Cassandra quick, fast and in a hurry, if not, everything we have done thus far would have been for nothing.  I was deep in thought on what to do next when suddenly Cassandra dashed back to her car and opened the trunk taking out a baseball bat.  She tapped it on the ground and then walked back towards us.  "I'm tired of waiting for you to answer."  Cassandra lifted the bat and was about to slam it into one of the car windows when Omar grabbed the bat from her hand. 

"Okay, you're in," he said.  I looked at Omar as if he had lost his mind.  He shot me a look that said he could handle it.  Before Cassandra had time to react, Omar swiftly wrapped his arm around Cassandra into a sleeper hold until she passed out.  He then quickly picked her up and brought her inside of the house and then came back out into the garage. 

"Omar what the hell?"

"Get in the car," Omar said.

"But..."   

"Get in the car!" Omar yelled this time.

Omar rarely ever yelled.  I didn't know what was racing through his mind but all I knew was for me, shit just got real and there was no turning back......

©All original content copyright Kim M. Washington, 2012-2013

Entry #11 is coming soon!

Hello my revengers!  Slight change in the next post....It won't be up until November 10th. My apologies but you deserve nothing but the best.  If I give you what I have now, I will feel as if I let you down and I refuse to do that.  Stay tuned..... Xoxo

Entry# 10: Taking a Step Away from the Edge Part 1.....

OMAR

AJ said that she didn't care what happened to Ol' boy.  Well I did.  Not in the way that you think.  It was time to go back to what was supposed to be the original plan.   I had managed to track down five of the women he had screwed over and told them that I was able to get their money back but not their valuables.  I explained to them what happened to AJ and how we planned to turn him in to the authorities, but I needed their help to make sure that he got put away for a long time.  Well, that was before AJ had gone rouge.   I had rented a motel room about an hour away from his house and the women were going to meet me there so that I not only would I give them their money back,  they would also get some type of closure in this situation.  They weren't scheduled to come for another hour so it gave me just enough time to prepare for their arrival.

As I drove, I began to wonder what in the hell AJ saw in this dude.  He smelled like a loser never mind the fact that he carried himself like one.  I shook my head.  She sure knew how to pick them.  I have told AJ time and time again the right one will come along.  Knowing her she will be done with on-line dating for good.  Just then I heard a thumping noise coming from the trunk.  I tried to ignore it but it wouldn't stop.  I looked around to make sure that no other cars were headed my way and pulled over to the side of the road.  I got out of the car and popped the trunk open.  Ol' boy looked at me and screamed, "I gotta piss man!"

"I thought you pissed on yourself already?"  I asked as I looked the dude in the eyes.   They were looking shiftier than usual.  Just then, he swung his head as if to head butt me but misjudged the distance between us and fell out of the trunk.  I shook my head while I laughed. 

"Damn you are stupid,"  I kicked him in the gut and then grabbed him.  "Get your ass back in the trunk.  I'm ready to be done with this shit."  I shoved him into the trunk and slammed the lid shut.  I jumped back into the driver's seat and looked at my GPS.  The motel was about 10 miles away.  I don't know what he thought he was going to accomplish by trying to head butt me but clearly he didn't think his little plan all the way through.  I was ready to finalize this situation as it was a long and exhausting day.  AJ certainly didn't make it any easier for me but I couldn't just leave my girl hanging.

I drove into the motel parking lot and pulled up in front of the door of the room that I had reserved.  Whenever I had a job that required such a place, I used this motel because there weren't any security cameras which was perfect.  The manager and I had an understanding.  I paid in cash, he asked no questions and as far as he was concerned, I did not exist.  I looked around to make sure no one was outside and looked at the windows where most of the rooms appeared to be dark.  I popped the trunk and grabbled ol' boy and quickly headed to the room.  I opened the door and switched on the lights. 

"What the fuck?" He asked.  Dude was referring to the video camera staged in front of a chair. 

I shoved him in the chair and said "Sit your ass down and shut the hell up."  My head was still pounding and I really didn't want to hear his mouth at the moment.  I walked over to the closet and pulled out a duffel bag and dumped the contents on the bed.  It was stacks of cash and medical supplies.  Ol' boys eyes got really big. 

"I bet you still are wondering what happened to the money in your bank account?"  I laughed at the expression on his face.

"How did you..." Dude started to talk and I cut him off.

"It doesn't matter.  The fact is that you don't have the money anymore and it's going back where it belongs."   Again, ol' boy looked confused. 

I went into the bathroom and grabbed some washcloths and towels.  I opened a bottle of rubbing alcohol and poured some on the wash cloth.  I needed to clean up the dude's face cuz it was bloody as hell and I needed him to be easily identified.  I walked over to ol' boy and grabbed him by the chin.

"What are you about to do with that?"  He asked.

I responded by placing the soaked wash cloth on his face and wiped away the blood from the cuts he had.  Dude hollered.  I laughed.  I knew that the rubbing alcohol was going to sting like hell.  I continued to wipe away the sweat and blood from his face until it was all gone.  His face was still slightly swollen but I really didn't care.  He was still recognizable.

"You gotta look pretty for the camera," I said sarcastically.

"What kind of sick shit is this?"  He asked.

Just then there was a knock at the door.  I looked at my watch.  No one was supposed to show up for another 15 minutes.  I pulled out my gun and kept it trained on the dude in case he decided to do something stupid again as I walked over to the door.  I looked into the peep hole and saw that it was one of the five women I had contacted.  I swung the door open.  The brother may have been dumb or maybe his wife was even dumber but at least they had good taste in women as Cassandra was very attractive.

The woman looked somewhat nervous.  "Hi, I'm Cassandra, are you Smith?"  I nodded my head yes and motioned for her to come inside.  I gave the women one of my aliases.  The less they knew about me, the better.  I closed the door and watched ol' boy look as if he was going to piss in his pants again.  Cassandra looked at me as if to ask what happened to him.

"Do you have the list that I asked you to write?"  Cassandra nodded as she pulled the list out of her pocket and handed it to me.  At the very top of the list was the amount of two thousand dollars.  I walked over to the bed and counted the money out and then handed it to her.  I walked over to the video camera and turned it on.  I pulled out my pocket knife and walked over to the dude.  His eyes got really big when he saw the knife.

"Calm down," I said.  "I'm going to cut the zip tie off of your wrists.  One funny move and I'll break them."

I cut the zip ties off and in one swift move, I zip tied his legs to the chair.  The plan was to have him confess all that he stole from these women but I couldn't have him looking like he was forced to do it.  It was AJ's insurance policy should she ever need it in the future.  I took the piece of paper that Cassandra gave to me and handed it to ol' boy.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"  He asked.

While looking at Cassandra, I said, "Confess.  You are going to start from the beginning and tell the whole story as to how you conned these women into giving you money.  How you stole their credit card information and went on shopping sprees.  You are going to talk about your whole operation and I am going to record it.  You see, you are going to reap what you sow and look into the faces of women you have conned.  You are going to wish you never even thought about this idea of yours and it will all be recorded. Act a fool in the future and I promise you this video will come back to haunt you."

Cassandra cleared her throat.  "I really just wanted my money back.   I don't want any trouble I just want to walk away from this whole nightmare."

My instincts told me that the dude knew where Cassandra lived.  "Cassandra, you don't have to worry about hearing from or seeing this dude ever again in life.  I promise you that he will never contact you again.  He knows what will happen if he does."

"Okay, as soon as he is done confessing, I'm gone," she said.

I walked over to the camera and zoomed in on his face.  Right before I hit the record button gave him his instructions.  He had to state his name, date of birth and home address.  He had to talk about the scam that he created, how he conned Cassandra and ran up her credit cards and conned her out of her money.  When he was done, I stopped the camera.

"You can tell that he has no remorse for his actions," Cassandra observed.

"Of course he doesn't.  At least not for what he did.  He is sorry that he got caught though."  I turned to ol' boy.  "I noticed that you didn't mention your wife."

"Wife?"  Cassandra asked.  She then turned to the dude.  "You have a wife?" 

She began walking closer to him.  I braced myself in case I had to step in.  She then spat in his face and then slapped him.  I saw ol' boys fist ball up as if he was going to lunge at Cassandra.  I quickly stepped in between them and shot him a look that said, I wish you would.

"I think you are right, you should go," I said.

Just then there was another knock at the door.  I walked over and look through the peep hole and saw four other women standing outside.  I opened the door and ushered them in.  Before I could even get a word in, Cassandra spoke up.

"He has a wife.  He conned us and has the nerve to be married!"  She said.  The four women looked at each other and then looked at ol' boy.  Right then and there I knew this was not going to be pretty.  At least not for him anyway.  The next thing I knew, all five women were surrounding ol' boy.  The tall thick sister named Jeanetta shoved him so hard that he fell over with the chair onto the floor.  I shook my head because the confession idea had gone out of the window.  One by one the women had their say and I finally intervened and asked them for their lists.  I divided the money into the amounts that was stolen from them and then stepped into the middle of the circle they had formed around ol' boy.

"Ladies," I said has I handed them back their money.   "I think that we are done here for tonight.  Here is your money.   I promise that you will never hear from this dude ever again.  Before I could stop her, Jeanetta punched ol' boy in the face and kicked him in his shins before she finally left the room.  Once the women left, I had to move onto plan C. I shook my head because these damn women kept letting their emotions get in the way. 

I put the zip ties back on ol' boy's wrists and lead him to the car to his usual seat.  I popped the trunk and without hesitation he jumped right back in.  I smirked at his reaction.  He knew the deal.  I sat down in the driver seat of the car and rubbed my temple.  AJ said that she didn't care what happened to him and I didn't either.    He was beat up pretty bad and I knew that he was hanging on by a thread at this point.  Between me and the women, I don't know who put a hurtin' on him more. 

I decided trying to move forward with turning him in was never going to work.  I didn't want to risk AJ  getting into trouble.  I then remembered that there was an abandoned farmhouse about twenty miles from the hotel.  Until I decided how this was going to end, I was going to need to leave ol' boy there.  It was a snake and rat infested building, and ol' boy deserved nothing but the best.   I started the car and drove straight to the farmhouse.  It was dark so I left my headlights on when I got out of the car.  I popped open the trunk and turned on the flashlight I had in the back of the car.  Ol' boy finally had passed out.   This was not the best scenario as he was now dead weight I now had to carry but I had no choice.  I hoisted him over my shoulder and walked to the old tattered door of the farmhouse.
 
I kicked the door open and surveyed the room with my flashlight.  I saw few rats scurrying around and then spotted a chair.  I sat the dude in the chair and left him there.  I decided to come back in the morning.  His hands were tied so he wasn't going anywhere and even if he did, he wouldn't go far.  I didn't want to kill ol' boy because technically, he didn't do any physical harm to anyone so there was no need to go to that extreme.

As I walked back to the car, I acknowledged that he had been tortured enough.  It was right then and there I decided that I was done.  I grabbed a bottle of water and headed back to the farmhouse.  I poured the water on ol' boys face and slapped him around until he woke up.  He squinted as I shined the flashlight in his face.

"Wake up," I said. 

"Where am I?"  he asked groggily. 

"That's for you to figure out.  The road ends here for me."  I took the flash light and pointed it upward on my face.  "You see my face?   If you never want to see it again, then make sure you do not contact AJ or any of those other women ever again.  If I even sense that you are thinking about scamming women or that you are thinking of pay back for AJ, you won't even be alive to regret it.  Am I making myself clear?"

He nodded.  "Remember, I know about your whole family and I know where your mother and brother live and I will know every movement you and your wife will make moving forward.  I will know when you are going to take a shit before you do.  So don't try me."

I began walking away when he called after me.

"Ay man!  Where you goin'?  You just gon' leav me here?"

"Fuck you and find your own way home."  I continued walking and headed to the car.   It was at that 

moment that my headache started to subside.  My work was done.  I knew that it was going to be days before he would be able to get back to society.  He had no way of contacting anyone to come and get him.  I didn't give two shits what happened to him next.  I knew that he would not be a problem in the future.  He was a punk as bitch who was too scared to even tell his wife the truth about what went on with him and these women in the bedroom.   As I was driving home, I was about to call AJ when the phone rang. 

"What up?"  I answered.

"I need you to meet me back at the house," AJ responded.

"You're still at the house?"  I asked.

"Yeah, I need your help.  I have a situation."

"I'm on my way."  I didn't bother to ask what the situation was.  It didn't' matter.  It was clear that this whole ordeal was still not over...... 

Entry# 9: No Turning Back

OMAR

My head was pounding.  I reached into my jacket pocket and took a packet of BC powder and ingested it dry.  I sat down at the kitchen table as I rubbed my temple.  AJ clearly had lost her mind and now created a mess that I had to clean up.  She's lucky I have love for her because my services do not come cheap.  AJ began to explain how she had sent the package that was sitting on the kitchen table while I went through the contents in the box.  I picked up the letter that she wrote and tossed it back onto the table.  No sense in reading it cuz we were already in deep shit.  Apparently the wife was in on the scam.  My head throbbed.  When AJ stopped talking, I turned to her and saw that she realized that she was way in over her head.

"AJ, what is the most important rule of revenge?  I told you time and time again that you have to be prepared for the unexpected.  Instead you went rouge followed your emotions with no clue as to how your shenanigans were going to play out," I said as shook my head.  I got up from the table and walked over to ol' boys wife.  She was holding onto her fingers and seemed to be grimacing in pain.

I looked at AJ.  "Damn girl what did you do?"

"Hell she was trying to choke me I had to get her off of me, it's your fault you taught me that move in the first place," AJ responded.

"Get her some ice, her fingers are swollen," I directed AJ.  Even though the wife deserved it, there was no sense in making her suffer any further.

I sat down on the couch across from the wife.  "Where's your son?"  I asked.

"He's upstairs, leave him out of this please!" she pleaded.

"You ain't got to worry about that.  AJ go check on the kid."

"Shit, I promised him some cookies,"  AJ said as she started going through the kitchen cabinets.  She located a box of cookies, grabbed a napkin and headed upstairs.    I needed to talk to the wife alone.  AJ messed things up enough and I needed to do some damage control.

I turned back to the wife.  "What's your deal?"

She looked confused.  "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you are married to a criminal and you willingly participated in this scam and you have a little boy to think about. What made you think that you would never get caught?"  I asked.

"I knew about it to a certain extent.  I didn't think he was out there fucking bitches," she said as she turned her head towards the window.  She laughed and shrugged her shoulders.  "I should have known that it was more than spending time with lonely women in order to get close to them and then rob them.  I feel real stupid right about now."  She turned back towards me and looked me in the eyes.   One thing about the eyes, it's not hard to tell what someone is thinking.  Out of all of the emotions in the world, this woman's eyes were filled with regret and pain.  "So what now?"  She asked.

I rubbed my hand across my head.  I felt like this chick was trying to play me.  Women know how to play a man to get his guard down.   I don't play that shit.  Your emotions will get you killed.

"You tell me.  I'm sitting here in your house filled with a lot of what I am assuming is stolen goods.  What do you want to happen next?"

The woman looked bewildered.  She didn't realize that I was getting her to let her guard down. 

"Somehow I get the feeling that you are not going to turn us into the cops."

She was right.  I couldn't do that because that meant that I would have to explain how we ended up at the house of the people who AJ would have pressed charges against.  Then she looked as if a light bulb went off in her head.  "Where's my husband?" She asked.

I didn't answer her.  I stood up and motioned for her to go into the kitchen.  She hesitated.  I pulled out my taser and without thinking twice again, she got up.  I led her to the garage and walked over to my car and popped the trunk open.  The wife gasped at the sight of her husband's swollen face.   I grabbed ol' boy and yanked him out of the car and pushed him towards the door to the kitchen.  "Get inside,"  I said to the both of them.  The wife seemed to be in shock but she suddenly snapped out of it and grabbed one of those oversized a ceramic mugs from the kitchen counter and smashed it against ol' boys head.  He fell to the ground as the mug shattered and she jumped on top of him.  My first instinct was to pull her off of him but I decided to let the scene play its self out.

While pounding on the dude she began yelling and screaming.  "You son of a bitch!  Got damn rat bastard!  You were out there fucking these bitches?  How could you?  This was supposed to be easy money!  A flawless plan.   We weren't supposed to get caught you dumb ass motherfucker!  How the hell could you have messed up this badly?"  She jumped up off of him and then kicked him in the side.  She then bent over him.

"What are we supposed to do now?  Huh? Do you realize that your ass can go back to jail? I'm not going anywhere.  I have your nappy headed son that I need to raise.  You were supposed to make sure that my name never ever came up!"

Ol' boy looked up at his wife.  He managed to drag himself enough to sit up and lean against the fridge.  He then shifted his weight and grimaced in pain.  "Ter I don't know what these people told you but I ain't do none of that shit.  I only spent time with these chicks."

I shook my head.  Ol' boy was really stupid.  He clearly was going to keep this lie up to the bitter end.

"Then how this bitch know about your tattoo and birthmark?" the wife asked.  Just then AJ appeared in the kitchen.

"Yeah?" AJ asked.  "Answer the question.  Go ahead tell her!"

"My son," the wife said.

"He's fine.  He fell asleep, he'll be fine.  Go ahead Geoffrey.  Tell her how I know about the tattoo and the birthmark."

The wife looked at ol' boy.  Suddenly I saw a very large wet mark appearing on the crotch area of his pants.  "Ain't this some shit," I said.  "Dude just pissed on himself."  I started laughing so hard I had to grab the edge of the kitchen table to balance myself.  AJ started cracking up as she walked over to him.  She stooped beside him.

"What's the matter?  That's not happiness to see me,"  AJ said.  "We should leave your ass right here and make you stew in your own piss for a few days.  Bet you won't be scamming another woman after all of this."

"What do you want from me?" Ol' boy said through clenched teeth.  Dude was trying to stay hard core while sitting in his own piss.  I shook my head.

AJ nudged his head with the gun.  "Well, no sense in asking for my stuff back.  I'm sure that it's sitting in a pawn shop somewhere.  We could go get it but then how do I account for your bruised face?"  AJ scratched the side of her head.  "I don't suppose you have my money?  You know, you are so pitiful.  Omar is right.  You are a punk ass bitch.  You can't even man up and tell your wife the truth."  AJ then turned to the wife.  "I suggest you go and get yourself tested.  Who knows where else his thang has been."  She then stood up and looked at me as if to say, "So what happens next?"

"We're not calling the cops," I stated.

AJ looked taken aback.  "Why the hell not?" She asked.

"Look around AJ," that's all I said.  About a minute went by and the look of comprehension finally overcame her face. 

She kicked ol' boy and said, "Get up."  She looked at the wife and nodded her head towards the kitchen table.   "Have a seat.  The both of you."  AJ began pacing across the linoleum kitchen floor. 

"This was supposed to be a simple confrontation and now the two have you have made it a real sticky situation.  Since we are not calling the cops, here is how this is going to go down.  Geoffrey, you are going to go with Omar. "  She then looked at me and said, "I don't give two shits what happens to him, I just want him out of here.  I trust that you will make him pay."

"As for you," she said as she turned to Terry.  "You and I are going to have a little chat."

"Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"Don't worry Omar, I got this.  I'll be fine I won't hurt her.  Well not again anyway."

I took my cue and grabbed ol' boy by the arm.  "Let's go," I said and shoved him into the garage. 

As I popped the trunk open, I heard ol' boy pleaded for me to not put him in the trunk.  By the time I flicked the switch on my taser, he jumped into the trunk.  I slammed the lid shut, got into the driver seat.  It was going to take about an hour to get to where we were going.  I plotted the route in my GPS and pulled out of the garage.  I still was toying around with what would happen next.  All I knew was that by the time I was done, ol' boy was going to be shitting in his pants.

AALIYAH JASMINDA

Once the door closed, I turned to Terry.  She sat at the kitchen table looking like a woman scorned.  I
couldn't help but feel sorry for her.  It was almost as if we somehow switched places but we really didn't. We were both victims of a different kind.  I suddenly felt the need to understand why she went along with this scam in the first place.  I sat down against the kitchen table and said, "How did you get here?"

"Where?" She asked.

"I mean how did you end up here?  Running scams?"

Terry sighed as tears rolled down her face.  "Hell I don't even know."  She threw her hands up in the air and then grimaced at the pain in her fingers.  She laid her hands on the kitchen table and sighed.

"Fine.  A few years ago I had met Geoffrey at a club.  We had this instant connection.  We were spending a lot of time together and I fell hard for him quickly.  I knew he had a criminal past but I didn't care.  I loved him.  That's all that mattered to me.  The fact that I had someone who loved me was more important to me than anything else in the world and that is why I married him.  From time to time he would run a credit card scam and we would go shopping and buy things that we normally couldn't afford.  I mean, truth be told, we wasn't hurting anybody.  The credit card companies were going to refund the cards back anyway so to us, it was like free money.  As long as we kept the amounts small, it kept the risk of getting caught low."  Terry paused and then shifted in the chair.

"The plan was to run this scam until my cleaning business was up and running full-time.  It was something that I was doing part-time until I had enough clients to work on the business full time.  The money was good enough to keep us afloat but then I found out that I was pregnant.  The money that I was bringing in was not enough to support Geoffrey, myself never mind a baby.  With Geoffrey's criminal history, it was a challenge for him to find a job and he was desperate to find a way to provide for his child.  He then came up with the idea of working alongside me so that we could perhaps cut the work time in half and acquire more clients.  About one or two months into it, I found out that Geoffrey was lifting the numbers off of the credit cards of some of my clients.  He would take a picture of the front and back so that the card never appeared to be missing from the wallet.  Again, no harm right?  They would have had the money refunded to their cards anyway.   So I figured that if it didn't matter to them it shouldn't matter to me, so I went along with it. "  Terry paused again and shifted the ice pack on her fingers.

"When the recession hit, clients were dropping like flies.  Their houses were going into foreclosure; they were losing their jobs, which meant I was losing income.   Amazingly enough, no one ever seemed to suspect that we were behind the mysterious charges on their credit cards.  By this point, I had given birth to our son and money was very tight.  One night Geoffrey approached me with the idea of scamming women out of their money.  Of course as a man he didn't want me scamming men, he simply would not be able to handle it even though it was just a job.  So I gave him the idea of creating online profiles and it was as if we hit a gold mind.  Who would have thought there were so many desperate women who would have fallen for the story about his mother dying and needing money to help pay for funeral expenses."

"Damn shame, ya'll killed his own mother," I said.

"We had to sell it," Terry looked away.  "The more sympathy we created the more money and things we could get out of them.  I weeded through hundreds of profiles everyday and selected the targets.  They were exchanging emails with me and I would make the arrangements for them to meet.   As long as Geoffrey used a fake name, the women really couldn't report him to the police.  By the time they realized their credit cards had racked up a ton of charges and that their belongings were stolen, Geoffrey was long gone and moved onto another chick.  This scam has been working for us for the past two years and we never thought that we would get caught."

I rolled my eyes.   "Clearly you never heard of the saying that whatever is in the dark will eventually come to light."  I shook my head.  "I have to ask, just out of curiosity, how did you function the times Geoffrey was in jail for credit card fraud?"  I asked. Terry looked surprised. "Oh you can take that look of your face.  Once I found out his real name, I did my research."

"We never spent cash if we didn't have to.  We would use the credit cards to buy gift cards for later use and max out the credit card as quickly as we could before the women reported the charges. We would pawn the items out of state just to be safe.  So whatever cash we got out of the scam held me down until Geoffrey was released.  We figured as long as we stayed under $1,000 on each purchase, the penalty for getting caught would be minimal and his jail time would not be for a long period of time."

"Well now we know why we couldn't find any criminal info about you.  He kept you out of the so called lime light.  That way if he got caught, you could play dumb and say you didn't know. "

"I had my son to think about,"  Terry said.

"Well you should have thought about that before you decided to scam people."

"I'm sorry that I even got involved in this mess."

"Now are you sorry for the countless damage you have caused or are sorry that you got caught?"  I asked.

"Truth be told, I'm sorry I came up with the idea to scam lonely women.  I practically gave Geoffrey permission to cheat on me."

At that moment, I wasn't sure which direction to go in.  Do I help this woman get a clean start?  Give her a chance to leave this life behind?  Fight now pray later?  All I knew at the time was that this saga had to come to an end.  I knew for sure that it wasn't going to end well for Geoffrey and quite frankly that was not my problem.  As far as I was concerned, one must reap what they sow.  One thing I knew for sure, Omar was not going to tell me what happened after he and Geoffrey left the house.   I looked over at Terry.  She began sobbing quietly.  I didn't know what to do.  For all I knew, this woman was trying to get my defenses down.  So I just sat there and looked at her while holding onto my pistol and waited for her to say something.

Finally she asked, "So what happens now?"

"Well, I could make you disappear and make it so that you never saw your son again.  But I won't.  He may not have a father after tonight."

Terry looked at me in horror.  I smirked.  "What did you think Omar and I were running?  A Mickey Mouse operation?  You and your husband crossed the wrong person.  For every action there is a reaction so brace yourself."  I got up from the kitchen table and began pacing.  "Here's the deal, I don't care what you need to do but I want my money back."

"I can't do that," Terry said.

"I thought that you said that my money was upstairs?" I asked.

"Clearly I was lying, I was trying to get to my son."

 Then it suddenly hit me.  Omar had taken out all of the money from the bank account.  "So where is it?"

"I don't know," Terry said in a frustrated manner.  "Geoffrey said that the money in the account was gone but he never explained why."

I quickly switched the subject.  "Do you own this house?"

Terry looked puzzled.  "No."

"I want you to get up and pack a bag for you and your son."

Again Terry looked puzzled.  "Let's go," I said.  "Let's get to it."

"Where are we going?"  She asked.

"For a little drive.  Get your ass up and get to packing!"

Terry got up and I followed her upstairs.  I myself was still trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do.  All I knew in that moment was that I never wanted to see this bitch's face ever again. 

©All original content copyright Kim M. Washington, 2012-2013

Entry# 8 - The Digging of the Second Grave.....

Dear Diary -

Confucius the Chinese philosopher once said that when you embark on a journey of revenge, you should dig two graves.  Perhaps things would have gone differently if I heard this quote before I started going down this path but then again, everything happens for a reason.  It's been awhile since I last made an entry.  I'm trying to still put some of the pieces together but I am going to write down what I can remember. 

After I witnessed the delivery of the package to Geoffrey's house, I came home to gather my thoughts and get ready for my "date" with "Jason".  Omar had hacked into Geoffrey's cell phone account and made it so that Omar nor his wife couldn't make or receive any phone calls that day which worked out great because I'm sure his wife was trying to call him about the "gifts" that she had received.  Omar and I met in the parking lot of the diner and we went over the plan.  I knew how much Geoffrey loved his truck.  You would have thought that it was a newborn baby the way that he treated it.  The plan was for me to drive off with the truck while Omar had a little chat with Geoffrey.  So in an effort to get Geoffrey to get out of the car and leave his keys in the ignition, Omar would have to cause a distraction.  While we were going over the details of what was supposed to happen, Omar asked if he could see my phone.  He said he wanted to take a look at the messages that Geoffrey and I exchanged.  As I passed it to him, he dropped the phone and the back came off as the battery fell out.  He apologized and put the phone back together and powered it back on while I gazed out of the window.  When he was done, he gave me back the phone and told me to wait in my car.  As I was walking back to my car, I saw Geoffrey's truck coming around the corner.  Thankfully I had on my big hat and shades so my face was hidden for the most part.

I hurried back to my car and slid down the driver's side and kept my head just high enough for me to see what was going on through the windows.   Just when Geoffrey was about to park the car, Omar swerved out and hit the back of Geoffrey's truck just enough to make him stop and jump out.  Geoffrey threw his hands in the air and screamed, "What the fuck?"  Just like Omar predicted, Geoffrey did not take the keys out of the ignition.  Geoffrey stormed to the back of the car to see if there was any damage as Omar got out of his car.  Omar positioned himself so that Geoffrey had no choice to stand in a spot where he would not be able to see me creep up to the side of the truck.  When Omar gave me the signal, I crept up to the door and jumped in the driver's seat, slammed the door shut and drove off.  I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Geoffrey trying to run after the truck but whatever Omar did or said, it made Geoffrey stop dead in his tracks, turn around and walk toward Omar's car.  I turned my attention back to the road so that I wouldn't cause an accident.  The plan was for me to wait at the gas station down the street until Omar called me and I did plan on doing so right after I took a little detour.

My mind was racing as I drove towards the highway.  I had to move quickly because I knew if Omar ever figured out what I was doing, he would probably kill me, yell at me and then shake me to make sure that I heard him.  I was  headed back to Geoffrey's house as I decided to confront the wife and to let her know who I was and that she needed to prepare herself for what was about to happen with Geoffrey.  I had planned to report him to the credit card company and to the local authorities about the fraud that he had committed.  I was so deep in thought that it was as if I was on auto pilot because before I knew it, I was sitting in front of Geoffrey's house again.  I pulled into the driveway and saw that the lights were on.  I searched the car for a garage door opener and found it in the glove compartment.  I pressed the button and parked inside of the garage and shut the engine off.  I grabbed my purse and took one last look inside to ensure that the Beretta 92 pistol that Omar had given me was still in my purse.  He always felt that I needed a gun for protection and took me to a gun range a few times to learn how to shoot.  I didn't think that I would need the gun, but it made me feel safe.  I felt my phone vibrating in my bag and I then looked at my watch.  It had only been twenty minutes since I left Omar so I figured it was not him and did not bother to look at the phone.  Whoever it was would have to wait.

With my heart pounding, I got out of the car and closed the garage door.  I walked over  to a door in the garage and turned the knob.  Just like I thought, it was unlocked.  As I pushed the door open, I heard a beeping sound.  I looked to the side of the door and saw the alarm panel.   I looked around and saw that the door led into the kitchen.  Right across from me was a wooden knife block that housed a set of knives.  I quickly pulled all of the knives out, carefully wrapped them in a kitchen towel and dropped them into my handbag.  As I was about to turn around, I saw the alarm remote for the panic button.  What luck, I thought.  I threw the remote in my handbag as well.  I walked over to the kitchen table where the flowers, card and package were staged.  I pulled out a chair and sat down as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and a voice saying,  "Geoffrey I have been calling you all day, where the hell have you...."  Terry stopped dead in her tracks as she entered the kitchen.  Her eyes darted to wooden block.   "Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing in my house?"

I smiled at her and said, "Hello Terry, I'm Karma."

Terry's eyes went back to the block.  "No need to look for the knives or your alarm remote.  I got rid of them.  Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you.  I just want to talk to you."

Terry looked as if she didn't know what to do next.  "Karma," she stammered.  "You are the one who sent me those items?"  She pointed to the kitchen table as she slid her hand in her pocket.  I didn't see a massive bulge so I knew that she wasn't packing.  She pulled out her cell phone.

"You can forget about that, your signal is jammed.  Please, have a seat," I said in such an eerily calm voice that she actually walked over to the table and sat down.  "If you're wondering how I got into your house, I didn't break in.  I drove your truck here and parked it inside of the garage.  Your door was unlocked.   It wouldn't have mattered anyway, I also have the keys to your house.  Your husband is, shall I say, occupied?"

"What the hell do you want?"  Terry asked. 

"To talk.  I'm sure that you have read my letter by now."

"Yeah, that bullshit letter that you sent me?  Bitch please, you really think I believe that you were seeing my husband?  Yeah he may have conned your ass out of some money and bought me some shit with your credit card but he damn sure wasn't sleeping with you nor was he in a relationship with you.  Your ass was just dumb enough to fall for the con."

I couldn't believe my ears, did she just say what I think she said?  The room seemed to be turning red.  I held my breath and counted to ten to slow my heart rate down.  I took a deep breath and said, "You can act like that all you want, I saw you when you opened that card this afternoon.  I saw when you rushed your son into the house.  I know for a fact that my letter rattled you because......"  The room began spinning.  It was in that moment that I realized that Terry didn't look surprised because of what was written in the letter.  She was in shock because her and her husband got caught.  It was at that moment of comprehension of what really happened to me, without evening realizing what I was doing, I pulled the pistol out of my purse and set my hand on the table with the barrel pointing at Terry. 

"I see our conversation is going to take a little bit longer than I thought,"  I said.  "Before we get started, let me say this; con or not, I was sleeping with your husband.  That may have not been a part of your plan but it made for a really convincing con.  If you don't believe me, how would I know about the tattoo on his upper left arm or the tiny little scar up his left thigh?  You know, the one that is really close to his crotch area?"

Terry jumped up from the chair in an attempt to lunge at me and screamed, "You lying bitch!"   I shifted to the side and she ended up falling over the chair I was sitting in.   Without thinking twice, I slapped the stupid look off of Terry's face.  "One move and I will shoot you.  I am going to ask you some questions and you are going to give me some answers.  Sit your ass back down."

Terry looked as if she was trying to compose herself and then a smirk crept onto Terry's face.  "You don't have it in you to shoot me.  Why do you think you were a target?  You were an eager and willing participant.  Downright desperate almost I think.  Me and my husband have been running this scam for awhile now.  Do you know the amount of dumb chicks that are so willing to help a brother out? "  Terry threw her head back and laughed.  "Okay, so maybe you did fuck my husband.  You were nothing but a cheap thrill to get what we wanted all along."

I sat silently as my mind raced as I breathed so heavily that I didn't realize that my chest was moving up and down at a rapid pace.  So his wife was in on it.  What made her nervous earlier today was the fact that someone figured it out.  Knew where they lived, knew about their life.  Now here she was trying to act like she was the Bonnie to Geoffrey's Clyde.  I looked around the kitchen to see if there was something that I could use to tie this bitch up.  Nothing worth using.  I took a deep breath and cleared my throat and looked at Terry and out of nowhere, I began smiling.  I think it was at that moment I felt like I was turning into someone else.  I felt so far out of my own being there was no stopping me at this point.

"Okay,"  I said as I tilted my head to the side.  "You got me."  I shrugged my shoulders.   "I fell for your scam.  So what?  You got some money?  Some free stuff?  Half the stuff you have in this house is probably from previous scams.  Big friggin' deal.  You seem to be so proud of what you have to show for your quote un quote way of life.   Well guess what?  You didn't plan for today.  You thought you were dealing with woman scorned by a man.  You assumed that I was an emotionally distraught woman over your husband.  I bet you are banking on me not having a clear head as we sit here.  You think that you if you cut me deeply enough with your words, you can get me to slip up somehow." 

I got up from my chair keeping my eyes trained on Terry as I yanked her chair towards me and got so close to her face that our noses practically were touching.  "Remember, I told you that Karma is a bitch.  Say hello to Karma Terry, your whole operation is about to be blown to bits. "  I mashed her in the head and nuzzled the barrel of the pistol into her temple.  Terry's smirk suddenly disappeared.  I got back in her face and said, "The one thing that you were banking on in each and every one of your scams was that you would never get caught.  Well guess what honey, today is your unlucky day because by the time I'm done, I will have your husband by his balls and you will be begging me not to turn you into the authorities.  Now get the hell up out of that chair."

Terry slowly rose from the chair and at that moment we heard a sound coming from upstairs.  To be honest, I truly felt that I was in another world so I didn't care about anything in that moment.  I felt nothing but rage and anger and collateral damage didn't mean crap to me.  Terry's eyes darted to the archway to the family room.  I realized that her son must have still been in the house.  She looked like she was about to make a move.

"Don't even think about it.  As long as he stays upstairs, your son will be just fine. "  I poked her in the back with the gun and nodded my head in the direction of the family room.  "What you are going to do now is you are going to get your purse and we are going to go for a little drive to the bank and you are going to get my money."

"No need for all of that, your money is upstairs, I just need to get it," Terry stated.

I didn't trust her.  I hesitated.   At that same moment I heard the movement of small feet coming down the stairs.   Terry took that as an opportunity to attempt to wrestle the gun out of my grasp.  We both fell to the ground and were rolling back and forth with the gun above both of our heads.  I heard a crashing sound by my head.  I glanced over my shoulder to see that it was a vase that was on top of the coffee table.  Terry raised our arms and slammed them so hard on the ground that the gun flew out of my hand and the next thing that I knew, Terry was on top of me with her hands around my neck trying to choke me.  I managed to grab a hold of both of her pinky fingers and bent them both as far back as I possibly could forcing her to loosen her hands from my neck.  I continued to press harder and harder until I heard a cracking sound.  Terry withdrew her hands from my neck and screamed.  I scrambled to my feet and quickly surveyed the room.  I saw the handle of the pistol sticking out from under the couch and I dove for it.  Once I had the gun back in my hand I looked over at Terry who was doubled over in pain.  I pulled her up from the floor and threw her on the couch.  Just went I was going to knock her upside her head; I heard a soft voice say, "Mommy."

I turned around and saw the same little boy that I had seen earlier that day.  I wondered if he had seen what had just happened.  Considering he was not crying, I figured that he didn't.  I looked back at Terry and said, "Your son is innocent in all of this.  I won't hurt him.  But if you move off of that couch, I may just change my mind."  I took the little boy by the hand and said, "Mommy is not feeling well, why don't you go on upstairs and I'll bring you some cookies okay?"  The little boy smiled at the word cookies and the pulled his thumb out of his mouth and said, "Okay," and then raced back upstairs.

I didn't have a lot of time before the little boy came back downstairs.  I grabbed my handbag and pulled out my cell phone.  I needed Omar.   I realized that I was way in over my head because this was not a part of the plan.  The last thing that I expected was for the wife to be in on this scam.  This was supposed to be a simple conversation.  She was supposed to cry and we were supposed to come up with a plan to deal with Geoffrey.  I once read somewhere that the conversations that you have in your head never play out the same way in real life.  Whoever said that was right.  I began dialing Omar's number when I heard the garage door open.  I froze.  I looked at Terry and she looked just as puzzled as I did.  I then heard the alarm beep.   I turned around only to see Omar standing in the doorway.

*             *             *             *             *

BONUS ENTRY - INTRODUCING OMAR

Let's pause, let's break.  I can't sit here and let Aaliyah take all of the credit for what went down.  So it's time for me to tell my part in the story.  Yeah it's me, Omar.  I'm quiet, I don't say much, but if you go after anyone I deeply care for, I have a lot to say.  Not with words but with my actions.  I've known Aaliyah for a long time and I knew she was going to go rouge.  She's a wild card sometimes.  Not just in the bedroom but in the streets as well.   But that is a story for another time.

When AJ told me about this dude, things about him didn't add up and whenever I tried to point it out to her, she brushed it off and changed the subject.  I'm not trying to say that I told her so, I'm just saying I told her.  The day that I got the call from her about how she was conned, my immediate reaction was to get his address and deal with him all on my own.  Perhaps put a hurting on him so bad he piss on himself at the thought of conning anyone again.  But AJ is as stubborn as a mule sometimes and when she approached me about being involved in the handling of the dude, that was an automatic no in my book.  I felt that the less that she knew, the better off she was.  I know all about clean up duty, I've been in the business for a long time and I always escape unscathed from situations that need to be handled.  This is why I prefer to work alone.  AJ just wouldn't let up so I figured if I gave her a simple task, she would be satisfied.  The instructions were simple.  Get in the truck and drive it to the gas station down the street until she heard from me.  However, I have very strong instincts.  Perhaps it is from years of experience, but I just knew AJ was going to do whatever the hell she wanted to which is why I placed a tracker in her cell phone.  I slipped it in after I "accidentally" dropped the phone in the car while we were waiting for ol' boy.  I couldn't risk AJ doing anything that was going to get us into any kind of legal trouble and I wanted to make sure she was safe.

After AJ drove off with dude's truck, he started running after it.  I called to him and opened up my jacket and tapped the holster holding my gun.  When he saw that I was packing he stopped dead in his tracks.  Just as I suspected, this dude was a punk who scammed innocent women as a way to make easy money.  I motioned for him to walk back in my direction.  When he was close enough I told him to get into the car.  Ol' boy looked around nervously.  Finally I said to him "Get yo' ass in the car.  No one can help you. Why do you think we chose this spot?"  I walked towards him with my hand on my gun and grabbed his arm and shoved him into the passenger side from the driver side.  I slid into the driver seat and locked the doors.  "Don't bother trying to get out, the child safety locks are on."

Geoffrey finally opened his mouth and said, "Who the fuck are you and where are you taking me?"

"We are going for a little drive and we are going to talk.  No harm in talking now is there?"

"Look man I don't know who you are but someone just stole my got damn truck."

I laughed.  "Man, that is the least of your trouble.  You see, you messed with my family and anyone who messes with my family is messing with me."

"Oh so this is about me sleeping with your girl or something?  Look man she told me that she was single."

As I drove off, I shook my head.  This dude was dumber than I thought.  "You stole from my family."

"Man I ain't steal shit.  You need to be mad at your girl for cheating on you.  Now let me out of this damn car I need to find my truck!  I don't have time for these dumb bitches out here!" Geoffrey yelled. 

I pulled the car over and punched Geoffrey in the face.  I need him to shut the hell up.  I shoved his face onto the dashboard and grabbed his arms and zip tied his hands together and slammed his back against the seat. 

I continued to drive silently as his face became slightly swollen.  I approached the gas station down the street and I saw no sign of AJ.  I pulled into the station and looked around.  That's when I knew something was wrong.  I pulled out my cell phone and opened the tracking app that I had installed to track AJ through her phone.  I zoomed in on the map and looked at the location of the blip that represented AJ's location.  "Shit," I didn't even realize that I said it out loud until I saw ol' boy looking at me all puzzled.  "Give me your home address," I demanded.

"Motherfucker I ain't givin' you shit!  First off I don't know you and I don't even know why I'm here in this car!"

"Okay, since you want to play things this way, perhaps you will change your mind after some convincing."

I pulled out of the gas station and headed 2 miles to a dark abandoned parking lot.  I got out of my car and popped the trunk and pulled out my taser.  If he wasn't going to cooperate, I would give him a reason to do so.  I walked over to the passenger door and yanked it open and pulled ol' boy out and kicked him down to the ground.

I held the taser right at his groin area and said, "Once again, what is your home address?"

"Motherfu--", I tased him in the groin.  Ol' boy hollered like a little girl and then gave me his home address.  It matched the one that showed up on the map.

"Is your wife home?"  I asked.

Dude was still rolling around on the ground whimpering.  I kicked him and asked him the question again.  I bent over him and held the taser up.  "If you don't answer the question, I will break your dick.  Now is your wife home?"

He screamed yes.  I looked at my watch and I figured it would take about twenty minutes to get to the dude's house.  I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the car and got so close to his face that I could smell his sour breath. 

"You stole from AJ.  You infiltrated her life.  You scammed her out of a part of her savings.  I'm going to make sure that you never pull this stunt on another woman ever again in life and if you even think about going after her when I am done with you, I'm going to make this little incident here look like a sweet dream compared to what I really will do to you.  Now get your punk ass in the car."  I shoved him in the car head first and slammed the door shut. 

I rubbed my temple and got back in the car.  Things were not going according to plan.  Just like I thought, AJ went rouge.  She let her emotions get the best of her and that was never a good sign.  As I drove to ol' boys house he said, "So this  is what this is about?  Aaliyah?  Man that bitch gave me the money."

I slammed his face into the dashboard and continued to drive in silence.  If Aaliyah was talking to the wife, who knows what she was saying or doing.  I pulled out my cell phone and called AJ.  No answer.  Either she was ignoring me intentionally or she was occupied.  Whatever she was doing, I needed to put a stop to it.  The one thing that you cannot do is let emotions get in the way when plotting revenge.  That is how you mess up and get caught.  It is the reason for grave number two or something of the other.  You know that saying about revenge and digging two graves.  The plan was to ensure that ol' boy got arrested but if AJ is in his house the whole game changes.  As I sped down I-20 I glanced over at ol' boy who was slumped down in the seat.  Apparently he realized that if he opened up his mouth again, he risked losing his teeth.  As I approached the exit, dude asked me why we were going to his house and said that his wife did not need to be involved.  I didn't answer.  As I turned down the street where he lived I looked for his truck.  I finally pulled up in front of the house.  No sign of AJ or the truck.  I checked my phone one more time to ensure that AJ was still there.  According to the map, she was in fact at the house.  I realized that the car had to be inside of the garage.  I saw a key pad at the garage door entrance.

"What is the code to your garage door?" I asked Geoffrey.

He then gave me the code.  I got out of the car and punched in the code.  I then saw the truck and noticed that it was a two car garage.  I pulled the car into the garage and popped the trunk.  I walked over to the passenger side and yanked dude out of the car.  I reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone.  Apparently the signal was still jammed but I took the phone anyway.  Pushed him to the back of the car and said, "Get in the trunk."  He looked at me like I was crazy.  I pulled out the taser and before I could even place it near his groin area, he leaned into the trunk and I shoved him in there and slammed it shut.  I didn't know what I was going to be walking into and the less ol' boy saw the better off everyone was.

I walked over to the door in the garage and opened it.  Sure enough, there was Aaliyah with the pistol that I gave her in her hand and a woman on the couch with a painful look on her face.  I didn't know what happened but I knew that I had one hell of a mess that needed cleaning up.  I closed the door, walked over to the family room and sat on a chair and simply said, "Start from the beginning."

©All original content copyright Kim M. Washington, 2012-2013

Entry #7 No Regards, Karma is a Bitch

Dear Diary,

 

It was time to put phase two into place.  I collected all of the items that Geoffrey left at my house and began packing them into a box.  When I was done, I logged onto my computer and began searching on a local florist's website.  This particular florist specialized in unique arrangements.  I saw one of long stemmed black and red roses and felt that they were perfect for what I wanted to do.  Geoffrey's wedding anniversary was approaching and it created the perfect window of opportunity for what I was planning to do next.  

 

While placing the order, Geoffrey called me in a panic.  I asked him what was wrong.  He told me that there was some mix-up at the bank and that all of his money was gone.  I had to stop myself from smirking so that he wouldn't hear me through the phone.  I asked him what happened and if he contacted the bank.  He then mumbled some nonsense about the bank not being able to help him.  I told him that perhaps he should go into the bank to find out what was going on with his account.  He said that he would see about it the next day and he then fell silent.  Now I am pretty sure that he intentionally did that with the expectation that I would offer to lend him some money until he straightened himself out. Truth be told, a good woman who is holding her man down would be willing to do so but clearly this was not the case.  

 

Like a game of chicken, I kept my mouth shut and waited for him to speak first.  After a long drawn out pause, Geoffrey finally asked me if I could lend him five hundred dollars until he got paid the following week.  I asked him if he wasn't listening when I told him I was trying to keep my house out of foreclosure.  He then had the audacity to ask me when my next pay day was.  Just like Omar predicted, he lost his unemployment benefits and had no clue where his money had gone and was now in a state of desperation.  I would love to be a fly on the wall when he tries to explain to his wife where his money went.  Just then, I heard the message indicator on my cell phone.  The app for the dating website indicated that I had a new email message from Geoffrey.  Wow, that was fast I thought.  Then I realized that Geoffrey wrote the email while he and I were speaking on the phone.  I shook my head. The boy was such a friggin' loser it was quite sad.  I told Geoffrey that I had to go and that I would call him back.

 

I walked over to my computer and signed into my account.  Sure enough, there was an email from Geoffrey posing as Jason and it read:

 

Hey beautiful!  Thanks for the hit.  I'm new to the area and was recently transferred to Atlanta from LA.  I work in the music business as a sound engineer and I'm looking to make some new friends.  I'm new to this on line dating thing so I'm not sure how this works.  My number is below.  Give me a call. - Jason

 

I called Omar and told him that Geoffrey did exactly what Omar said he would do.  Omar told me to write back and tell him that I was only comfortable with emailing for now and to ask him some basic questions about having children, ever having been married, stuff that we knew he would lie about.  Omar felt that if Geoffrey was desperate enough, he would try to fast track meeting me in person and then we could move to the next phase.  So I sent Geoffrey a response email and ended it with a question about what he liked to do so that he would be compelled to write back

I returned to the kitchen and finished packing up Geoffrey's things and then headed out to run some errands.  I was in the greeting card section of the supermarket when it dawned on me that I should buy a card and write Geoffrey's wife a letter telling her what was going on.  What better way for Geoffrey to celebrate his anniversary than explaining to his wife who I was and the lies he would need to create to get out of the hole that he had dug for himself.  I thumbed through quite a few greeting cards until I found the perfect one.  It was a beautiful card with an embossed red, black, and white velvet design.  The message on the cover said "To My Loving Wife on Our Anniversary."  The card was perfect.  I found the matching red envelope and headed to the gift wrapping section.  I found some red metallic wrapping paper and bought enough black satin ribbon to make a very large bow.  

As I headed to the cashier, my phone buzzed.  I had another message from Geoffrey.  It read:

No wife, no kids.  My hectic work schedule hasn't really given me enough time to settle down.  As a matter of fact, I fly out to Houston at the end of the week. I'm working with Rick Ross in the studio on his new album.  I hope I'm not being too forward, but I would love to meet you at least one time before I leave town.  If you are not comfortable with that, I totally understand.  Just let me know.

- Jason

 

Rick Ross?  Really?  His dumb ass was really thinking that shit like this was impressive.  I shook my head and called Omar who said it was time to move onto the next phase.  He told me to go ahead and set up the meeting and he would take it from there.  I told Omar that the only way this was happening was if I was taking part of what was next.  We argued back and forth until he finally agreed to let me go with him to the meeting place.  Omar knew me well enough to know that I wasn't going to listen to him anyway so arguing with me was a waste of his time.  Omar said that Saturday would work for him.  Turned out, Saturday was Geoffrey's wedding anniversary but I didn't bother to mention it to Omar as another plan began to form in my mind.  I told Omar that I had to go and hurried home.  I quickly wrapped the box containing Geoffrey's items and then settled down to write his wife a letter outlining everything that had been going on.  I wanted to get it out to the post office so that it would arrive at Geoffrey's house on Saturday.  Before I began writing the letter, I sent Geoffrey a message on the dating website and told him that I could meet with him Saturday evening and gave him the address to a diner 20 minutes away from his house.

 

I decided that I needed some writing music so I put on Beyonce's Irreplaceable in homage to my beautifully wrapped box which was to the left of the door to the garage.

I then logged out of my account and started a new document and began writing the letter:

 

Dear Terry  -

 

I am pretty sure that you are now beginning to wonder what in the world is going on because by now, you know that these "gifts" are not from your husband.  In the last few months, I have been seeing your husband, however, I did not know that he was married.  I met him on an online dating site and I have enclosed a copy of his profile and the emails that he and I exchanged prior to our meeting.  You see, your husband led me to believe that he was single and had recently moved here from Los Angeles.  He claimed that he had his masters in Computer Engineering and that he was transferred by the record label that he claimed he work for to Atlanta and was looking to make new friends.  He claimed that he didn't have any children and that due to his busy work schedule, it was hard for him to find a woman who understood his "lifestyle."  So imagine my surprise when I found out that not only he is married, but he has a child as well. 

 

Now as to how I found out how he was married, in the box that I sent to you with his belongings is a flash drive containing all kinds of information including photos of other women he possibly have scammed.  I copied these files from the flash drive that he always wore on a lanyard around his neck.  Once you look at the files, you will understand why he always kept it close to his person.  The negro slept with it for Pete's sake and somehow managed to leave it in my bed.   I saw your wedding photos and the photos from your vacation in Disney with your son.  I found his resume with his real name and home address.  He told me that his name was Jason Xanvier and clearly it is not.  Your husband lied to me about his entire existence as I am sure he has done with other women that he has met from the dating website.  I'm sure that he scammed them as well.  Your husband not only scammed me out of nearly $1000, he also stole my credit card and went on a shopping spree.  He even bought me a gift with my own credit card.  Go figure.  After some digging, I've learned more about your husband's past than I would have had like to have known.  If I had known his real name from jump, he would have never gotten this close to me.  He gained access to my home and stole my ipod and a very expensive watch and I am sure both items have ended up at a pawn shop somewhere.  I allowed this man to sleep in my bed, hang out in my house.  Spend nights at my house only for him to steal from me.  There are some days when I look back, I think your husband would have robbed me when I was not home if it was not for my security system.  I mean, why wouldn't he?  He thinks that as long as I don't know his real identity, he can never get caught.  Well the joke is now on him because not only do I know his real identity, I also know that in the last ten years, he has been in and out of jail for quite a few crimes but credit card theft seems to be his favorite one.

 

You are probably wondering why I am telling you all of this.  Part of me is angry but part of me feels that you need to know the kind of man that you are married to.  I don't know if you know about his criminal history because for all I know he could have lied to you about it and as most people know, when one is in love, one refuses to acknowledge what is right in front of their face.  Or perhaps you knew about his past and hoped that you would be the one to save him from himself and change him.  Either way,  I hope that you take this time to re-evaluate the kind of person you are dealing with.  Who knows how many women he has scammed.  Who knows how many of them he may have slept with and who knows if he used protection or not.  Regardless of anything, he has put you at risk of your own health and well being.  Whether it be physical or mental. 

 

I can't tell you what to do but I can tell you this much, there is no way in hell I am going to let your husband get away with what he did to me.  I only felt that it was fair that I privy you to what has been going on before shit got real.  Should you decided to not heed my warning, you put yourself at risk for collateral damage.  It's up to you.  You don't need to know who I am right now as I'm sure you are looking for a name or a return address.  It's not on the envelope.  As you can see the return address is yours.  Should I decided to reveal my identity to you, it will be by my rules as I am the one who will be driving at the wheel of this bus.  Beep beep.  Look out cuz HERE I COME.

 

No Regards,

Karma, as I am a Bitch 

 

I signed the card and addressed the envelope.  I enclosed copies of the dating profile and the emails then headed out to the post office.  I dropped the letter off and made arrangements with a local courier to have the box delivered.  I know it sounds like I was spending money unnecessarily but I needed to do what I felt like what was going to make me feel better.  I know it seems petty but I needed to do something to get back at Geoffrey. I don't just want him to hurt.  I want him to pay for what he did to me and if that meant that his wife had to be collateral damage, then so be it.  There have been moments where I was more angry at the fact that I allowed myself  to get bamboozled but then I think about how many other women who probably suffered the same and didn't even know it.  I felt justified in exacting revenge on this asshole and that was exactly what I was going to do.

 

I picked up the phone to call Omar and I realized that my phone was on silent.  I had seven missed calls and messages from Geoffrey.  I listened to his messages and he kept asking me to answer the phone.  The last message sounded crazy and frantic and he said that he needed his flash drive.  I went back home and was thankful to see Omar's truck in the driveway.  When I got inside, I played the messages for him and Omar instructed me to make arrangements with Geoffrey for the next day so that he could get his flash drive.  Omar didn't want me to give Geoffrey a reason to show up at my house unannounced out of desperation.  Geoffrey was apparently getting nervous that I might look at the flash drive and I'm sure that he found it quite strange that I had it for so long and hadn't looked at it yet.  Or so he thought.  Since I had made several copies of the files, there was no need to hold onto it anymore.  I was going into the office the next day anyway so I figured that he could meet me at my job and get his stupid flash drive. 

 

My phone rang again and this time I answered as I put the call on speaker.  Geoffrey said that he needed his flash drive and that he wanted to come by to get it.  I told him that I wasn't home and that he could meet me at my job the next morning.  I don't know why but I felt like getting under his skin.  I asked him if he followed up with the bank about his missing money.  He said that he did and that he got his money back.  I gave Omar a look because we knew that was a lie.  So I then in turn asked if he had my half of the money for the trip and he said yes and that he would give it to me the next day.  We set up a time to meet and I got off of the phone.  Omar asked me if I was okay with meeting up with ol' boy alone and I said that it was fine because security was quite heavy at my job and they were real police officers so I would be okay.  I had a long and exhausting day and I just wanted to go to bed so I assured Omar once again that I would be fine and gave him a kiss on the cheek goodnight and headed upstairs.

 

 As I got ready for bed, my phone beeped.  It was Geoffrey sending my alias an email confirming that he could meet me Saturday afternoon as he claimed he had to fly out to Houston Saturday night.  He probably had celebration plans for his anniversary with his wife that evening.  That was perfect anyway because he would not be at home when the package for his wife arrived.  I wrote him back and told him that I would see him then.  I smiled as I crawled in the bed.  In less than 48 hours, I was going to unleash a wrath that I am sure Geoffrey had never experienced.

 

The next morning, I was in my office when Geoffrey called me and said that he was downstairs in the parking lot.  I took a deep breath and grabbed the flash drive.  This would be the first time that I had seen Geoffrey since I discovered who he really was.  I threw my shades on because I didn't want him to see my eyes.  As stoic as my face was, I was afraid that my eyes would tell on me.  As I exited the building, I looked at the security station to make sure that someone was posted there.  I exhaled not realizing that I was holding my breath and that my heart was racing.  Although I had a plan in place, I still felt nervous.  I approached Geoffrey's truck and stood outside of the driver's side.  I wanted to make this as quick as possible.  

 

He asked me if I had the drive and I then in turn asked if he had my money.  He said that the money was in the bank but he couldn't get to it at the moment.  I rolled my eyes and threw the drive at him.  Geoffrey asked me what was my problem and I told him that I was having a rough morning at work.  He asked me what I was doing after work and I told him that I was meeting one of my girlfriends for dinner.  He responded by telling me that I needed to stay my ass home and stop going out so much.  It took everything in me to not lash out and ask him if he was afraid that I may see him out with his wife or some other poor victim from the dating website. I forced myself to hold my composure and asked him what business of it was his what I did on my own free time and that he didn't own me.  I then stated that I needed to get back to work and walked off.

 

By the time I got back to my office, Geoffrey was calling me on my cell phone.  I simply answered the phone by saying, "What?" 

 

"Where the hell are my files?" he asked.

 

"I don't know what you are talking about," I replied.

 

"Half of my files are missing."

 

"Jason, I have no idea what you are talking about.  I don't even know what the hell is on your stupid flash drive.  You said that it's for work so it's of no use to me."

 

"Are you trying to play me?"  Geoffrey asked.  "You think you are so slick."

 

"Again, what the hell are you talking about?  If anything you are the one trying to be slick.  Where the hell is my money?"

 

"Listen, fuck that.  We are going on that trip so stop trying to back out of it," Geoffrey said firmly.

 

Instead of wasting another five minutes of my life that I wouldn't be able to get back, I decided not to argue with Geoffrey.  I was about to have him by the testicles in twenty-four hours so at this point, arguing would have been a waste of time.

 

"Number one, watch your mouth.  I'm a lady and I don't play that cursing at me shit.  Number two, I have to go back to work, I don't have time for this right now.  Good-bye Jason."  I then ended the call.

 

My mind started to race.  I was trying to figure out what he was talking about regarding his files.  It then occurred to me, there was a time when I was making a third copy of flash drive and I vaguely remembered that there was something different about the list of files.  It did look shorter.  I then realized that I may have moved some of the files to the new drive by mistake.  Shit.  He knows I looked at it.  I called Omar and told him what happened.  He told me that as long as I didn't let on that I knew the truth about Geoffrey's identity, it would be fine.  I just needed to keep playing the part.

 

Later that night, I called Geoffrey and did like Omar told me to do.  I played the role.  I spoke carefully as to avoid getting into another argument.  I asked him if we could hang out the next day but he said that he had to work.  Of course I knew that this was a lie because he had plans with his new "victim."  We talked for a few minutes and he then abruptly told me that he had to go.  I figured that his wife must have shown up so I got off of the phone. 

Omar then walked into my bedroom and asked me if I was okay.  I told him that I was fine.  I debated whether or not to tell him about the letter and the box and I decided not to.  I had plans for the wife.  Geoffrey needed more than just empty and idle threats.  Making him crap in his pants was not enough for me.  He needed to understand that I had the power to blow his life up so badly that he would never be able to piece it back together ever again.  Omar asked me if I was ready to go through with the plan and I assured him that I would be okay.  I knew that no matter what happened the next day, my life course would never be the same again.  The damage was already done and my ability to trust new people was completely gone.  I felt that I would have no remorse for what was coming down the pikes because the bastard deserved what was coming and I was making sure that I got to him through his wife.  I didn't care if she got hurt in the process because in my mind, it would benefit her in the long run.  

 

Omar looked at me and told me that I had to stick to the script and no going rouge.  It was as if he knew I had something else planned.  I simply said that I understood.  I felt like he was trying to warn me and I suddenly felt strange.  I dismissed the feeling and went to bed.  The next day was D-Day and I could not wait to put the plan into action as I knew I was about to take one hell of a ride down the path of revenge....

©All original content copyright Kim M. Washington, 2012-2013.