Dario
“What was that about last night, DC?” Wayne asked, his look perplexed, as he prepared for interrogation.
He shook his head and released a huge puff of air. I almost started to laugh because for as long as I could remember, Wayne thought he was something like my boss. Yeah, there were certain things I listened to him on like which endorsements to consider, what members were actually good for the team, and things of that nature. However, the part of my business that he was about to leap into, I already knew that he would only receive what I felt like supplying him with. Nothing more than that.
“Don’t give me that blank stare either, dude,” he said, with a slight guffaw. “Because I already know that you know what I’m talking about.”
“Are you on the fucking slow bus or what? Is that why I need to spell it out? What it was about, was a woman in distress and in need of help. That’s what it was about,” I responded.
“A woman that you didn’t know, though. So why did you feel the need to—”
“So . . .” I jumped in, cutting him off. “I need to know a woman before I help protect her from harm?”
“Yeah, absolutely. I think so,” he clapped back in earnest. “You didn’t even know that situation, DC. It could’ve been one of those domestic things. Those things that should only stay between the couple.”
“It could’ve been, but it didn’t look that way.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Wayne rebounded.
“I’ll say. I thought from the looks of things last night that you’d still be too busy engaging in threesomes to care about this shit here. What happened? Did you bite off more than you could chew? Ohhh!” I laughed. “That is it, huh?”
“It’s not a laughing matter, Dario.”
“Okay, Wayne, look. Do you really think that she would’ve taken the opportunity to jump in her car and speed off if she didn’t want to get him away from her?”
Wayne scooted closer to the edge of his living room seat and looked me square in the eyes. “It was reckless. That could have gone so many pathways to wrong it’s not even funny. Say you’d gotten into a fisticuff with that guy . . . I mean a real down and dirty fisticuff . . . because it wouldn’t have gone any other way.” He tilted his head as though expecting me to jump in with the answer. “I’ll tell you what the end result would’ve been,” he finally said. “You could be in jail right now, or on the other side of a massive lawsuit.”
“Both of those—either jail or a lawsuit, I could’ve handled if it had come to that.”
“Fuck, DC! You’re not getting it, man! You do shit that could be career-ending! Your hands are lethal weapons and registered as such! But you don’t need me to tell you that!”
“Guess what, Wayne? First of all, I’m gonna need you to check your temperature because you’re gonna bust a damn blood vessel. And second, if my career ended over helping a woman that needed my help, then the entire commission could suck my dick. I mean that with everything in me too. What fucking kind of world is it that we live in where a man . . . a real man . . . would turn the other fucking way when a woman is being attacked?!”
“You’re reaching, DC,” Wayne stated, exasperated.
“How the fuck is that?”
“She wasn’t being attacked! All I saw was a damn guy standing close to a woman that he probably knew. Personally, I didn’t see a smidgen of fear on that lady’s face. So, again, what if everything had taken a turn for the worse? Situations like that, the chick is almost always gonna choose the side of the abuser!”
When I gave Wayne an annoyed look, he attempted to backtrack.
“Well, shit, it’s true. We don’t know if he was—”
“Just stop, Wayne. Just stop now because you’ve already stuck your size eleven in your mouth.”
“It’s twelve and a half, for your information,” he said as he dove into a proud chuckle.
“I don’t give a fuck if it’s twenty-two, you stuck that shit full-on in your big-ass mouth when you had to try to fix what you said.”
“Whatever, dude. I’m not changing any of what I said.”
“And the fact that you’re okay with that . . . is not okay with me.” I stood up to prepare my exit. “For you to say ‘abuser’ and think that it might be a possibility that was what it was and still not be willing to help, that’s a problem. It’s a problem because you’re going off assumptions at a possible victim’s expense. That’s some pussy shit right there, Wayne.” I walked to the door and grabbed the handle. “At the very least, you call the police if you don’t want to get involved. But to just walk away is bullshit.”
“Wait, DC, don’t go yet. Listen, I’m not that guy. You know me better than that. If I truly felt that a woman was in danger, I would for sure help out any way that I could. Last night, I just didn’t get that vibe, honestly. That’s all I’m saying. And to be honest, I don’t really think you did either. If you ask me, I think it all came about because she showed you a little bit of attention.”
“Ha!” I roared. “Now you sound bat-shit crazy. In what damn imaginary world do you live in where I have to get excited by the attention of a woman? Now, who’s reaching just to attempt a moot point?” I pointed at him with my index finger. “That would be you.” I stood from my seat, still laughing at an amused Wayne. “Next time you summon me over to this place make sure there’s food cooked, my favorite smoothie or something. This was like a call to the goddamn Principal’s office, and you got more time than even he did.”
“I’m just sayin’!” Wayne sang loudly, from behind me as I continued to put distance between us.