"Stooooooopppp Jamal" I heard her yelling. I couldn't sleep now, I was up. This was the 3rd time this week i heard things being thrown across the room; or people. One or the other, either way the shit was crazy and getting on my nerves. I was trying to yell through the phone and tell her leave. "Bitch! You don't need this shit. Marie Just LEAVE, GET OUT, FUCK HIM!!!" I yelled into the receiver.

I was tired of this. At least 2 times a week she would call me while he beat on her. I would get dressed, get in my brothers truck, and we would drive out to Southside to wait outside for her to walk out of his building. She would come out crying; with Black eyes, bruised skin, red lips (no lipstick needed). Swollen everything.

I couldn't believe a nigga would hit a chick like this. I was finally tired. I called my brother. "Mel, this shit is crazy, this time i want you to go up there" My brother sighed "Look C, I'm not doing that. I'm not fighting this nigga because she gonna be back in there fucking him like he ain't bust her lip a day before. I tried talking to Marie, this is what she want, she likes this shit. Maybe you should leave her. Let her get her ass whipped and don't go get her." I Shook My Head In disbelief. "Nah Mel, You wildin. I'll take the train". I was about to hang up and he said "Yo Chris (a Nickname they all called me), if that nigga even look at you sideways call me" I slammed the phone down on the table and got dressed.

I tip toed over to my grandmothers bedroom door past my sister's room; I didn't want them to ask "Can I Go?". Nana was up reading a book; probably the Bible. I hated leaving the house when it was dark outside. "Nana, Maria wants me to pick her up so she can stay here for the weekend, you mind if i go get her and she stay here?" My grandmother looked up and said "Come here" I walked in the room and stopped in front of the TV. She sat up in the bed, took her glasses off and closed her book (It was the Bible). She looked up at me and said "I know You Love That Maria girl, and I know you like to try to save everyone and everything. You CANT! Your not superwoman." I just stood their in silence. She looked at me and said "Stay Outta Trouble, and come STRAIGHT back."

Fast Forward. I'm on the Bus thinking about what I'm going to say or do. I got off the bus and walked up the walkway to his building. There she was standing downstairs with a robe on and no shoes, outside of a project building at 10 at night. WTF? "Marie, Fuck that nigga, we going upstairs because you need clothes." She pulls on me yelling " NO!, he's crazy, lets just go" I wanted to slap her. She shouldn't have been messing with this old ass man anyway. I dragged her onto the elevator and thought How could she even let him degrade her like this; how could he make her get on a pissy project elevator with NO shoes and NO clothes on.

"WHY Maria, WHY? How you letting this nigga treat you like this. He's about 7 or 8 years older than you, he hitting on you, he raped you, he threw you down these hard ass project stairs. Ma, I'm not dealing with this shit no more. You my Bitch, Nah fuck that you like my sister and I'll do anything for you. ANYTHING, but i cant watch this nigga beat on you no more. He's Going to KILL YOU MARIE!!!" She whispered "you don't understand"

I didn't understand, he had put her in the hospital for a week 2 months ago. How was I supposed to understand him hitting her, punching her, kicking her, or even worse, ...hurting her. I didn't get it, I really didn't understand but somehow someway I wanted to. I needed to.

The elevator started slowing down and there we were on the 9th floor. We walked off the elevator and up to his apartment door. I knocked on the door as hard as my angry little fist allowed me to. "Jamal, OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR!" I yelled. He came to the door and i saw his eye peek through the peep hole. "BITCH, don't be knocking on my shit like that, what the fuck you want, You here for the Mandingo? ahhh ha haaa" I sucked my teeth and noticed how much he was stinking, smelled like weed.

"No! you fucking Faggot, I came here to get Marie shit. She's done with you she ain't coming back." Marie tried to say something but i told her "SHUT THE FUCK UP" and looked at Jamal. "He threw some clothes into the hallway and said "Whatever! that Bitch coming riiigghhhttt back. Aint that right Marie?" He looked at her smiling like something was funny or amusing about what he said.

I was angry and with that Brooklyn Accent and Attitude said "You a real Bitch nigga, you hitting females and shit now. I knew you wasn't shit when she met you on the line at the cyclone. She should have walked away from your Bitch ass then.REAL niggas DONT put they hands on no female. You pussy. You MAD pussy". I flipped him the bird and picked her stuff up and walked towards her. I grabbed her in the elevator Hugged her and let her cry. I called my brother and told him i needed him. It was late and i wanted to just ride back in the car. No bus, no train. My brother sucked his teeth and said he was on his way.

Marie stayed at my house that weekend. Actually; she stayed for about a week and everything was going smooth.

One day we went to school and she left after Lunch time. I figured she went home because she wasn't feeling good. She said she had been real sick lately. She was found dead a week later in Baisley pond Park in Queens.

She was a couple of weeks pregnant. He killed her, beat her to death LITERALLY because he was mad that she was stupid enough to get pregnant. I cried every day up until the funeral. I sat next to her moms at the funeral and thought about how i wanted him dead. I never had to say or do anything. A week after Maria's funeral Jamal was found dead Under the cyclone in Brooklyn. Right where everything started. One to the head, two to the chest. I'm not sure what happened to him but he got what was coming to him. He got what he deserved.