The Fugitive

While at the shooting range aka desert, Charlie told his friend about his accomplishments, his job, how much he makes per hour, how much his rent is and how much he had in his savings. I thought to myself this dude is crazy! Who discloses this kind of information? Especially how much you have saved? To people who are unemployed of all people? That's when people come up with problems that only you can save with that money you told them about! That or it's like you're rubbing it in, it's just not cool no matter which angle you look at it from. But that's Charlie! I'm surprised he still hasn't gotten shot... with his own gun!

After he lent all his savings to his friend and colleague who made more money than him, he had to start from scratch saving for the ring. He would give me some money every week when he got paid. I kept it at my place. While in the process of saving for a ring, Charlie suggested, yet again, that I moved in. We had a full on discussion about things he was willing to compromise like his annoying loud music, that I would have to let him play it for at least ten minutes, really loud every once in a blue moon. He had so many warnings from management about noise levels. I just think it's selfish. Why would you wanna play music THAT loud? He had these amazingly loud speakers that he bought on Amazon, It's the speakers you use for outdoors events. He wants to play them inside the apartment. When he plays them really loud, he stands by the door and watches out for someone who is going to reprimand him, then turns the volume low before they knock. Also, he loves to see the dishes and windows shake. It's crazy! I don't understand how he has such a sharp sense of hearing after all that noise.

I told him I would put in my notice if he promised he wouldn't change his mind again. He promised. I didn't put in my notice. I kept bringing up the move, talking about, oh man, I gotta start parking! He wouldn't comment, I could see he was cringing. That's exactly why I brought it up. To torture him! Because I had the money for the ring with me, he suggested I order it myself online. I found one I liked, white gold with diamond. I ordered it and didn't tell him. I wanted to surprise him. Wait, shouldn't it be other way round?

Aaanyway, life went on. One Afternoon, Charlie was at my place. He was about to leave for his place. He had his gun with him. I was sitting on the bed, he was standing next to the bed. He put the gun against my crotch and said, "If you ever leave me, I will shoot you in your vagina. Unlike that other guy, I won't miss!" I had told him about someone who tried to shoot me in my vagina because I wouldn't date him. He told me that if he couldn't have it, no one could. He slapped me back at my face with that story! I told him to remove the gun and to never have that gun around me if he wanted to see me again. I led him out the door. I thought about it overnight (delayed reaction much?) and thought to myself, this is bullshit! I'm going to the police!

I went to work that morning for a few hours, then headed to the police station. I didn't even know where it was and I didn't know what to expect from a Las Vegas police station. I've seen the show The Strip about law enforcement on the Las Vegas Strip. I've also seen the show Jail about intake into the Las Vegas Jail. Both shows were chaotic, there were lots of drunk and high holiday makers. Poor guys, they thought they could go to Vegas, go crazy and go home and there they were, going to jail. I looked up directions on my phone just before it died. I didn't have a power bank or portable charger then. While waiting for the bus in the sun, a lady who had bruises and a baby on her back, who, excuse my judgement, looked like she might know a thing or two about jail came and sat next to me. Naturally, I asked her, she told me where to go. I was about to go. I only had to take one bus. Looked like she should've come along with me to report whoever did that to her but that was none of my business. I had to wish her all the best especially with that baby on her back.

Speaking of arrests, I once met a lady in line, in Vegas, who divulged to me that her family had gone to a party that weekend. It was someone's 21st birthday. They booked the whole club, is booked the right word? Rented? Nah, that sounds even worse. As you can tell, I hadn't been to da club in a minute. Apparently her family doesn't get along (shocker!), they are separated into two groups. Everybody was at the party that night. A fight ensued towards the end of the night. Her cousin thought someone was pulling out a gun, so he fired a shot first! He short two people, a pregnant cousin, ran to his car and blindly fired more shots thereby hitting someone else in the arm. He fled the scene! I was just like, what am I hearing right now? How do you even begin! I am trying to poker face (no pun intended. It being Vegas and all ;)) the sht out of the whole situation but I'm flabbergasted!

The woman went on to tell me that, the other side of the family called the police. She and her side left as soon as the perpetrator left. The perp moved out of his home that night and in with this lady and her family, husband and kids. This lady was harboring a fugitive! What am I gonna do? I don't wanna be implicated in this story! I want her to stop but, it's so dog on juicy, I had to hear it all! I am an avid watcher crime tv shows, from Forensic Files, to The first 48, I almost got away with it (not me! It's the name of a tv show!), Bait car, Cops, Jail, Death Row diaries, Prison diaries, You name it! So to be in the front row of such a story for me was just like, whoooaaaaa! Somebody stop the presses! I could already see that story in the first 48, the police hunting the dude down. Also on I almost got away with it, the dude retelling the story himself in his prison uniform. Man! It was exciting. Sorry for the lives that were lost in the midst of all that.

She told me that her family couldn't stay at her home either because people could easily trace the Perp there, so everybody packed up and went on the run. What?!?!?!?!!? This is real life?!!?!?? And then what happened? They were hiding in a motel somewhere. She told me the suburb where they were staying. That lady was clearly suffering from sleep deprivation. Why would she tell me that story while it was still happening? What if I was a cop? Or a snitch? I knew her name, her cousin's name and where she worked and how long she had worked there for. I had enough information to go to the cops! Right?

They saw on Facebook that morning that the cops were offering $10 000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of the dude. The things I could do with $10 000. That is more than a R100 000 back in South Africa. That's a tenth of a million! She showed me the article. That's how I found out the name of the fugitive. Also, I put it into my phone because I was curious about the story. What if the police came to my house because I suddenly started looking up this random guy online? I don't know the powers of Law Enforcement! Oh Lord!

Back to my not so exciting story! I got off at the police station. I was so deep in thought the entire bus ride wondering if I were doing the right thing. I felt bad for Charlie. I know that he had a rough past, I didn't want him to get arrested. But at the same time, I didn't want him doing something crazy to me and getting away with it. The decision was getting harder and harder as I got closer to the police station. I had to do it though. Who the fck did he think he was pointing at me with a gun? In my private parts for that matter? Where is his loyalty as the man  I was in a serious relationship to bring up one of the worst experiences of my life and make fun of the whole thing. F*ck him!

I went to the first window. There were two lines, not that long. Then there was a section where people were sitting down. I went to the first line, the lady asked me the reason I was there. I told her I wanted to file a report. She asked what about? Then asked me to tell her the whole story. I'm standing behind the glass, everybody in line can hear me. It was ridiculous! Complete invasion of privacy! After that, she told me to wait in the next line, she was going to call a Deputy with whom I was going to file, meaning, my telling her the entire story was just to feed her curiosity. I was going to have to do it all over again with the Deputy. Kill Me!

Deputy, a really handsome gentleman with really light brown eyes that were the same shade as his uniform. He 'assisted' me, I use the term loosely. He wasn't really interested in the whole thing. If I weren't standing in front of him, he would have been rolling his light brown eyes the whole time. I could tell. After that, he asked if I felt safe, if not, they were going to put me in a shelter, I was like gosh no! I thought to myself, I would rather get killed in that apartment, no shelter for me! Hell no! Could you imagine? The more I talked to that non caring police officer, the more I thought, this isn't that bad after all. My life was so much better before I came to this silly police station. He suggested I got a restraining order if I wanted to. I thought about it but at the same time. I was just like is this really what I want to do right now?

I went home when all was sad and done and everything just looked so different. The sky was a weird shade of blue, the sun was a different of yellow, everything was different. It was like someone had just died. Shame on Charlie for putting me through all that! He was supposed to be on my team goddamnit! I got home, got into bed, watched some TV and tried to not think about what could possibly happen after that. I told the police guy when he asked me that I didn't want Charlie to get arrested. He told me that they probably were gonna go to his house and give him some kind of a warning. I thought that was going to be perfect. I know he doesn't want to go back to jail. I wasn't going to give him a heads up. I wanted his ass to be so freaked out when police go for him and be like are you Charlie Charles? If only I could be a fly on that wall. He had told me that when he was arrested, it was firearm related. I was surprised that they let him get a gun license after that but what do I know? I'm just a girl from Africa. I did hope that they would confiscate his gun. That would have been the perfect ending for me and everyone in Vegas. He was such an asshole when he had that gun on him. It was like a spare set of balls for him. Or a couple more inches added to his dick. It just made him feel like he's the sh*t. He had to have known that he really wasn't the sht! Like at all!  A turd maybe!

I didn't talk to Charlie that afternoon. About two hours of so after I got home, a knock on my door! What now? Fck! I don't wanna deal! I didn't open, Brook, open, it's me! I know you're home! Once, when he was at my place, he noticed that the window wasn't locked, he brought that up. I didn't do anything about it. One day, he came by, I didn't feel like talking to him, he opened the window from outside and laughed that he got me. I was so annoyed. I tell you, he did the most annoying things! I had left the window unlocked to prevent a situation where I locked myself outside and had nobody to help unlock the door for me but after he did that, I took the risk and locked the window. Isn't it sad that I had to lock the window to prevent my boyfriend to get in? Crazy! He called me, my phone was on vibrate, so he couldn't hear it. He knocked on the door, no answer, knocked on the window, I was just like, man, what a jerk! He finally gave up. I didn't hear the bike though so I am pretty sure he was still outside hoping I was dumb enough to assume he had left. It was all about winning with him. He wanted to win and be like, gotcha! How can you behave that way and still expect to get laid? That is beyond me! Men, especially men whose bedroom uhm performances aren't much to write home about should know better than that!  Shout out to all my male readers! I've mad love for ya!

He finally left or I fell asleep while pretending to be sleeping. It had been a rough day. One I couldn't talk to Charlie about. I couldn't talk to my family, I didn't want them to worry about me.

I took Charlie's calls the following day. He was the sweetest! He was sucking up because he knows his ass is not indispensable. I just went with it. It was easier that way. One evening, he was over. I was PMSing. I literally was craving everything under the sun. He and I were chatting via text for a while then he asked to come by just for a second. So I was like, sure. We were talking and every time I blinked, all I saw were nuts. I was like mhhh nuts! He has all kinds of nuts at his place. All kinds of everything! Then we saw an ad on tv that had cheese, I was like mhh cheese! He offered to take me out for dinner in case I was hungry. I wasn't hungry, I was hormonal! He did something so sweet, he quickly went to his place, got me a big thing of cheese, nuts and other junk food. I was so touched! He left not too long afterwards. It was good cheese too, not the cheap one I buy from the Dollar stores I shop at haha.

Police called me one afternoon asking if I felt unsafe, I told them I didn't but I was dealing with a very unpredictable character, they needed to know that anything could happen anytime. That was the end of that!