Innocent Anna

As I sat in my room talking to Nell about my problems with the bus, Christian, and school, I heard the school bus for the neighborhood kids pull up. I had only been successful at getting one boot off my foot.

"My kids are here," I told her while standing up to look out the window. They were all in front of my house talking to their friends.

"Y'all come on up here so y'all can eat and then y'all can go back outside," I yelled down to the kids.

When they saw me, their friends started walking away, making their way home. I stood at the window waiting for them to get in here when a car I'd never seen pulled up. A man got out of the passenger seat and started talking to the kids. They seemed to know him, so I just sat in the window watching them. He was asking them a lot of questions, like who was supposed to be watching them, why they were outside, had they eaten anything. He seemed angry, and he was pissing me off questioning them like that.

"Yall get in here now," I said more forcefully than I needed to, but my temper was rising.

He looked up at me, and I looked at his ugly face. My expression, I was sure, was saying don't fuck with me. He asked the kids who I was and my baby doll. Joslyn said I was their sitter. His face screwed up even uglier. "Bitch, why you got these kids sitting outside? Why they can't come into the house? They ain't had nothing to eat. What kind of babysitter are you?"

Okay, so now I was super pissed. Just who was bro? "You fucking bastard, you don't even know me. You don't know what the hell you talking about. Yall, get yall asses up here in this house and you sir, you need to get off my property before I call my boys. Notice I said my boys, not the boys."

"You got me fucked up, hoe." He yelled, still advancing on my yard. Truth be told, I didn't need the boys. Me and Nell had fought side by side before, frequently. One time, when my mom was pregnant with my little brother, we had fought each other. I knew she was a beast and could hold her own. Plus, it was one dude.

"Fuck him, Ann," Nell said, beside me. "Nigga, you better be gone by the time I get down there."

He was still talking shit. I knew the kids were in the house now. I was still seeing red. I looked at Nell and she looked at me. "Let's go whoop his ass, Cuzz," she said.

"Damned right," I answered.

She ran down the stairs and outside. I told the kids to get into my room and sit down. Then I ran behind her. When I got down there she was yelling at dude over the waist high gate that separated our front from the back. They were only arguing, but I was mad as hell. "Come on punk. What you going to do? I promise I'm five nothing, but I will give you a run for your money. You soft as medicated cotton." I yelled at him, coming to her side.

He looked at me then, yeah I was scared, but I had a rush going through me. In that moment, I only wanted him dead. The adrenaline was real. He was mouthing off when the driver of the car he was in stepped out. All I could think was big. This bitch was huge. At least 400 pounds. Nell looked at me and said, "I'll be right back. Don't let them in the yard."

I nodded and looked around me for a weapon. There was a set of two by fours laying against the house. I picked it up. It was heavy but okay to swing with. He was rambling with the gate, trying to get in while the fat bitch was cheering him on. What was the issue here, I wondered. These people were supposed to be grown.

"You come in here dude and I'm going to whack the hell out of you!" yelled, read holding the two by four like it was Louisville slugger.

He laughed and finally got the latch to the gate. He came on into the backyard. He walked towards me. He was sweating bullets and looking crazy by the eyes. I wasn't sure if I had the same look or not, but his eyes expressed perfectly what he was feeling. He wanted to hurt me and he would if I let him get close to me. I pushed the fear I felt to the side. I was way more angry than scared and I have a weapon. How dare this random ass dude walk into my yard intending to hurt me? l pulled the block of wood back, aiming low.

The look in his eyes quickly changed to fear. It was then that I realized he didn't think I would stand my ground. He thought I was bullshitting. Boy, did he pick the wrong chic to fuck with today. I swung and with one hit took out his legs. Once he was down, I went for his stomach, which he blocked with his hands and arms. I then went for his face, landing a blow and again and again, anywhere that was open. It felt like five minutes went by, but consciously knowing it was probably only about a few seconds. Me with my trusty two by four whacking at any part of him I could see.

I vaguely heard Nell's crazy ass counting the blows, as well as I knew he was trying to get away. Crawling towards the gate, where his girlfriend was trying to get her fat ass through. I remember my mama telling me, if you kill someone on your property and they intend to do you harm, you can get away with it. Self-defense.

"Turn your punk ass over." I told him, not even recognizing my voice. He turned over and looked me in my eyes, and at that moment he looked like a little boy to me. His face was swollen, and he was bleeding a lot. Where from I couldn't tell you. I was about to tell him to leave again when I saw a blur go by so fast I never even knew it was Nell.

She had two knives in her hand and was kicking the fat bitch's ass and stabbing her at the same time....so that's where she went. To get knives. I ran after her to stop her and now we were back in the front of the house. The fat chic was crying. I was holding my cousin back trying to get her to drop the knives, and dude was limping to his girl.

"Baby, did she stab you?" He asked his girlfriend that dumb ass question. She was leaking, duh of course she was stabbed. He turned to me and my cousin while I still had her in my arms and hit me square in the face.

Time out.

I fell almost like slow motion, not really from his hit.... More from shock. In my time out, I felt it was time for a ten second reflection. In that ten seconds, I went to war with my conscience.

Innocent Anna: No, this bastard didn't just hit me in the face.

Evil Anna: oh yes he did

Innocent Anna: but why

Evil Anna: Because he's a bitch who likes to hit women and abuse kids

Innocent Anna: what should we do?

Evil Anna: KILL THEM BOTH

Still in my daze, I saw him running from Nell, who was trying her best to stab him unsuccessfully. Another car had pulled up and dude was now in the street fighting my cousin Jay. When did he get here? It didn't matter he was whopping dude good. But it wasn't enough for me.

"Nell, give me a knife." I said, not taking my eyes off the men fighting. I saw his girlfriend jump in the car and start it like she was going to leave him, and she did. She pulled off with him, chasing the car. Nell gave me the knife, and I took off after him. With one boot on and one sock and a knife in my hand, I was running as fast as I could. I was so close I could taste it.

The next thing I knew, we were in front of QuikTrip, on Chippewa and Broadway. Nell was on top of the woman's car, stabbing a hole in the roof while the fat chic was driving round and round the parking lot screaming for help. I was still chasing dude who was trying to get in the car, but whenever he got close Nell took a swipe at him. He jumped back every time, just missing my blade as well.

If I wasn't so mad, this would have been hilarious. The picture we all made. Pure ridiculousness. I looked up when I heard sirens. Me and Nell both took off for the house. Yelling at them that if we ever saw them again, we were going to take them out.

The anger wasn't new to me. It was becoming a part of me. Homicidal thoughts were coming way too easy. When we slowed to a walk, I felt the adrenalin leaving my body and stood for a second. I prayed right there for God to take away these thought to not let me be like my father. However, it was in my blood.

When we got home, Charlie was there, as well as Christian and Ryder. Nell and I told them what happened, and we all laughed all night about it. I didn't know dude's name or his chic but I knew if I ever saw them again. I wouldn't stop. I would keep hitting him until he stopped moving. He had it coming. I would hurt no one who didn't.