Thursday night, about 6:45. I'm brushing my teeth in preparation for the meeting of the condo association, of which my fiancee is secretary-treasurer. Over the running water I hear a knock on the door, the rattling of glass, and a male voice talking. He's gone when I come out of the bathroom, and I ask who it was.
"R," said my fiancee, referring to our condo board president. "He wanted to borrow some wine glasses. Jesus, do you know that the girl downstairs got beat up by her boyfriend last night?"
"What?"
"Yeah, you know, J. down in 102. Her boyfriend D., the tall guy, apparently. R. said he was up all night talking to the cops, since he's right underneath them and heard everything."
She didn't have the details, of course, since R. hadn't stayed long. So she grabbed her notebook, I put my shoes on, and we walked down the two flights of stairs to R.'s garden apartment, where we would be having the meeting. After greeting us as cheerily as ever, R. told us the story. I was horrified, but also ashamed.
What I had heard as "Please...(incomprehensible)...please" had actually been J. saying "Police...R., call the police." R. had knocked on their door after hearing those thumps and bangs, but having a more direct vantage point he had also heard, "Stop it, D. Ow! That hurt! Stop, stop, stopstopstop you're choking me!!!" When he knocked on the door, D. had stood in the doorway of the unit blocking her in while she clawed desperately to get past him and escape.
R. went downstairs, called the police, then called B., the board's vice president who lived in the other building of our complex, as reinforcement. B. rushed across the courtyard and up the stairs, knocked on the door, and caught D. as he was coming out with his keys in his hand--essentially fleeing the scene. B. thought faster than I could imagine; she grabbed the keys away from him with one hand and closed J.'s door with the other. D. couldn't get back into the apartment and he couldn't get away. By this time the police had arrived, and R. was giving them a statement. They took D. away.
R. stayed up all night comforting J. and went with her to court in the morning while they both took out a restraining order. Not only must D. stay away from J., he cannot come within 100 feet of the condo property.
Article comments
1 - mschannon
Very powerful and courageous article. It took a lot of guts to write this; I hope others take note and learn from it.
2 - Michael J. West
Thank you.
3 - Dawn
Who hasn't struggled with the "do I get involved" or "mind my own business?" I am sure if you knew someone was getting beaten up, you would have acted. People typically do not like others meddling in their affairs, even the loud public ones.
Thanks for sharing.
4 - Baronius
You didn't ignore a beating, you ignored some sounds that you weren't sure about. But it sounds like your conscience is bothering you. So do yourself a favor: make this about you. Make an honest appraisal of your motives and desicion-making process (based on what you knew at the time), and if you don't like what you see, change it.
5 - Clavos
Been there, done that, MJW; but unlike you, I never had the guts to admit it. My hat's off to you.
I hope I have what it takes to learn something from your article.
6 - Michael J. West
Me, too, Clavos.
Thank you all for your kind words and your advice.
7 - Michael J. West
By the way, J. moved to New Jersey this weekend. R. was actually out helping direct the movers, and J. was inside and packing. I saw her outside later and she looked much better--not just physically better, but she had relief all over her face.
8 - Rodney Welch
Personally, I think it would have made a better story if it ended with you rushing down the stairs, pulling out a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun, and saying "Here ya go, D, choke on this, you worthless misogynistic fuck."
9 - Lady Dragonfyre
Rodney - two thumbs up! :-D
10 - zingzing
i think you shoulda run screaming down the hall with a baseball bat, naked except for a cowboy hat and a belt buckle, beat the fuck twice in the knees, once in the mouth, stuck your dick in his grill and choked him on it while you deposited a cleveland steamer on his chest and shoved his broken teeth into his crying eyes.
oh. my. grammar got a bit muddled there. sorry bout that.
11 - larry
im not sure what i would have done.in some situations you might get your buttt kicked by both of them! i guess just showing yourself may stop the fight.as a security guard i was told to observe from a distancedistance and dial 911. i hope i never have toend up in such a situation