Episode 4

 "So, you think you can help me, Poppy?" asked Stacy.

 "It would be MY PLEASURE to teach this punk ass Jonas a lesson," answered Poppy.  "So he likes to hit women huh?  He just don't know he messed with the WRONG people.  Trust that he WILL know that very well when I am done with him!"

 "I knew YOU of all people would not let me down," said Stacy.

 "Oh, you KNOW it, Stace!  Just meet me at the bar about 6:00 PM, before I open, and we will plan this shit.  Bring me as much information as possible about his whereabouts so we can get this done quick," said Poppy. "I can't wait to see his bitch-ass squirm!"

 "You ain't said nothing but a word, Playa!  I will be there. Lata!" said Stacy, with sweet satisfaction dripping in her voice.

 "Lata, Girl!" said Poppy then he hung up the phone. He then contemplated on exactly how he was going to handle Jonas.

 Jonathan 'Poppy' Wright is a big man.  A REAL big man - 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and weighing in at about 330 lbs.  NO FAT anywhere, just pure muscle from lifting weights at the gym three times a week.  He's been doing it for the last ten years at least.  He makes his living as a bodyguard by day, and a bar owner by night.  Stacy bartends for him on occasion, whenever his regular bartenders pull a no-show, or for special occasions. She always pulls down big bucks whenever she bartends.

He and Stacy grew up together like brother and sister, but in actuality they are cousins – first cousins. Poppy is only 8 months older than Stacy, and their mothers are sisters.  The sisters were inseparable when Stacy and Poppy were babies, so they spent a lot of time together growing up.  Poppy always looked out for Stacy, and since neither of them had siblings (by their mothers anyway), all they had was each other. 

At times, while they were growing up, Poppy felt helpless to help his cousin.  He often spent weeks at Stacy's house when his mom fell ill from sickle cell anemia and had to be hospitalized.  Stacy's father, Paul, was very abusive to her mother - and to her.  He spent many nights comforting Stacy, who would scream and cry uncontrollably as they both heard her father yell at and beat her mom.  He hospitalized her mother every so often, and when this happened, Stacy was there alone with her dad – and he would take his frustrations out on his daughter.  He slapped her around and raped her when her mother wasn't around, and told her that if she told, he'd kill them both – and she knew he meant it. 

On a few occasions, Poppy stayed with them when Stacy's mom was hospitalized.  Her dad came to get Stacy once when they were about 8 or 9 years old, and Poppy got in his face to try and defend her. Paul was a huge man too – almost the same weight and height Poppy is now – and at that time Poppy was no match for her dad.  He punched Poppy so hard that he literally knocked the boy out cold.  He then proceeded to have his way with his hysterical daughter.

 Poppy never forgot that feeling of helplessness after knowing what happened to Stacy.

 A few years ago, Paul was hospitalized with liver disease.  Years of drinking and abuse had finally caught up to him. He was sick but was expected to recover enough to go home in a few days. Stacy could never bring herself to visit or talk to Paul after she left home for good.  Poppy proposed they pay him a 'farewell' visit, and they could let him know how they felt all these years – and bury the past behind them.

They appeared at the hospital to visit Paul, unannounced.  Poppy was dressed in a doctor's coat and rubber gloves, and Stacy was in scrubs. Paul was sleeping peacefully.  Poppy took the IV that was running into his arm and disconnected it from the port in his arm, took another syringe and injected an air bubble into his arm.  He then reconnected the IV and they quietly left the room.  An hour and a half later, a nurse found Paul dead.

  Poppy was NOT a man to be messed with.  And you DON'T mess with HIS.

 ***********************

 Stacy met Poppy at the bar at 6:15 PM to go over their plans for Jonas.  Stacy had found out through Sheila, who was staying with Stacy until she found a place of her own, that Jonas had called and wanted to set up an appointment to see her and talk to her.  He had apologized profusely to her for hitting her and cheating on her, and begged her to come home.  She told Stacy she was through with him and didn't want to see him at all anymore.  However, Stacy told Sheila to tell Jonas that she would meet him tomorrow night at 7:00 PM at his house to talk.

 "Good.  Tell Sheila to stay at home.  I will meet Jonas at 7:00 PM tomorrow … and take care of everything," Poppy said.

 "Not a problem, Cuz.  You need me to be there with you?  I want to SEE this!" said Stacy, licking her lips at the thought of watching Poppy taking out her revenge on Jonas.

 "I think it would be better if you stayed away from this one," said Poppy, with cold concern in his voice for his cousin.  "I don't want to see you get burned if something goes down wrong, you understand me?"

 "Yeah, Cuz.  I actually figured you would say that.  But I want to see his ass pay so bad, it makes me almost have a fucking orgasm!" said Stacy.

 "I know Stace, I know, but I really want you to stay away this time,"  said Poppy.  "Go make sure the Sheila is OK and tell her not to worry. Poppy will take care of everything."

***************

 The next evening, Jonas is sitting in his apartment, drinking a beer and watching TV, waiting for Sheila to arrive.  It is 7:15 PM.

 I'll beg her ass back as always, thought Jonas.  She loves me and I know she ain't goin' nowhere.  That big ass freak of a friend of hers ain't got nothin' on me… he thought to himself.  He was beginning to grow irritated because Sheila was late – he HATES lateness with a passion.

 Three large, muscle-bound men, each well over 6 feet tall, slowly walk up to Jonas' door.   One of the men knocks on the door and waits.

 "Damn Bitch, you kept me waiting long…" Jonas started to say as he answered the door.  He stopped cold in his tracks when he saw the three men.

 "You Jonas?" one of the men asks.

 "Yeah," Jonas said. "Who the fuck wants to know?"

 As soon as he gets the words out, one of the men punches him in the face so hard, blood spurts from his nose and mouth, and he's knocked several feet back into the room.

 "What the..," Jonas starts to say again as he gets punched again, and the two other men kick and punch him to the floor.

 "Stop!  That's good enough for now," said Poppy.  "We are gonna have a GOOD time tonight!"

 "Who are you?  What do you want?" Jonas manages to say, holding his stomach and bleeding from his nose and mouth.

 "I hear you like to hit women.  I don't like men - excuse me, COWARDS - who hit on women. Makes me VERY angry," said Poppy.  "You were waiting on someone?  A BITCH?  Is that what I heard you say?"

 Jonas just sat there and stared at him.  He knew he was going to get beat down, no matter what he said.  He just decided to take it like a man – he had no other choice.  He just hoped he lived to see the next day.

"I'm gonna show you exactly what it's like to be a BITCH, muthafucka," said Poppy angrily.  He then pulled out his gun – a huge chrome Magnum – and held it against Jonas' head.

 "Strip!" yelled Poppy.

 "What?" said Jonas, totally stunned.

 Poppy cocked the gun, still pressed against Jonas' temple, and said, "I told you to STRIP, mothafucka – or I will spill your brains on this floor right NOW!"  

 Jonas didn't want to go out like a punk, but he didn't want to die tonight either.  Anger and fear flushed his face and made his body quiver as he took off his clothes.  He sat there, humiliated, angry and naked, and just stared at the men.

 "We're gonna show you just what it's like to be a BITCH!  You wanna hit on women, Bitch ass? Then that's just what you gonna be – a BITCH ASS!"  Poppy said to Jonas.

 "Yo man, get over here and do your THANG!"  Poppy motions to one of the men, who walks over and stares at Jonas, standing directly in front of him.

 "Suck it, Nigga!"  the man commanded Jonas, as he unzipped his pants and pulled out his penis.  Jonas was totally sickened at the thought, and suddenly became very sick to his stomach.  Poppy pressed the gun even harder on Jonas' temple.

 "Do as the man says if you wanna see tomorrow," said Poppy.  He had brought Lenny because Poppy knew he was bisexual, and would be down for something like this.  Lenny doesn't like woman beaters either.

Jonas knew he had no choice but to comply if he had any chance on surviving this night, and so he did as he was told.  Afterward, Lenny proceeded to turn Jonas around and penetrate him from behind. Jonas screamed in pain as Lenny's violent thrusts tore into his flesh, over and over again.

 Two hours later, when they were through violating and beating Jonas, the three men left him in a bloody, sobbing and naked heap in the middle of his living room floor.

 "Who's the BITCH NOW, muthafucka?" Poppy said.  He then bent down close to Jonas, his face barely an inch away him his, and said menacingly, "If I EVER hear of you abusing another woman, I PROMISE you, when you see ME again - I will be the LAST thing you EVER see!"

Poppy then stood back up on his feet and headed for the door.  The men then followed behind, and they left silently, closing the door behind them.

 ********************

 KNOCK!   KNOCK!   KNOCK!

 Stacy and Sheila both woke up from their sleep to loud banging on Stacy's door.   Sheila was in the bed and Stacy slept on the couch across the room. 

 "OPEN UP!  THIS IS THE POLICE!" a voice yells from the other side of the door.  Stacy and Sheila glance at each other and wonder what's going on.  It is 6:30 AM.

 "OPEN UP!  We have an arrest warrant for Sheila Armstrong!" 

COPYRIGHT .2007, RM Green.  All Rights Reserved.