Saturday, October 04, 2008

Tiny But Deadly


It was around 10:30 pm last night and my little sister had gone up the block to the store with a friend. Ten minutes later my brother’s cell phone rang and he tore through the living room pulling a shirt over his head with his two buddies Chimmy and Immigrant running behind him. “What’s going on?” my mother asked “Caity just called some guy is harassing her up on the hill. I’m going to get her.” I dialed my sister’s number and she picked up on the second ring, “What happened Caity?” I could hear some commotion in the background a guy talking to her. “Get the fuck off me! Don’t be touching me I don’t know you! ” She barked at him. “Where’s Stevie?” “He just left.” “Aight, I’m walking down the hill right now. Mia I’m going to hang up I need my hands free just in case. These chicken heads are talking mad crap. ” “Caity where’s Gia?” “Right here, they’re not messing with her just me.” “Give her the phone.” Gia got on and gave me a quick run down. They were being harassed by 3 guys and 2 girls. One of the girls lived in our building. Gia added that they were not in any danger unless you consider 3 guys whining like bitches because Caity wouldn’t give them the time of day dangerous. “Gia, where are you now?” I asked “We’re on the block already, under the big tree. I can see Stevie. I’m going to hang up now see you in a few minutes.”



I recounted what Gia had just told me to my mother. She nodded her head and made her way to the living room window, no doubt to see if she spotted the kids between the dense green afro the tree in front of our window was rocking. “That’s the last time she leaves this house at this hour without one of us. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”

She glanced out the window to the parking lot below us. A fight was about to break out. Four girls stood illuminated under the lamp post arguing back and forth. Two girls broke away and began a half-hearted hair pulling contest. The other two continued to argue and when the smaller one made an attempt to walk away the other girl yanked her back by her hoody and slapped her across the face. All hell broke loose when the little one reared back and punched the taller girl in the face. The other two girls immediately stopped fighting to watch the girls and then one ran into the building.

As the taller girl tried to fight back the smaller one started raining haymakers on the female. “Oh my god what the hell is going on tonight?” my mother asked. “Pa is getting dressed now he’s going downstairs. He tried to call Stevie and Caity but no one is picking up. Most likely they’re in the elevator.” My mother nodded her head her eyes focused on what was going on in the parking lot. “Maybe your dad will know who those girls belong to and he can get their parents.” “True.” “Wow that little one can fight.” She said. My mother’s head tilted to the side something had caught her attention; the little one smashed her forearm across the taller girl’s face sending the girl staggering backwards. Then the little girl delivered a drop kick that sent the taller girl sprawling onto the ground and she stomped on her shoulder. “Oh my god! I know that move…your uncle Tank does that.” Slowly a look of fear crossed my mother’s face, “Mia was Caitlin wearing her cream and pink hoody?” I nodded my head. The taller girl got up and lunged at the small girl but she was ready for her. The little girl held her fists in front of her face bobbing and weaving around the girl looking for an open spot she danced to the side of the tall girl and delivered two rapid fire kicks to the back of the tall girl’s knees knocking her back onto the ground. “Shit! That’s Caitlin fighting! Where’s Steven?” My mom yelled. I dialed his number again as I slipped on my sneakers.No one picked up.

My mother’s eyes scanned the parking lot. On the opposite side of the lot in the darkest area ringed in by dense trees in between two parked cars she found what she was looking for, six guys were fighting mom couldn’t tell who they were but suspected it was Steven and his friends. “William! Those are our kids fighting down there!” My father looked out the window his hand landed on my shoulder, “Let’s go Mia.” My mother moved to join us and he pointed a finger at her, “Maggie stay !” My mother’s temper is legendary the last thing we needed was her down there as well.

The guy looked worn out as we ran into the parking lot he had taken a serious pounding he looked as if he couldn’t take anymore. Steven however looked like he could go a few more rounds. Finally Steven threw a punch that knocked the guy out. He bent over and picked the guy up and leaned him against a car. The guy couldn’t stand straight so Steven sat him on the ground with his head between his knees. The guys’ friends ran out of the parking lot to get away from the beat down Chimmy and Immigrant had been dispensing to them.

Spotting my sister still swinging away on the other side my father yelled, “Caitlin stop!” The tall girl was on the ground again and put her hands up as if in surrender shaking her head back and forth. Caitlin looked up and relaxed holding her hand out to help the tall girl up. The tall girl grabbed onto Caity’s hair. That seemed to have given Caity an extra boost of energy because she head butted the girl in the face. When the tall girl fell back she really went to town on her ass. She pinned her shoulders to the ground with her knees and let loose a flurry of rapid fire punches all over the girl’s face, satisfied that the tall girl was staying down Caity got up.

Someone had called the cops; the police siren could be heard making its way closer towards my house. My little sister was walking towards us when she looked back at the girl. The girl was trying to get on her feet staggering and almost fell. Caity walked back towards her and steadied her. “Take her home.” She said as she handed her off to the girl’s friend. The girl was a mess. In comparison Caity had one red blotch on her left cheek from where the girl had slapped her with her cell phone.

I know it was wrong but I was so proud of my little sister. I’ve always worried about her. Growing up I was the tomboy the one who played football, stick ball, handball with the guys and rough housed with my uncles. Caitlin had always been this little delicate thing who preferred gentler things like designing clothing, sewing and painting. She was accessorizing her own wardrobe by the age of 8. I didn’t start carrying a handbag until my 20’s. It seemed my uncle Tank had been worried about her too and had recently started giving her self-defense lessons on the down low.


Several minutes after we made our way into our apartment an ambulance arrived for the girl Caitlin had beaten up. Fifteen minutes later the police knocked on our door. The four cops were the biggest buffest cops I’ve ever seen it was as if the NYPD had picked them out of some superior genetic gene pool. Caitlin came to the door when mom called her and cops seemed shock when they saw her little petite self. I guess they expected a big bully type of female. “She’s the one that was fighting?”One of the cops asked my parents incredulously. “This little thing? How old is she?” “17” my mom replied. The big burly cops just melted when they saw her. She looked up at them with her doe eyes and then hung her head down in shame. You could see the “awwww” expression on their faces.

Caity explained what had happened: the guy 22 years old had been trying to “holla” at her and when she turned her back on him to walk towards our brother he pushed her. When Steven saw that he charged at the guy punching him in the face and they’d started to fight. His friends jumped in and that’s when Chimmy and Immigrant jumped in as well. Caitlin was trying to cross the parking lot to make it into our building and get our dad when the tall girl and her friend attacked Caitlin and her friend.

After hearing Caitlin’s version of the story the cops seemed more protective of Caitlin. One of the officers pulled her face up to see the damage to her face. “I never would have hit her but she hit me first.” The other’s shook their heads and one said, “I can’t believe she did all that damage to that girl by herself. She is so little.” “Don’t fall asleep on my girls” my father proudly said “They’re tiny but deadly.” The officer looked at my brother and told us “the guy is not interested in pressing charges against you. In fact he’s saying he was attacked by four guys from up the hill.” Steven shook his head, “No sir, no one but me hit him and I only did it because I saw him pushing my sister. He has no business putting his hands on my little sister.” “How old are you son?” “19, sir.” The cop slapped Steven on the back and the other cops laughed. “I would have done the same exact thing if I had been in your shoes. Don’t worry about it.”

Caity was the one in trouble the officer added the girl’s mother wanted to press charges against Caitlin. After hearing the catalog of damage inflicted by my sister I could understand why. Caitlin had not only given the girl two black eyes and knocked out one of front teeth but she had also managed to fracture her nose according to the officer. The elevator door opened and the girl’s mother stepped out charging towards Caitlin, “Oh hell no.” my mother said and charged to meet her. The cops formed a protective ring around Caitlin. They weren’t about to let anyone touch her. The woman was adamant she wanted Caitlin arrested on the spot. She finally backed down when the police officers informed her that if they arrested Caitlin they were going to arrest her daughter as well. We have to bring in Caitlin to the precinct to talk with detectives tomorrow.

Labels: family

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