A Lesson Learned

Chapter 27 - Back to Love (Part 2)

Here it is now.. the final part of a Lesson Learned (thank you for reading!)

The question pained him to answer, so instead he acted like he hadn't heard it.

"Ahmad why didn't you go to the police?" Charles asked again standing over Ahmad with his arms folded.

Ahmad was beyond embarrassed that he again hadn't used his head. He suddenly found a stain on the carpet to be of great interest as he responded, "I, I was afraid okay. I just wanted to get out of there. I wasn't thinking, you don't know what he did..."

"Ahmad that's because you won't fucking tell me!" Charles responded in frustration. Sensing that getting angry at Ahmad wouldn't get him anywhere, he calmed down in a dramatic sigh. "Ahmad you haven't said anything about what really went down for the past month. Just tell me."

Ahmad looked up as his friend glared at him, but didn't say a word.

"Ahmad why won't you tell me what happened to you?" Charles asked in concern. He sensed whatever had happened to Ahmad must have been really fucked up. He wanted to kill Darius for fucking with his best friend, but what was even crazier, Ahmad seemed to be hiding it. He was still protecting Darius.

"Charley it's fine okay, why won't you let this go?" Ahmad feigned frustration. Truth was he was getting a little flustered with all the attention his friends were giving him since his return, but he was more afraid of them uncovering the abuse he endured. He hid it like it was a crime he had committed. He was the victim, but he was acting like the criminal.

"Ahmad you been fucking missing for weeks! I'm happy as shit that you're free, trust me, but you obviously aren't fine. Look at you, you look thin as shit, I noticed you got bruises on you, but yet and still you're still covering for Darius? Why? Are you still afraid of this nigga?" Charles was so upset that his hands began to shake. He couldn't wrap his mind around why Ahmad was trying to sweep this all under the rug.

"I'm fine damn! Why is everyone tripping!" Ahmad got up trying to find a room to dodge Charles and this conversation.

"We all thought you were in Canada and it turns out this whole time you were locked up in an apartment with that nigga! How can you expect us to be fine with all this? We not suppose to trip?" Charles was in Ahmad's personal space now. "Answer this, why the fuck did he lock you away Ahmad? What happened? What did he do to you?"

"Charles you really need to back off bro, I'm dead serious! Just leave this shit alone!" Ahmad pushed Charles away feeling smothered.

Did Charles really want to hear Ahmad's answer? That Ahmad was stupid? That he was still too weak and afraid to stand up against Darius? But he knew deep down that he couldn't let the man get away with this. But the decision weighed heavy on him, he would destroy Darius, and while it would be well deserved, did Taliah and their new born child deserve to have their family torn apart? Ahmad could find vengeance in tearing up their world just as Hurricane Darius had tore up his own, but it was eating away at Ahmad's conscience. Ahmad's friends only saw Darius as a monster that Ahmad had to rid of his life, but they didn't have to make the decisions he did. The power to destroy someone's life all rested in hands alone.

Charles knew his friend was going to need serious therapy. He was bottling up the experience and nothing good would come of it. Ahmad was certainly a victim in this. He had read somewhere about how victims blame themselves and rationalized the abuse they received as being deserved. He was sure Ahmad was thinking like that, and it bothered him that he couldn't see that he needed to man the fuck up! Darius needed to pay for what he did, and Ahmad needed to tell the police! There would be no case without a victim coming forward, but Ahmad was being tight lipped about the whole ordeal. Charles would let this go for the moment, but for how long he was not certain.