tonight i almost had to call 911 on a guy under my window chasing a woman down the street.

i was checking my email when i heard a woman scream, stop it!

it was loud. you think it's a cliche when you read that a 'scream pierced the air' but that's what it did. it didn't sound like a girl screaming with laughter. it sounded like a scream. the guys who live across the street from me thought so, too. they ran to their windows as i ran to mine. i couldn't get a good view from my bedroom so i hurried into the kitchen, yanked down the window without a screen, so i could poke my head all the way out. this is what i saw:

a white woman with short brown hair, running diagonally across the street, away from the direction of the little mafia row of houses. it was so quiet i could hear her shoes on the concrete. she was on her phone, screaming 'stop it' to a white man in a blue track jacket and jeans; he had short light brown hair. she kept dodging behind cars and he kept blocking her. another woman from a building behind me was yelling down, 'leave her alone' and the girl ran into the alley behind my building while a man from the direction of my building walked past her, looking at her over his shoulder as he walked away from them. she was yelling, 'get away from me, leave me alone!'

the man with short brown hair kept coming after her saying 'you owe me my money, give me my 800 dollars!" under my window, he grabbed her by the hair. i yelled out the window, 'hey! i will call the fucking cops on you! step away from her!' he looked around a little and grabbed her jaw and was forcing her to turn toward him when i yelled again 'hey, get the fuck away from her!' she twisted away. i forgot my cell phone in my bedroom so by the time i was back in the kitchen with my finger on the 911 button (i have them on speed dial), they were gone.

it was silent. i checked my remote camera for the back door, the alley, the side street, the front stoop. not a sign of either of them. no more screaming. i hope she managed to get to her car.

and if i find out he's a neighbor i'm telling my landlord.