Rapist!

The next day, Davis was on his way to get Madeline sanitary pads from the store when he noticed the gazes on him were awkward and more than usual.

He thought to himself that all the people in the street would never let him breathe. They kept on whispering and pointing at him but he shrugged it off.

When he returned from the store and was about to make his way to the quarters behind the main building where he stayed with Madeline, Susan, and James stopped him.

“You this crook and infidelity man!” Susan hollered, charging at him.

Before Davis could understand what was going on, a resounding slap landed on his face. “How dare you attempt to rape Lisa Sprinkle?!”

“W—what?!” Davis blurted out, taken aback and speechless.

Susan gave him yet another slap.

Slap!

Slap!

“You good for nothing thing!” James bellowed, pushing him by the shoulder. “My daughter married someone as wretched as you, we provide you shelter, feed you and you go around trying to get under a married woman’s skirt?!”

By now, the scene had already attracted a crowd. The residents had swarmed out of their homes to watch a free entertainment show and most were even laughing at Davis.

Madeline seemed to have gotten a hold of the noise as she also emerged. “Mum, Dad, what's going on?”

“Your filthy husband tried to rape ME!” Lisa Sprinkle’s tiny voice hissed out of the crowd as she came into the scene.

Madeline gasped, disbelief contorting her face. “Davis, you did WHAT?!” She held her hips, peering into him with disgust.

Still bewildered by the false accusations, Davis stammered, "I — I didn't do anything! I swear. I — she asked me to help her get some beverages. I went to keep them in the freezer for her and she came on me. She really was the one who….”

Lisa Sprinkle didn't allow him to finish. “I did what, you liar! You are a danger to society. You wait and see what I’d do to you. Or wait until my husband gets back from the military. You will be done for!”

Davis couldn't believe his ears. Women were venomous. How Lisa Sprinkle tried to change the narrative so fast even when he was the victim was palpable. Shaking with disbelief, Davis tried to defend himself regardless.

“Please, try to listen to me. I can never attempt to rape anyone. I was going to help Lisa keep the beverages in her freezer and then, she tried to get me to….”

James was the one who countered him this time as he shoved him against a wall. “You're a disgrace to this family, preying on innocent women even as wretched as you are!”

The giggles that emanated from the crowd at seeing Davis get huddled against the wall like a child felt like daggers puncturing his heart. He was helpless and had no evidence. But in all sincerity, Lisa didn't have the evidence for her claims either.

An idea struck him. Davis turned to Lisa Sprinkle. “What evidence do you have to back up your claims?”

All eyes turned to her now. Davis could see that she was struggling to find words. The attention fixated on her wasn't what she was expecting. Finally, “I — my…. Evidence is that I spoke up. If I were the culprit, I would never have had the balls to accuse you who is the victim. It's the same way you who is the culprit have been quiet about it. Had you been the victim, you would have told your wife at least. So, quit lying you rapist!” She thundered.

Davis felt a surge of frustration at Lisa's response, realizing the difficulty of proving his innocence in the court of public opinion. The crowd seemed torn between skepticism and curiosity, waiting for someone to break the deadlock. However, Davis could tell that they all would rather believe Lisa Sprinkle over him.

“Davis, tell me this isn't true, you moron!” Madeline screamed at him.

Davis shook his head, desperation in his eyes. "No, Madeline. I would never do such a thing. You have to believe me."

Someone from the crowd interjected. “He's definitely lying to you after leaching off you for years. He's a good-for-nothing man, Madeline!”

Lisa Sprinkle, seeing an opportunity to solidify her narrative, chimed in, "He's just trying to manipulate you, Madeline. Don't let him deceive you any further."

James stepped forward, his anger unabated. "Madeline, we've provided for him for years, and this is how he repays us? By bringing shame to our family!"

The way James was saying they provided for him as though he didn't work his ass out every day to pay for whatever debt they thought he owed them made Davis's blood boil. He barely eats once a day had it not been for Evelina who sometimes sneaks food out for him.

She was out for work now else, she’d have been the only one believing in him and defending him here.

The neighborhood's whispers grew louder, and the crowd's judgmental eyes weighed heavily on Davis. With a heavy heart, he realized the depth of the predicament he was in. It wasn't a simple case to be accused of rape.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the suspense. It was Mrs. Beverly, a neighbor known for her wisdom but also regarded as mentally unstable because of how much she talked to herself ever since she lost her family to a plane crash. She lived just opposite Lisa Sprinkle’s house. “Before we pass judgment, let's consider the lack of evidence. Accusations alone shouldn't define guilt."

FINALLY! Someone reasonable in this godforsaken neighborhood; Davis sighed in relief.

Some of the people in the crowd nodded in agreement, while others remained unconvinced. It would take the end of the world for some of them to trust him.

Davis seized the moment to plead his case. "I understand the seriousness of the accusation, but there's no evidence to support it. I urge you to think before condemning me." He confronted Lisa directly again but just like the previous time, she wouldn't look at him.

The liar!

Lisa Sprinkle hesitated for a moment but quickly regained composure. "I'm absolutely sure. Why would I lie about something like this?"

“Then take him to court or whatever.” Evelina’s voice declared and everyone muted, watching her emerging from behind the crowd.

She was back from work!

She walked directly to Lisa Sprinkle. “If you are so sure Davis did whatever you are accusing him of, we will be waiting here for a lawsuit. Bring it on.” She let out, took Davis’s hand, and walked him out of the crowd.

“EVELINA, you brat!” Susan screamed after them but she paid her mother no attention.

Davis had never felt so emotional all his life. Having a woman who believed in him standing up for him publicly melted his heart.

When they arrived behind the house, she brought out a pack of burgers and handed it to him. “I guess I now know why I felt the urge to buy extra burgers.” She chuckled sheepishly. “I know Mum won't feed you for the rest of the day, if not more. You can have this for sustarunace.” She handed it to him.

Davis took it, gazing at her with gratitude. “Thank you, Evelina. Really, thank you.” He sniffed, eyes getting glossy.

Evelina patted him on the shoulder. “You don't have to thank me, Davis. I know you are a not a bad person and I know how corny Lisa Sprinkle can be.”

“Still. No one saw what you saw in me except for Mrs. Beverly who I don't even know if she had said that in a correct state of mind or…” He circles a finger on his skull, indicating Mrs. Beverly mental condition and Evelina laughed.

“Now, I have to go face Mum and Dad for defending you.” She grinned and kept her bag in place. “Bye, Davis.”

Davis nodded. “Bye.”

Evelina was barely six feet away when she bumped into Madeline who probably came to look for Davis or go inside. “I'm not shocked by your actions, Evelina.” She spat at the poor girl. “You are both losers.”

“And you, Madeline, are a sickle woman who had her husband bankrupt all for her medical bills.” Evelina fired back and walked.

Awestruck, “What did you just say, EVELINA, you brat!”

“She always gets in trouble because of me.” Davis sighed and looked down at the burgers she gave him.

He couldn't be more thankful for it. He was famished. Madeline, however, turned that into a distant dream as she snatched the burgers from him. “How dare you try to eat, you rapist!” She bellowed, threw the burgers on the floor and squished it dirty with her sandal. “I curse the day I met you!” She added and stormed into the house.

A tear escaped Davis’s eyes, but he wiped it off immediately. ”This is so unfair.” He murmured. “Why does nothing ever work out for me? Am I cursed?”