System of a Clown

Story Sent in by Olivia:

Roger and I were both into the same types of music. He took me out to a couple of concerts and to dinner, and I liked the time I spent with him.

Not long after we started to date, he told me that he was having a new sound system installed in his car. I had never been in his car to have heard his old system, but he assured me that the new one was amazing: seven speakers, a huge subwoofer, and capable of being heard from blocks and blocks away. I told him that I looked forward to hearing it in action.

I didn't have long to wait. By the next time we went out, it had been installed. He picked me up and we went for a drive.

At first, he played the music very low. Then, he stopped the car and asked me, "Ready?"

I replied, "Yeah. Not too loud."

Apparently, he didn't hear my request, because he blasted it loud enough to shake the pavement beneath us. I reached for the volume, but he cupped my face in his hands and tried to kiss me.

I tore away and hit the system's power button. I asked him, "Okay, what was that about?"

He hit the power button again, and the music shook the car. Once more, he opened his mouth and went for my face. I shoved him away and stopped the music.

He said, "I'm sorry. That isn't me. The music, you know? It makes me want to just—"

He hit the power button again and dove for my face. I jumped out of and away from the car. He also jumped out of it and walked toward me, his hands out as if to grab me and his tongue wagging from side to side.

"Stay away from me!" I said, and when it was clear that he wasn't going to do that, I ran. For about five minutes solid, I tore off until I couldn't hear his music or his footsteps any longer.

He called me, and I picked up. He said, "I'm so sorry. It's the music. When I hear it like that it feels like I can do anything. I have to learn to use its power wisely. Come on back."

He must have heard the shake in my voice. "I think I'm good. Maybe we can hang out again at another concert or something."

He didn't respond right away, but when he did, he said, "But the music is off, now. I'm all better. Come back."

"No."

Another long stretch of silence. Then, he said, "But I'm all better now. The music has stopped. Come back."

I said, "Why don't you call me next week? We can figure it all out, then."

"Figure what out?" he asked, "It's the music! Not me! I just have to use it responsibly." All of a sudden, music came up in the background on his end of the phone. It grew louder and louder until he said, "Oh God! Where are you? I'm gonna drive around until I find you and take you!"

I hung up, hurried away from where I was, and called a friend to pick me up. I was concerned, as Roger knew where I lived. However, he never came by, and I ignored his further messages.