by Jamela
Marie stopped what she was doing in the kitchen and came over to Denise. She wrapped her loving arms around her and rocked Denise back and forth as if she were a toddler needing comfort. “Denise, I know it’s hard. But we, Calvin and I, are here for you. He’ll be here in about an hour and we can all figure this out together. Please don’t let this get you down. You can’t allow Damon to have that much power over you. If you do, you’re allowing him to control you instead of you taking control. Besides, your parents did a good job of raising you. It’s just a good thing they aren’t alive to see any of this. If they were, Damon wouldn’t be testing you like this. I’m sure of that. Why didn’t you tell me that he was seeing a shrink when I mentioned it yesterday? I was serious about him needing one, but I did not know that he had been diagnosed with serious mental illness.” Marie chided gently.
“You sound exactly like the counselor. She gave me some things to do to change my frame of mind. She was a battered wife and her situation was much like mine. The physical abuse started suddenly. Or so she thought, but that’s why she helps out at the center now, so other women don’t have to go through the same things she went through. Her husband shot her three times in the chest when he thought she was going to leave him. I just need to think, ‘cause Marie I still love him. I’m so happy the children are at his mother’s place for the summer. I don’t ever want them to know about all of this and I have to think about their lives, too. It’s not just me. Oh God, give me the strength to make it through this. Help me to come out on top.” Denise said through tears.
Marie couldn’t do anything but hold her and wait for her to stop crying. After a while, she got up to check the food. She didn’t wanna talk too much. Denise had enough on her mind. And she realized that Denise was not happy with the realization that she was an abused wife, but it must be difficult to know that and still be in love with the person. Surprisingly, Marie found herself wiping her eyes as she softly sobbed for her sister. There was only so much she could help her with and the rest was up to Denise.
The doorbell rang and Marie jumped. “It must be Calvin”, she thought as she walked to the door. She looked out the peephole to be sure before she opened the door. “Hi baby. Thank you so much for coming.” She said as he stepped through the thresh hold and she hugged and kissed him.
“Hello Denise. I see the both of you have been crying. Do I need to leave and come back in a couple of hours?” He asked trying to lighten the mood.
“No. You need to be right where you are. Here.” Denise blurted out. “I have a major problem and I really need your help. Thank you for coming.” Denise said going to get tissue for her nose.
Calvin put his briefcase down and shook his head. He saw a large number of abused spouses in his law firm since their practice specialized in family law. It was never easy to see and it was even more amazing what some people put up with in the name of love, or out of fear. Marie went into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner. She announced that it would be ready in about an hour and they could talk things out as they waited.
The three of them sat down at the table and tried to figure a few things out. Denise told Calvin about her relationship with Damon. Calvin asked questions about instances where Damon had become violent. Were there any witnesses? How often did it happen? Was it just yelling, or when did it become physical? How did he treat the boys? Were they being abused as well? Did she think he would harm them? The questions seemed endless, but she knew they were for her own good.
Denise answered the questions, then told Calvin about the message Damon had left. Calvin listened to it then asked Marie if he could take the tape with him. He wanted to make a copy of it. It would help in getting the restraining order, coupled with the bruises. He told Denise that they should get it the next day. She should not meet with Damon alone under any circumstances. She should keep a low profile for a few days. The sheriff would notify Damon as to his rights. They talked over some other things and made arrangements for Denise to move out. Fortunately Calvin owned an apartment building. He would lease a unit to Denise for a small fee until she got back on her feet. It was large enough for her and the boys.
Understandably, Denise was concerned about how the children would take all of this. She did not want them to be in danger. She realized that Damon might do more than just try to choke her. Even though she didn’t know why he had behaved that way, it was unacceptable. And more importantly, she did not want to subject her children to being hurt by him. Calvin and Marie agreed with her on these things. Finally they ate dinner. When it was over, Denise excused herself saying she had a letter to write.
“Calvin, I’m so worried about her. I never ever wanted her to be hurt this way. I know it’s hard for her and I hate that I can’t do anything for her.” She lamented putting her head on his shoulder.
“I know. But she has a good head on her shoulders. I just wish she had realized things sooner. We are going first thing in the morning to get that protective order against Damon. Marie, I’m afraid he may try to kill her. He hasn’t said it outright, but his actions have certainly said it loud and clear. I’ve only known her a short time, but I can see she’s a good, intelligent woman. She knows what she has to do. And she’ll make the right choices.” He said squeezing Marie to him.
After about an hour, Calvin left. He had some casework to do at home. Marie cleaned up the kitchen. When she was done she knocked on the door of the guestroom. “Denise, are you still up?”
“Yeah, just finishing up the letter. Come on in.” She said shifting her sitting position. Here I want you to read this. It’s a poem that sort of describes my relationship with Damon. Tell me what you think.” She said handing Marie a sheet of paper.
Because I Love You
We plan beautiful things to do
And you never follow through.
When we’re out with our friends
You belittle, embarrass and offend.
When I do things wrong and realize
You hit me then turn and apologize.
I do exactly as you instruct
It’s wrong, I’m stupid and stuck.
You profess undying love for me
If you can’t have me, dead I’ll be.
I love you deeply as I mend
I’ve had and raised your children.
I’ve cared for you when you were ill
My family says go, leave the bills.
You’re just no good through and through
But I know I can’t, because I love you.
Marie looked at the poem and could not believe what she saw. “Denise, are you planning to give this to Damon?”
“Yes I am. I want him to understand how much he has hurt me. You know, I’ve been thinking a lot today. I’ve had the time to do that. I came to the conclusion that Damon has always been abusive. Do you remember when we were in high school and he picked me up and put me in my seat?” Denise asked looking at the poem.
“Yeah, I remember. He told you not to talk to anyone else and that you came to school to get an education, not to socialize. And then from that day forward, he walked you to all of your classes. I remember all of the girls at school being jealous and saying how strong he was.” She said sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Right, but what I didn’t tell you was that when he came over that afternoon, he told me that if he ever caught me talking to someone else, he’d kill me. I didn’t worry about it ‘cause I wasn’t interested in anyone else. If I had paid attention, I would have noticed the possessiveness and the obsession with me then.” She said shaking her head.
“Denise, they say love is blind. Remember? There’s even a song about it. But, you can beat this. You don’t have to end up that way because you have the blinders off.” Marie said patting her on the shoulder. “You know I love you and I’ll be here for you no matter what. Why don’t you try to get some sleep? You’ll have a busy day tomorrow.” She said standing and giving Denise a motherly hug.
Marie went into
her bedroom. She showered put on her PJ’s and knelt down to pray. Though she wasn’t an avidly religious woman, she did have faith and believe in God. If anyone needed God right now, it was Denise. She was worried Damon would somehow do something stupid and hurt Denise. Once she’d finished praying and asking God for help, she decided Denise shouldn’t go to work for a few days. Damon might try to look for her there. She climbed into bed and soon drifted off into a restless sleep.
The next morning Denise was up at the crack of dawn. She was up and showered and dressed before Marie even woke up. She left a note explaining where she was going and what her plans were for the day. Marie jumped on the phone and called Calvin. “Good morning baby. I love you and I need to make you aware of something. Denise has already left. She said she would meet you at the courthouse at 9am. She has a letter for Damon that she would like the sheriff to serve with the protection order.” She said.
“Okay, good. I’ve got about an hour. I’ll call you when I’m through with her. You and I need to talk about how to move her out of that house with Damon. It’ll take a while to get the order on this short notice, so it may be near lunchtime when I’m done. I love you and I’ll talk to you later.” He said blowing a kiss into the phone.
Calvin got up, showered, dressed and headed to the office. It was right next to the courthouse so it wouldn’t take long for him to get next door to meet Denise. He informed his boss of the new development and that he would be tied up for the better part of the day, if not the whole thing. He instructed his secretary to take messages from any callers. At 8:45am, Calvin left his office to go next door. As he walked out of the building, he saw a car driving unusually slow. He kept his eyes open for Denise. He took another look at the car and became worried. But, it was for nothing. It wasn’t Damon in the car. He walked into the building and Denise was sitting inside. They walked back to the counter to file the necessary paperwork for the order of protection. Calvin wanted to speak to the judge directly and he was glad the judge on this was a friend of his and he could pull a few strings.
It didn’t take the whole day, but they didn’t get finished with all of the paperwork until 2pm. When Calvin played the answering machine tape, the judge signed the order. Denise told about the choking incident and the bruise on her face. Calvin called Marie to let her know how things had gone. Denise was going to run a couple of errands. She had called earlier and Damon was working. He was on duty at the juvenile detention center. So, Denise decided to go by her house to pick up some clothes and a few other things. The sheriff would serve Damon at home later.
Before she went home, she decided to stop and get something to eat. She realized she hadn’t had anything since last night and she wasn’t feeling well. Denise drove to the nearest fast food place and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich combo. As she was about to drive around to pay for her order, she felt something wasn’t right. She turned to look around checking if she saw anything unusual and then slumped over onto the seat.
The car behind Denise honked its horn for a few moments when Denise didn’t drive up. The woman got out to see why the car wasn’t moving. Once she got to Denise’s car and saw Denise, she began screaming. She saw blood splattered inside the car. She ran inside to let the manager know what had happened.
******************
Damon had been following Denise all morning. He didn’t know where Marie lived, but he knew she had to be staying there. He figured she would go to the courthouse at some point and he waited. He was there when she parked her car and walked up. He saw Calvin exit the building next to the courthouse and go inside. It was pretty boring sitting outside all day waiting on them. But they finally came out, together. “What was she doing with him, anyway?”
He followed her from the courthouse at a good distance. He watched as she pulled into the drive thru line. He knew this was his chance. The line was fairly long so that gave him time to drive a fair distance away. There was a hotel nearby and he used it as cover. He pointed his high-powered rifle with the scope out the window and waited. She came around in the line and he pulled the trigger. He saw her slump over. He waited a few minutes and saw the lady behind her get out to check on the problem. Once he saw the lady screaming and running inside, he drove off. He went to work and snuck back into the building. He had been pulling a 24-hour shift ‘cause Charles had called in sick. Since he was the supervisor and there was no one else to cover, he had to work. He made the time to see Denise and she had betrayed him by going to the courthouse. He didn’t have to go inside to know that it was something bad. He told her he didn’t want to live without her.
Damon got off work early because Luther came in. He said he needed the overtime. He went home and called his mother. “Hello Momma. How are the boys doing?”
“Oh they are little angels. They are keeping me busy but I don’t mind. They are probably keeping me young. I’d rather be running after them, than from your father.” She said with a chuckle.
“Oh yeah, I do remember those times. Can I talk to them? I’d like to hear their voices today.” Damon said happily.
“Sure. I’ll go get them. They’re outside playing. We’ve got some new kids in the neighborhood and they are having a ball. I’ll be right back.” She said putting the phone down lightly.
Mrs. James came back shortly with the boys. Damon talked to each of them. He told them how much he loved them and how he would always watch over them. He told them that he loved their mother and how they were wonderful children. Then he told them how happy he would be to see them again. He said a small good bye to his mother expressing love and thanks, then hung up the phone.
He took a picture of Denise from its frame and placed it on the bed beside him. He took the new Glock 9mm gun he had purchased last week from the box under the bed. He put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. The blood and brain matter splattered in the ceiling and on the walls. He died instantly.
*****************
Marie looked up and saw Calvin walking toward her desk. “Hi. What brings you here? I thought we were meeting in a couple of hours.” She said hugging him.
“Yeah, sit down Marie. I saw Denise earlier and we did what we set out to do. But it was too late.” He said putting his big strong arms around her. “Marie, Damon shot Denise at a drive thru exactly 45 minutes ago. I’m so sorry.” He said squeezing her to him.
Marie sobbed for the loss of her sister. She thought about the poem Denise had written. And she realized Denise was dead because she had loved Damon.
“Marie, that’s not all. The police found the order of protection on the seat of Denise’s car and went to the house. Damon was there, not at work. They didn’t get an answer to the doorbell. Just as they were about to enter the home, they heard a gunshot. They went inside and found Damon in the bedroom. He had shot himself. I know this is a lot to deal with.” Calvin said rubbing Marie’s back.
“Calvin, he said he wanted her to be with him. And he said he wouldn’t live without her. Now that he’s killed her and himself, he doesn’t have to. Love is blind and Denise is dead because of it.” She said and burst into a fresh round of uncontrollable tears. She hit at Calvin’s chest until her arms were tired. Then she heaved and shook against him until she hurt physically from crying. But there was nothing to be done, except let her cry it out. The next few days were a blur to Marie. Calvin could not get her to eat or even drink anything. She just lay in the bed looking at pictures of Denise and the boys. No sound came from her as tears streamed down her face. Calvin hoped she would one day get over the loss but he realized it would take time because he loved her.
The End.
Friends
I went by the office to make sure the bank deposit was correct. Ray, my boss, had made a mistake the day before and asked me to double-check the deposit behind him. It was only 7:30 a.m, so I was surprised when I walked in and saw the lights on. Ray must have gotten there early to prep for incoming clients. The business had really picked up since he had a commercial
done advertising the staffing service. As I walked into the front office, I hoped Ray hadn’t had a fight with his Joanne again and had spent the night here. He would be irritable if he had and she would be calling all day long getting on my nerves.
The last time they had a fight it was because Ray had hired me. The woman even had the nerve to come to the office and threaten me. Spouting about the age difference between Ray and I and how she deserved respect because she was old enough to be my mother. The ironic thing was, the woman assumed I wanted Ray, and there could be nothing further from the truth. I’m happily married and have been for over ten years, with two beautiful kids. I have a brand new car that I just got for my 11th anniversary and a part time job that I enjoy. Why in the world, would I want to mess that up, by having an affair? Anyway, I remember having to put her in her place and make things clear to her. I even told her, she shouldn’t be worried about me, but the other female friends Ray has with ulterior motives.