Terri’s hands were shaking as she stood up from her chair and walked over to her desk.
“Maybe you should come back when you’re not so agitated. Why don’t we get together next Wednesday, Ms. Johnson?”
“Ms. Johnson? I thought we were on a first-name basis,” she said. “Don’t you want to know why I hate my father and the rest of these goddamn men?”
“I think you need to take a deep breath and relax.”
“You’ve gotta lot of nerve calling yourself a doctor! You can’t cure me! And you damn sure can’t erase a lifetime of pain and misery. You don’t have the slightest idea of what it feels like not knowing if your husband is going to come home with a hand full of roses or a balled-up fist. After so many years of abuse, all the anger builds up inside you until it erupts like a volcano.” She picked up her purse and began walking toward Terri. “Do your college textbooks and sophisticated degrees teach you about that kind of hell?”
Terri was terrified as she pretended to write in her appointment book.
“You sure you can fit me into your tight schedule?” she said, while reaching inside her purse. “I know how busy you are nowadays.”
“Please sit down.”
“Why—am I making you uncomfortable?” She was lifting her dress above her waist, exposing her vagina. “I thought you wanted me to—open up.”
Just then, the buzzer rang. Terri sprang up from her desk and rushed toward the door.
“Excuse me, Ms. Johnson, I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time,” she said with a conniving grin. “Like I told you, I don’t have a damn thing else to do.”
Once she was outside the office Terri rushed over to Helen’s desk and pushed the buzzer to let Julian in.
“What’s the matter?”
“She’s here.”
“Who?”
“Olivia! She’s in my office half-naked!”
Julian laughed, thinking Terri was kidding, that is until he saw the distress in her eyes. Terri quickly jumped in front of him, blocking the door.
“I’ve had enough of that psychotic bitch. Let me by.”
“Wait, Julian, she’s got something in her purse. It could be a gun!”
Julian broke away from her and burst into the office, but when he looked around there was no one there.
“She must have gone out the back. I’ll call security.”
“To hell with security! This ends today!” Julian said as he rushed out the door after Olivia.
Julian charged down the hall toward the stairway. Just as he thought, Olivia was racing down the metal stairs with her high heels in her hands. He bolted after her. There were fifteen flights of stairs between him and the garage exit. Olivia was already on the tenth floor and moving fast.
Julian narrowed the gap by jumping down a flight at a time. He nearly caught up to her as she passed the third floor. He could see the top of her head as she sped down the flight directly below him. Just when he was close enough to grab her, he fell and twisted his ankle.
“Aaargh!” he screamed.
Olivia stopped on the lobby level and quietly put down her shoes. She pulled a box cutter from her purse and tiptoed back up the stairs toward him. Julian was bent over holding his ankle and never saw her coming. She extended the blade as far out as it would go, then lunged toward him.
“Miss me, baby?” she whispered as she began slashing him.
The first blow grazed his forehead, but the second one caught him flush on the right side of the face, just below the cheek.
“Let’s see if you can talk on the radio with your throat cut!” she yelled.
Julian grabbed her arm and twisted it until she dropped the box cutter. It fell through the space between the metal stairs and landed two stories down. Olivia fought wildly, scratching, kicking, and biting until she finally broke away. She was about to go after the box cutter to slash Julian again when she heard Terri coming down the stairs.
“I’ll be back!” she said with a deranged look in her eyes. “I’m not through with you—or your uppity whore!”
She took off down the stairs and ran out the garage exit. By the time Terri reached Julian, his white shirt was covered with blood.
“Oh, my God! Let me get you to the hospital.” She bent down and helped him to his feet.
“Terri, did you make that call to security or the police?”
“No, I was too busy running after you.”
“Good, because I’m gonna handle this myself.”
“Are you outta your mind? This woman is insane!” she said. “I’m going straight to the police!”
“If you do, the press will have a field day,” he told her. “The show goes national in two weeks. Two weeks! I’ve been waiting all my life for this opportunity and I’m not about to blow it, not even over this!”
“Damn you, Julian! You can’t just let her get away with this!”
“She won’t—that I promise you,” he said with conviction. “But right now I’m more concerned with getting my face stitched before I bleed to death. I’ve got a show to do tonight.”
Chapter 36
OLIVIA WAS LYING on the floor in her living room eating stale pizza and sipping from a bottle of champagne. Her radio was tuned to WBMX and the volume was turned up. She was listening to Julian’s show. It was Thanksgiving Day and the topic was Why can’t men be thankful for what they’ve got?
“Fuckin’ hypocrite!” she screamed at the radio.
She gulped down one glass after another, working herself into a rage.
“I didn’t move all the way down here from Chicago to be left out, goddamnit!”
She stumbled over to the mirror and admired her reflection. She had on a pair of cutoff blue jean shorts and a tight halter top.
“Julian must be blind as Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder put together! I’m much finer then that bony-ass doctor!”
She pulled her hair on top of her head and turned from side to side; then she went into an act.
“Hi, my name is Olivia Payne, nice to meet you. And this is my lovely daughter, Samantha.” She pretended to shake hands. “Oh, Julian? I’m sorry he couldn’t make it. He’s very busy with his new talk show. I’ll be sure to let him know you asked about him.”
She suddenly stopped acting and rushed into the kitchen for a pen and piece of paper to write on.
“Olivia Payne, Olivia Payne,” she said to herself over and over. “That has a ring to it!”
Then she began writing it down, slowly at first then faster. But as she continued to write, the thoughts of Terri having Julian’s baby overwhelmed her. The words gradually changed as she went down the page.
Olivia Payne
Olivia Payne
Olivia Payne
Terri Payne
Terri Payne
Payne
Payne
Payne
Pain
Pain
PAIN!!!!
She pressed down so hard on the pen that it snapped.
“If you think I’m gonna let you live happily ever after, you’ve got another thing coming!” she yelled.
Olivia picked up the empty champagne bottle and threw it at the radio, then she stormed into the bedroom looking for her business card holder. When she found it, she removed three cards and laid them out on her dresser. The first card was from Terri’s office, the second was the one Mitch gave her at the club, and the third was Eddie’s photography card. They’d exchanged cards at the Hilton.
“If I can’t hurt you, I’ll hurt someone close to you,” she said to herself. “Now, which one will it be?” She closed her eyes and shuffled them around. “Eenie, meenie, minie, moe!”
After she made her choice, she picked up the phone and dialed the number. While the phone rang, she glanced over at the photograph that she and Samantha took at the mall.
“I’m gonna give you a birthday present you’ll never forget—Princess!”
Part VI: God’s Gift to Women (December)
Chapter 37
MY HANDS WERE shaking as I turned onto Jefferson Parkway. I parked just short of Olivia’s driveway and checked my.38 one final time. I took a deep breath and tucked the gun into my pants. As I stepped out of the car, a brisk breeze blew a pile of leaves through the air and into a swirl. It was symbolic of what Olivia had done to my life. It had been weeks since I slept peacefully and I looked nervously out the window every time a car drove by. It was hell on earth, and I wanted it to end.
I looked around to make sure the coast was clear, then ran across the lawn. I was so busy watching out for the neighbors, I didn’t see the For Sale sign. I tripped over it and fell flat on my face. “Lord, are you tryin’ to tell me something?”
I brushed myself off and approached the door. The back of the porch was spray painted with graffiti that read, The Witch is Gone! When I peeked inside the window I saw that the house was empty.
“Yo, mister!” a voice said out of nowhere. “You lookin’ for that lady who use to live here?”
I turned around and saw a white kid in baggy pants sitting on a bicycle.
“Yes, I am. Where is she?”
“She moved out two weeks ago.”
I walked over to him and extended my hand. “What’s your name, young man?”
“Randy, but my friends call me G-Money.”
I tried my best not to laugh at his hip-hop dialect. He was a rich white boy living in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, and had the nerve to call himself G-Money.
“Nice to meet you. My name is—”
“I know who you are. Me and my homies listen to you every night.”
“So, Randy, I mean G-Money, would you happen to know where she moved to?”
“Nope! I’m just glad she’s gone! I hated that witch, all the kids did. If one of our baseballs landed in her yard, she kept it,” he said. “But the whole neighborhood turned against her when she poisoned her next-door neighbor’s dog for crapping on her lawn.”
“That sounds like Olivia, all right.”
“So, are you her boyfriend?”
“No, just an associate,” I replied. “I was dropping by to, uh, pay her back for something she gave me.”
I unconsciously rubbed the bandage on my cheek where she’d cut me.
“The way you were creepin’ up to her house, I thought you were the police.”
“I was just trying to surprise her.”
“Yeah, right. I guess that’s why you needed this.”
He pulled my pistol out of his pocket and handed it to me. “You dropped it when you tripped over the sign.”
“That’s just a little something I carry around for protection.”
“Whatever, Mr. Payne.” He laughed, then he pulled out a piece of paper. “Can I get an autograph for my mom?”
I signed it and then began walking toward my car.
“Nice meeting you, G-Money; and if you don’t mind, I’d like to keep this between us.”
“No problem, Mr. Payne. And don’t worry, I won’t tell my homies that you fell on your ass.” He laughed as he pedaled away. “Have a merry Christmas!”
Chapter 38
IT WAS CHRISTMAS Eve and I was lying in bed waiting for Samantha to come rushing into my room. I could see the outline of her feet outside my bedroom door as she waited for six o’clock. At five fifty-nine, the countdown began. I pulled the comforter over my head and pretended to be asleep. As soon as the digital clock on my nightstand read 6:00 A.M., she came flying through the door.
“Wake up, wake up! It’s time to go shopping!” She jumped up and down on my bed.
“Later, sweetheart! Daddy is tired from work.”
“But we always go shopping on Christmas Eve,” she said as she pulled the covers off me. “Come on, Daddy, let’s get going before all the good stuff is gone!”
“I said later, Samantha! Don’t make me get my belt!”
I peered through a small opening in my comforter and saw her walking out of the room with her head down and lips poked out. As soon as she was out of sight I hopped out of bed and rushed up behind her.
“Surprise!” I lifted her over my head.
“That was mean, Daddy! You almost made me cry. That’s gonna cost you a pair of diamond earrings and a Coach purse.”
I got dressed as fast as I could and met her downstairs. She was already waiting at the door with a two-page shopping list in her hand. “I hope you brought your platinum card.”
When I opened the door I was surprised to see Terri standing there with three large boxes in her arms.
“What are you doin’ here?”
“I was invited.” She smiled and gave Samantha a wink. “Here, put these underneath the tree and we’ll meet you in the car. Girl, that’s a nice outfit.”
“Why, thank you,” Samantha replied, sounding prissy. “And may I say you look quite lovely yourself.”
I stood there looking confused as they walked toward the SUV in the garage. They were holding hands and chatting like bosom buddies.
“Two women in a mall—on Christmas Eve!” I shook my head. “I should’ve rented an eighteen-wheeler!”
We fought through heavy traffic and frustrated shoppers driving from one mall to another. First Colony to West Oaks, Town & Country to Sharpstown, Memorial City to the Galleria. I’ve never seen so many hyper women in all my life. They rushed in and out of stores like roaches trying to find the best deals. I sat in the food court with the rest of the men who had been forced to be there. We all had the same pitiful expression that said, “I’d rather be at home sipping on a brew and watching the game.”
By seven o’clock, Samantha and Terri were shopped out.
During the ride back home, they talked nonstop. I thought my head was going to explode. When we pulled into the driveway, they grabbed their bags, rushed upstairs to Samantha’s bedroom, and shut the door.
“That’s right, just use me for my money then forget about me!” I yelled at them.
“Thank you, Daddy!” they both laughed, then shut the door again.
I was just relieved to be home again. I had a refrigerator full of beer, and the Sacramento Kings were playing the Dallas Mavericks. I grabbed a Bud out of the fridge and opened the window in the den. It was late December, but the temperature outside was in the low seventies. I turned to the Weather Channel during the commercial to see how cold it was in Chicago. Just as I figured, the high was thirty-three degrees. I took a long sip of my brew and kicked my feet up. “So much for being homesick.”
__________
Later that evening while I was in the kitchen cooking dinner I heard giggling coming from Samantha’s bedroom. I crept up the stairs and looked through the crack in the door. Terri and Samantha were sitting on the floor eating popcorn and watching my wedding video.
“There’s Daddy waiting at the altar with the preacher,” Samantha said. “He looked young back then.”
“Yeah, he looked scared, too.” Terri laughed. “I can see the sweat beading up on his forehead.”
“That’s Grandma and Grandpa, and that’s my auntie Joyce.” Samantha stood up and pointed. “And there’s Uncle Eddie standing next to my daddy. He was the best man!”
I went back and forth from watching them to watching the video. I hadn’t seen it in five years. I had almost forgotten how happy we were then.
“That’s Mommy coming down the aisle, see?” Samantha pointed.
“I see, sweetheart. She was a beautiful bride.”
“Sometimes I miss her so much my heart hurts.”
“I know how you feel. I lost my mother when I was about your age.”
“When did the pain of losing her go away, Miss Terri?”
“It still hasn’t. I think it will always be with me. But I had to learn not to let it get me down.” She was holding Samantha’s hand. “I knew my mother wanted me to be happy, and your mother would want the same for you.”
I shut the door quietly and went back downstairs thinking about Eddie. Weeks had passed
since the incident with Janet, and we hadn’t spoken since. It was the longest span of time we ever had gone without talking. I didn’t want to miss him, but I did.
While I was seasoning my red beans, I decided to call him in Chicago to wish him a merry Christmas. As his phone rang, I was a little nervous about what I would say. I was still upset with him, but I wanted to make sure he was okay. His phone rang five more times, then his answering machine picked up. I decided to leave a message.
“Eddie, this is Julian. I just called to wish you a merry Christmas. Well, take care and—”
I stopped to check myself from sounding too formal. I knew what I wanted to say.
“I hope you’re taking care of yourself, Li’l Brother. I’m still mad and disappointed, but I love you. Peace.”
As soon as I hung up, the phone rang. I was hoping it was Eddie.
“Hello, Payne residence.”
I heard light breathing, then silence, then the dial tone. The number came up OUT OF AREA. I turned off the lights in the kitchen and stared out the window. A few seconds later, the phone rang again.
“Who is this?”
“It’s me—Mitch. You all right?”
“Yeah, man, I’m fine,” I said, trying to play it off.
“Don’t tell me that crazy broad is still stalking you.”
“I’m just a little paranoid.” I kept my voice down and carried the phone into the bathroom. “Everything is under control.”
“That’s what you said right before Olivia showed up at
Terri’s office and nearly killed you. You need to stop worrying about your reputation and go to the police.”
“Now you’re starting to sound like Terri.”
“Somebody needs to talk some sense into your hard head. That woman is dangerous!”
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