The Johnson Sisters

by Tresser Henderson

  “What did he do to you?” I asked, trying to listen calmly, all the while thinking how I was going to get at dude. He put his hands on a Johnson sister and Cal had to pay.

  “I was sitting there smoking my cigarette, and all of a sudden he punched me in my face.”

  “He did what?” I belted, not believing, or maybe it was the fact that I didn’t want to believe this man had the nerve to do this.

  “Look at my lip,” she said, but nothing was showing. It was then Shauna pulled her lip out. I could see where her tooth cut into her inner bottom lip.

  “What did you do?”

  “I couldn’t do anything because he jumped on me. He picked me up off the bed and slung me across the room. The way I fell, I hit my head on the corner of my dresser,” she said, reaching for the area where she’d hit her head.

  “I hit the floor, and Cal jumped on me again. He straddled me and punched me in my face I think three times; I can’t remember. It could have been more because I was still stunned after hitting my head on the dresser. He was yelling he was going to kill me. I tried to scratch at his hands, chest, and face to get him off of me, but it was like he didn’t feel anything. Then he tried to choke me,” she said, touching her neck.

  “He choked you?” I yelled, moving her hand out of the way. I saw some cuts, like his nails dug into her skin. There was some slight swelling and some discoloration to her skin. Fury began to grow within me.

  “He kept squeezing and squeezing, still telling me he was going to kill me. I tried to beg him to let me go, but he wouldn’t. I guess when I didn’t pass out or die, he began to bang my head into the floor over and over again.”

  I sat there listening intently, already getting in my head the cousins I was going to call to go beat this punk down. First I was going to call our cousin Big Ray. Then I was going to call Gerald and Pookie. All I needed was them three and I knew the job would be done. Pookie was going to come strapped. He stayed strapped and had no qualms about putting a bullet in anybody. At this point, I didn’t care. He could shoot Cal and I wouldn’t care. Cal had hurt my sister and tried to kill her tonight, and I wanted the punk to get dealt with.

  “Serena, I must have passed out, because the next thing I remember is waking up on the floor and seeing Cal stepping over me with his packed bags. I just lay there like I was still passed out until I heard him go out the front door. As soon as I realized he was outside, I got up and ran to the front door, closing it and locking it.”

  “He has a key, don’t he?” I asked.

  “He does, but he doesn’t have it to the deadbolt.”

  “How did he leave? He doesn’t have a car,” I said.

  “He didn’t. He was still there when I left.”

  I shook my head at this story, not knowing what else to say. Shauna continued, “He tried to come back in the house but realized he couldn’t get in. I sat in my room, trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened. I could hear him outside screaming at me to let him in so he could apologize.”

  “Apologize. It’s too late for a damn apology. And he’s screaming at you to let him come in so he could do this. That sounds really sincere,” I said sarcastically.

  “He kept tapping at my bedroom window for me to open the door so he could come in, but I wouldn’t. I just wanted him gone. After I didn’t hear him anymore after a while, I figured he had left.”

  “How did you get away?”

  “I ran to my car thinking he was gone. Once I got in I locked the doors, and that’s when I saw him sitting in the yard chair outside my house.”

  “Did he say anything?” I asked.

  “He came over to the car and started banging on the window, saying he was sorry and to open the door. I ignored him and pulled off.”

  My sister began to cry again. My anger hadn’t diminished. I really wanted to get this man, or shall I say coward, who thought he could put his hands on a woman.

  Shauna gathered herself enough to say, “I wonder if he planned to do this.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  “You know the bat I keep beside my bed?”

  “Yes.”

  “It was gone. I think he moved it knowing that would be the first thing I would go for. My blade was in my purse, but I wasn’t able to get to that. I guess that’s a good thing, because I could be sitting here telling you how I murdered this fool.”

  “He would deserve it. It would have been self-defense. But you don’t have to worry about revenge, because I’m calling Big Ray,” I said, getting up off the sofa. Shauna grabbed me by the wrist, stopping me.

  “Don’t,” she belted.

  “Don’t what? This man tried to kill you tonight. He needs to get the same beat down he put on you tonight so he will know how it feels,” I said assertively.

  “But Big Ray and them will kill him.”

  “And?”

  “And I don’t want him to die,” Shauna said.

  “You just sat here and said if you could have got to your blade you would have stabbed dude to death, so why you worried about his livelihood now?” I asked irritably.

  “It’s different, Serena.”

  “How? Dead is dead regardless of how it’s done,” I argued.

  “Why should Big Ray and them get in trouble for somebody like Cal? You know Big Ray probably already on parole,” she said convincingly.

  “If Big Ray is involved, no one is going to know about it. You know that. He’s been around way too long to not know how to get away with beating this punk down.”

  “Please, Serena. Don’t call him. Then he’s going to get Gerald and Pookie, and you know any one of them will shoot Cal.”

  I had to laugh at her saying it, since I had just thought it.

  “Please sit down with me for a minute,” Shauna begged, still holding my wrist so I wouldn’t dial up the entourage.

  “Shauna, don’t you know you could be dead now?” I said, causing tears to cascade down her face again.

  “I know,” she said, dropping her head in shame.

  “The thought of that scares me, sis,” I said with tears welling up in my eyes. “You are my sister and I couldn’t stand losing you. Not after . . . Not after . . .” I got choked up and sat down beside my sister. We looked into each other’s eyes and understood the pain the other felt.

  She nodded and said, “I have done a lot of foul things in my life, but I’ve never had a man beat me like this. I still can’t believe I allowed it to happen.”

  “You didn’t allow this to happen. Now, if you stay with him after this, then yes, you are allowing it, but now, it’s not your fault, Shauna.”

  “I can’t believe this,” she said, massaging her scalp through her hair. “My head hurts so bad.”

  “I think I need to take you to the emergency room to get checked out,” I suggested.

  “I’m not going. I don’t feel like telling nobody else what happened, especially a damn doctor.”

  “Fool, what if you have a concussion?”

  “My head is hard. I’ll be all right,” she said, grinning for the first time since she got there.

  “I know that, but even hard heads can get damaged. The knot on your temple is enough for me to worry about the injuries you could have,” I said.

  “All I need is some ice and some sleep.”

  “You can’t go to sleep. You have to stay up for at least a few hours to make sure you don’t slip into a coma or something,” I said.

  “What are you, Dr. Serena?”

  “Yes. I got my PhD from the school of common damn sense,” I said jokingly.

  “Funny.”

  “Sis, I think you really need to get checked out seriously,” I said.

  “Serena, I don’t feel like dealing with any doctors, nurses, or cops for that matter. Besides, I’ve been drinking and smoking.”

  “And? What does that mean? You also been battered,” I said.

  “Just leave it alone. I’m not going and that’s that.”

>   “You have to do one or the other. Either go to the doctor or let me call Big Ray. You choose.”

  “You know what? I’m leaving,” she said, standing to her feet but stumbling a bit with dizziness.

  “You see? You can’t even stand up without stumbling.”

  “I’ll be all right,” she said, walking to the door.

  “And where are you going?” I asked.

  “Home.”

  “You know what? Something is wrong with your head if you making all these crazy decisions. You are not going home. What if that fool is still there? Do you expect me to let you go back to that?”

  “He won’t be there,” Shauna said confidently.

  “And how do you know that?” I asked.

  She said nothing. She gawked at me.

  “Exactly. Look, you are staying here tonight. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.” I held my hand out, saying, “Give me your keys.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I know, but I’m making sure, so hand them over,” I said, wiggling my fingers in the “come here” fashion.

  Shauna put the keys in my hand even though she didn’t want to give them up. I knew her. If I didn’t take those keys away from her, when I woke up in the morning, Shauna would be gone.

  “You can rest in the guest room next to Nevaeh’s room. But don’t go to sleep.”

  “Okay,” she said dejectedly.

  “And, Shauna, if you decide to be hardheaded and leave here without me knowing, I’m going to call Big Ray to handle things with Gerald and Pookie in tow.”

  Shauna didn’t say anything. She walked out of the living room, heading for the bedroom. I knew I would be up for a while, because there was no way I was going to be able to sleep knowing there was a possibility my sister wouldn’t wake up.

  Chapter 9

  Phoenix

  Don’t you know that fool thought I was playing a joke on him? He thought I was talking to a dial tone and hadn’t called the police on him because my love for him wouldn’t do that to him. Well, that punk realized I did call when he saw the cops pull up. He looked at me in disbelief.

  “Maybe this will convince you I mean what I say. I don’t want to be with you, Tobias.”

  “I still don’t believe you. We are having a rift right now, but eventually it will get solved.”

  The cops walked up to my open door waiting on them. “Ma’am, did you call about an intruder?” the tall, well-built officer asked as he glanced at Tobias, who was acting like he lived there.

  As striking as this cop was, I almost forgot Tobias was there. This cop was fine as hell.

  “Ma’am,” the handsome cop called out, snapping me back to why he was here in the first place.

  “Yes, I’m sorry,” I apologized, smiling at him like a shy schoolgirl. But there was nothing girly about me. I was all woman, and I was getting immediately turned on by the magnificence of the chocolate brother.

  “Officer . . .” I paused, looking at him questionably as I searched for his name on his uniform.

  “I’m Officer Winn. And this is my partner, Officer Taylor,” he said, pointing to the dainty brunette woman standing behind him.

  She was eying me in a way that made me want to check her. She was giving me a look like I shouldn’t be ogling Officer Winn at all. Maybe she was jealous because she was trying to get it or had already gotten it, and that was the reason why she was giving me the stank eye.

  “Ma’am,” Officer Winn called out again, and when I made eye contact, his stern face changed into one of ease.

  “Yes, Officer,” I said sweetly.

  “Why are we here again?” he asked.

  “This man will not leave my house,” I said, changing my tone to one of urgency.

  “Did he touch you?” Officer Winn asked.

  Instantly I wished Officer Winn would touch me. He could have his way with me any kind of position he wanted, because this man was so fine.

  “Did he touch you?” Officer Winn asked again, snapping me back from daydreaming about his attractive behind.

  “No, he wouldn’t be dumb enough to do that. He just will not leave my house,” I said, looking back at a pathetic Tobias.

  “Is this true?” Officer Winn asked Tobias.

  “Officer, this is a misunderstanding. My girlfriend is mad with me right now. I don’t know why she called you all.”

  “First of all, I’m not your girlfriend. Second, I called because I want you out my house,” I said, pointing to my door. My robe loosened a bit, almost causing one of my breasts to come tumbling free.

  Officer Taylor frowned, but Officer Winn smirked, giving me the impression he didn’t mind as his eyes looked as though he wished he got a free look. His partner eyed him and shifted uncomfortably.

  Pulling my robe closed, I said, “Get out!”

  “I live here too,” Tobias said, surprising me with this bit of information.

  “Is this true, ma’am? Does he live here?” Officer Taylor interjected.

  “No!” I belted.

  “Please calm down,” the female officer warned.

  “This is my house and my house only. I’m the only one who stays here,” I asserted, ignoring this woman telling me to calm down. Just because she was behind that badge and police uniform didn’t mean I had to respect her.

  “Stop lying, Phoenix. My clothes are upstairs in your closet. My shaving kit is in your bathroom.”

  “No, it’s not,” I said.

  “Ma’am, if he lives here—” the female officer attempted to say, but I cut her off in annoyance.

  “But he doesn’t! I pay this mortgage. I pay all the utilities.”

  “Well, that’s a lie too, babe,” he said softly, like this wasn’t an issue. “I’ve been paying your mortgage, electric, and water. Officer, if you would allow me to show you, I have the receipts and my account information showing I paid it,” Tobias said, going over to my console table and pulling out his checkbook and receipts.

  When did he put his things there? And if he put that there, he probably was right about having some clothes and his shaving kit upstairs. Had this man slowly moved his things in my place without me even knowing?

  “See? I made sure the clerk wrote down I paid and my information,” he said, walking back over to the officers and pointing at the slips of paper.

  “Ma’am, this does show he’s been paying the bills at this address. If he didn’t live here, why would he be paying your mortgage?” Officer Taylor asked, leering at me like she was happy I was caught in a lie.

  I wanted to put my hands on this woman. She was getting a kick out of making me look stupid. The snide smirk on her face let me know that.

  “He helped me out a few times. So what? That doesn’t mean he lives here,” I disputed.

  “I can take you upstairs to show you my clothes and other items. I even bought the food for her dinner party she had tonight,” he said, bringing out yet another receipt.

  I wanted so bad to snatch all of those pieces of paper out of his hand and stuff them all in his damn mouth so he could choke on it. How dare he make me out to look like a liar? If I would’ve known he kept track of him helping me out, I wouldn’t have had anything to do with this punk. To me, this was looking like a setup that I allowed to happen because I was too busy enjoying the fruits of his labor. But the cops couldn’t believe this, could they?

  “Ma’am, I’m sorry to tell you we can’t make this man leave. It appears that he does reside here, and by law, regardless if his name is on your lease or not, he has tenant rights. All the evidence is here,” Officer Taylor said, taking over this little interrogation.

  “You got to be kidding me,” I said, putting my hands on my hips in frustration. I peered at Officer Winn, who stood back watching as his partner did all the work. As good-looking as he was, he was there to do his job.

  I asked him, cutting off his partner, “Is this true?”

  Officer Winn nodded, saying, “If you want this man to leav
e, Ms. Johnson, you have to give him at least a thirty-day notice to leave your residence. If he doesn’t leave within that time frame, then you will have to file an eviction notice with the court,” Officer Winn explained.

  “Eviction notice, on my own damn house?” I questioned.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

  “Even if he hit me?” I tried to lie.

  “You said he never put his hands on you. Your exact words were . . .” Officer Taylor said, looking down at her notepad. She proceeded to read, “‘He wouldn’t be dumb enough to do that.’” She looked up at me, happy at my humiliation right now.

  I was mad at myself at this point. Why did I say that? I could have said he hit me and he would be gone and I would be back in bed getting some sleep. As usual, my mouth worked faster than my brain. Now Tobias was the one who had rights over property that was mine. I was pissed.

  “If there’s another problem, please feel free to call us,” Officer Taylor said to Tobias like she was on his side. I didn’t bother to say anything else. I did get one last glance at Officer Winn as he proceeded to leave my stoop.

  “Thank you, Officers,” Tobias said in his chipper voice.

  This just made me cringe with resentment.

  “You all have a good night,” Officer Taylor said, and I slammed the door in her face.

  “Phoenix, you can get arrested,” Tobias said.

  “Why, for closing my own door? She lucky I didn’t do more,” I bellowed. “I can’t believe you lied like that,” I said through clenched teeth.

  “Honey, I didn’t lie. Everything I said was the truth.”

  “I’m going to get you out of here if it’s the last thing I do,” I said, stomping up my stairs and slamming my bedroom door closed, locking it.

  Chapter 10

  Shauna

  Serena ended up staying up with me until she thought it was okay for me to fall asleep. I slept in the third bedroom they had. When I woke up, the first person I thought about was Cal and what he did to me. My second thought was how my head was killing me. I had a hangover without the drunkenness. I knew this pain came from Cal slamming my head into the floor. For a minute, I didn’t want to move for fear the pain would increase. I lay there looking up at the speckled ceiling, wishing things were different. I never thought I would have anything like this happen to me.