Hate the Way He Loves Me

by Stacey Covington-Lee

  The cops backed out of the house slowly and Ramon ordered Otis to close the door. He stood to his feet pulling Zoe up with him. He ordered everyone to a back bedroom and warned them not to come out. He ushered Zoe back to the kitchen and instructed her to take a seat. She did as she was told all while offering up silent prayers for the safety of her and her family. “Zoe, why did you leave me?”

  Zoe looked at him as if he were crazy. “Are you serious, you don’t know why?”

  “I know we had problems and I’m sorry that I let my anger take over, but I didn’t do anything to warrant your leaving me like that. You shot out the door like you were some kind of runaway slave.”

  “Are you insane? You beat me like a dog and then held me on the floor and offered me up like a whore to your sick ass brother. What part of that is okay to you? Who do you think would stick around for that kind of treatment?”

  “If you loved me you would’ve stayed. That’s what real love is about, staying through the good and bad. I wasn’t really gonna let you perform oral on Rich. I was just screwing with you and you should’ve known that.” The entire time Ramon talked he twirled the point of the knife around on Zoe’s thigh. The blood from his cut hand and her thigh mingled together into a puddle on the floor.

  “That is not real love, Ramon. You don’t hurt the people you love, you don’t screw around with them like that. If you really loved me you wouldn’t be cutting up my leg right now,” Zoe said as she tried to steady her voice and hold back tears. “Ramon, you need help.”

  “I don’t need no damn help!” he shouted as he pushed the knife deeper into Zoe’s leg. Her painful cries made him realize what he was doing. He pulled the knife out of her leg as he offered up apologies. “Oh baby, I didn’t mean to do that. Does it hurt? You want me to get some alcohol?”

  “No! No baby, I don’t want any alcohol. It’ll be okay,” she cried. Then the flashing lights caught Zoe’s attention. There were obviously a ton more cop cars outside and she thought maybe she could use their presence to reason with Ramon. “Baby, look outside, do you see all those lights? It must be a bunch of cops out there. The longer you keep me in here the worse it’ll be for you later. We’ve had a chance to talk now and I can admit my wrong. I shouldn’t have run out on you like that, but I was scared. Not scared of you but of Rich, he doesn’t love me like you do. I promise that if we go out together, I’ll stick by your side through everything.” She watched as Ramon peaked through the blinds and shook his head. She couldn’t tell if he was confused or angry.

  “They’ve got a fucking S.W.A.T truck out there! Why are they doing all this, all I wanted to do was talk to you. I mean damn, can’t couples talk in peace anymore?”

  Zoe now understood that he had mentally checked out. For him not to understand that he was holding a house full of hostages or think that this forced conversation was okay was a clear sign of insanity. It all made her more fearful that this situation would play out the same as the one between his parents had…with both of them dead.

  “Let’s just go out and let them know that we’ve just been talking and there’s no need for all of this force.” Zoe was hopeful that what she was saying was getting through because he dropped the knife in the sink. But suddenly a voice came blaring through a bullhorn causing Ramon to jump and grab his weapon.

  “Ramon, this is Captain Owens, looks like you’ve caused quit a commotion out here. We can bring all this to an end if you’ll put down your weapon and come out with your hands up.”

  “How the hell do they know my name?”

  “I don’t know baby,” Zoe spoke slowly as she rose from her chair. “But let’s just do like they said and walk out with our hands up.” She gently took him by the hand and took a step towards the door.

  Martha, Pam, and Otis had cracked the door to listen to all that was going on and was hopeful that Zoe had gotten through to Ramon. But when they heard Ramon yell, “Bitch, you’re trying to set me up. I’m not going to jail!” and Zoe screamed when he slapped her across the face, their hopes quickly died.

  “Do y’all have anything in here that can be used as a weapon?” Otis asked as he desperately looked around the bedroom.

  “I have a gun,” Martha admitted. “But how can I trust you not to use it against us? How do we know that you didn’t come here to kill us?” she cried.

  “Martha, I’ve been here for weeks, I know where you all moved from, where you work, and I know when you moved here. If I wanted to hurt any of you I could’ve done so a long time ago. I swear I came here to make peace, to apologize. Now you can believe me or not, but the longer we stand here talking the more danger we’re putting Zoe in. Where’s the gun?”

  Martha hesitantly went to retrieve the 9mm. She held the gun on Otis for a few minutes, but when they heard Zoe cry out again, she reluctantly handed him the gun.

  Back in the kitchen, Ramon held Zoe in front of him and shouted from the window for the cops to back off or he’d kill everyone in the house. The captain continued to try and reason with him, but Ramon was now acting like a mad dog and had no intention of backing down. “If y’all don’t leave by the time I count to three I’m going to cut this bitch’s jugular!” he shouted as he poked the knife further into Zoe’s neck. “1…2…” POP!

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  The shot to the shoulder sent Ramon falling to the ground and provoked the S.W.A.T. Team to bust through the back door. Otis dropped the gun he’d used to shoot his daughters captor and Ramon was taken into custody and whisked off in an ambulance. Medics attended to Zoe and let her family know that she was being transported to Emory University Hospital for treatment of her wounds. Martha, Pam, and Otis stayed behind to answer all of the officer’s questions. All Martha wanted to do was get to her daughter, but the questions seemed to go on forever. Finally, after about an hour’s worth of explanations, they were permitted to go see about Zoe.

  Against Pam’s wishes, Martha allowed Otis to ride with them to the hospital. Martha thought that it was the least she could do and this would give Otis the chance to tell them all why he felt the need to stalk them. Pam opted to sit in the backseat so that she could have a clear view of Otis. He may have saved Zoe, but she still didn’t trust anything about him. For Pam no matter what he did, he’d never be more than an evil monster. The ride was quiet and Pam’s eye’s never left her father. After a twenty minute ride they pulled into the hospital’s parking garage and rushed to the information desk. “What room is Zoe Shaw in?” Martha asked anxiously.

  “Take the elevator to the sixth floor and you’ll find her in room 615,” the desk clerk said.

  They rushed to her room and both Martha and Pam breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Zoe sitting up sipping on some juice. Thankfully the cut on her neck was superficial and the one to her thigh only required ten stitches. Martha praised God that her baby was going to be alright.

  “What is he doing here?” Zoe asked flatly.

  “I let him come to see for himself that you were okay. I thought that we owed him that much since he saved your life,” Martha confessed.

  “Mama we don’t owe him a damn thing!” Zoe snarled. “Now what are you doing here, Otis? What are you after?”

  “I’m not after anything. I’m just here to see for myself that you’re okay. I swear I didn’t come to cause any trouble; my whole point in coming to Atlanta was to apologize to my girls and my wife. I’ve had nothing but time to think about all the ways I did you all wrong and I am so sorry. More sorry than you’ll ever know.”

  “Okay, we’ve heard your apology. I thank you for saving my life, but we are no longer your girls and she is not your wife. That life is over and you have no claim on any of us. If you are as sorry as you claim to be, you’ll leave Atlanta and leave us alone forever.” Zoe was very cold, very matter-of-fact in all that she said.

  “If that’s what will make you girls happy then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll be gone by the weekend,” Otis promised.

  “Yes
, that’s what will make all of us happy. There is no room for you in our lives and no part of either of us desires to have you around,” Zoe declared.

  “Do you feel the same way Martha?” Otis seemed to hold his breath as he waited for her answer.

  “Yes, that’s exactly how she feels,” Zoe answered for her mother.

  Pam stayed quiet the entire time. She never uttered a single word, never took her eyes off of Otis. And she held on to her purse for dear life. Zoe kept an eye on her sister, she was worried that Pam was about to become completely undone. But the longer she looked at Pam, the more she realized that Pam wasn’t falling apart, but instead she was growing stronger, staying focused and in control.

  “Mama, Zoe needs her rest and we need to get home. It’s time to go,” Pam instructed. “I love you Zoe and I’ll check on you later.” Pam kissed her sister on the cheek and Martha did the same.

  “I love you baby. Get some rest and we’ll see to you later,” Martha whispered to her baby.

  Outside the hospital, Otis asked if they could give him a ride back to his old truck that was still parked outside of their house. Again, against Pam’s wishes Martha agreed and they all loaded back up in the car. The ride back was filled with Otis’ attempts to convince Martha that he was a changed man. “I’ve never stopped loving you Martha,” he said. “I’ve worked hard to become a better man. I even became a key part of the prison ministry. I got saved baby. I know The Lord now and He’s changed my life.”

  “Well I’m happy for you Otis. Now take your new found relationship with God and rely on it to build a good life for yourself. Live positively this time, do something worthwhile,” Martha encouraged.

  “Martha I was thinking that since the girls are doing well now and that Ramon character is no longer a threat to Zoe, maybe you could come back with me. We could start all over. You know the way it was before we had the girls. We used to be good together, baby, used to have fun. What do you say, can we start over?”

  Martha whipped the car into the drive, threw it in park, and stepped out. She stood there and looked at Otis as if he had two heads. “Otis there is no way I could or would ever go back to a life with you. I don’t even want you in the same town as me let alone the same house. You need to go back home and work on building that positive life we just talked about.”

  Pam opened her car door but didn’t get out. She sat listening to the exchange of words and wondered if Otis would take no for an answer and just leave. But the longer they talked the more she realized that he wouldn’t go without putting up a fight.

  “Baby don’t you get it? I came back for you. All the changes I’ve made I made for you. My life will be so much better with you in it Martha. I know you still love me, don’t you?”

  “Absolutely not! You beat all the love I had for you right out of me. I have nothing for you now Otis, nothing at all.”

  “You don’t mean that Martha, now come on and let’s go,” he said as he grabbed her by the hand. “There’s no need to pack anything. We can get you anything you need once we get back home.”

  Martha snatched her hand away. “I am home Otis! Now you need to leave.”

  “Not without my wife. Now let’s go,” he said grabbing her hand again. But this time he held his grip and wouldn’t let her pull away from him. “I know we can have a good life this time. I promise we will.” Otis was damn near dragging Martha to his truck. She tried to free herself from him but her efforts were in vain. When she was finally able to land a punch and rip her arm free, he turned and punched her in the mouth. “You are coming with me, now get in the truck. Don’t you understand? I won’t live without my wife,” he said as he started dragging her to the truck.

  Pam reached in her purse and grabbed the gun she’d purchased after she first thought she’d seen Otis. She knew she wasn’t crazy, that monster’s face was one she could never forget. She jumped in front of Otis with the small caliber pistol drawn. “Let her go now!”

  “Pam this has nothing to do with you, now put that thing away before someone gets hurt.” Otis never released his grip on Martha. “Move girl, get out of the way!”

  “I’m going to say it one more time, let her go.”

  “Damn it girl…” Otis lunged at Pam and without hesitation she pulled the trigger. But she didn’t shoot to injure, Pam shot to kill and that’s just what she did. Otis fell dead in the street just like the dog he was.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  The prison cells clinked and Rich and Ramon looked around at their new home. While Ramon was holding hostages, Rich was being held by the ladies of the women’s shelter after they saw him attack Candy. They ganged up on him, beat him, and held him for the cops. And yes, the state pen was where they would both live out the next ten to fifteen years.

  Meanwhile, on the other side of town, all of the food had been prepared, flowers placed, and the decorations were gorgeous. The back yard looked like the Garden of Eden. Martha, Zoe, and April ran around in their beautiful dresses making sure that everything and everyone was in place. The minister stood under the floral arch and the small trio of musicians started playing. Martha took her seat up front and then Zoe and April began their walk down the aisle. Zoe smiled as her eyes fell on both Alvin and Desi all dressed in their tuxes, looking so handsome and happy.

  The wedding march started to play, signaling Pam and Kirk to begin their waltz down the aisle hand-in-hand. For Kirk and Desi, the ceremony was a grand gesture of their love and commitment, but for Pam and Alvin, it was all that and more, it was a marriage ceremony. After all the drama, Pam realized that there was no one that could comfort her and love her like Alvin. So she ran out, bought a band, and proposed to him. Now here they were, exchanging vows, promising to love, honor, protect, and respect each other all the days of their lives.

  The celebration lasted long into the night with the guests eating, drinking, and dancing. Martha and Zoe stood back and watched as Pam danced with her husband. They shared her joy and were excited to know that they could all live free of fear. Never again could Otis or Ramon harm them. After Pam killed Otis, they worried about her state of mind and her freedom. But mentally she’d never been better. By Otis leaving the DC area, he was in violation of his probation. That coupled with the neighbors attesting to his attack on Martha, Pam was found to have been justified in the shooting.

  Zoe felt a tap on the shoulder, spun around, and smiled broadly, “Candy! I’m so glad you could make it,” she beamed.

  “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. And Zoe, thank you for being my friend. After everything that happened, it would’ve been so easy for you to forget about me, never speak to me again. But you chose to stick by me, to help me get my life together, and I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Trust me, you already have,” Zoe said as she held Candy in a warm embrace. “Now go grab a bite to eat and let’s dance the night away.”

  Also from Stacey Covington-Lee

  Bitter Taste of Love