Chapter Twenty Three
Gina
The phone rang and startled me from my sleep. Who in the hell could be calling me at this time of morning? I looked at the digital clock on my nightstand as I sat up in bed, turned on the lamp and reached for my cell phone.
“Hello?” I said grumpily, not bothering to rub the sleep from my eyes. I was hoping against all hope that it was nothing that couldn’t wait until later. But you know with phone calls that come before the sunrises, either somebody has died or something worse.
“Gina, I need your help…”
The voice I heard on the other end of the phone was one I didn’t immediately recognize. I looked down at the phone again and didn’t recognize the number either. She was speaking very low - almost whispering - but the noises in the background made it hard for me to make out what it was.
“Hello? Who is this?”
“It’s me Gina…Yvette. I need help.”She sounded anxious. Even with all the noise in the background, the anxiety in her voice penetrated the phone wires.
“Where are you?”I sat up straighter in my bed; rubbing the last bit of sleep from my eyes.
“Uh I don’t know…I don’t… hold on…”
It took her a few seconds to get back to the phone. I threw my legs over the side of my bed and started to get up.
“I’m at a pay phone in front of the gas station at the corner of Old Dixie Road and it looks like Ash Street. Can I come to your place? I’m sorry to have to call you like this… I’m so sorry Gina…I didn’t know who else to call…”
“Don’t apologize…just come on.”
“Thank you, Gina. Thank you so much!”
For as long as Yvette and I have worked together, I can’t remember one time when she has actually been to my house. Truth be told, the other night was the first time I had actually been to hers. I wondered what happened. Why didn’t she have her cell phone? Where were her kids? I guess I would know soon enough.
Since I was awake, I made a pot of coffee.
It took Yvette about 30 minutes to get to me. I buzzed her into the building and met her at the top of the stairs. With the dim light in the stairwell, Yvette looked haggard. She was moving slow - real slow - and I noticed with every couple of steps, she would stop and try to shift her weight to the left side.
By the time she reached the top of the stairs it was obvious she was in pain. I ushered her into my apartment and locked the door behind us. I pointed to a chair where Yvette could sit down. She thanked me and painstakingly made her way over to it. As she began to lower herself down, I could see her face tighten up. The tension in her jaw was clear. She winced upon sitting and exhaled deeply; her shoulders slumping from the escaped air.
“Gina I am so sorry for all of this…I really am.”
“Yvette, like I said before, stop apologizing and tell me what’s going on!”
I offered her some coffee, and she politely accepted. While I was making cups for both of us, she told me what happened.
“I’m not sure if you could tell, but when you dropped me off at home Marlon was waiting for me. At first I was scared. I didn’t know what to expect considering everything that had happened. But to my surprise, he was really nice - almost too nice. I was still a little tipsy, but he asked me if we could talk for a few minutes. I agreed, still not sure what was up with him. I asked about my kids. I wanted to know if they were okay. They have gotten so used to me putting them to bed. The nights that I have to work late, I still always go in and check on them just to make sure they are okay. He assured me that they were sleeping well and asked me to sit down with him in the living room.
Even though he was being nice, I felt like a stranger in my own home. I found myself sitting as close to the doorway as possible with my purse clutched tightly in my hands. He noticed and told me to relax. His words meant nothing. Something didn’t feel right.”
Every now and then as she spoke, Yvette stopped and adjusted herself in the chair; reacting to some obvious discomfort. Then she would settle back in and continue her story. I handed her a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch adjacent to her. She blew into the steaming cup, took a sip and continued.
“He apologized for everything that happened. He swore on everything he loved - including our children - he never planned on sleeping with that woman and he would never do it again. Marlon promised me that after our little blow up, he called her and told her never to call our house again and that he was through with her. He told me that he met her at the children’s school one day when he was picking them up. He said it started out innocently. He had no intention of befriending her, but the more they spoke the more they realized they had a lot in common. She (Terry, that’s her name) would speak to him every day and eventually they started conversing more and more. Terry would tell him how badly her husband treated her and how he took her for granted, etcetera, etcetera. At some point he started talking about me. They exchanged numbers. Again, he’s swearing that it was totally innocent; just another adult he could talk to about what was going on with him. And there was a lot going on with him. Marlon didn’t hang out with his boys anymore because he was always so tied up with taking care of the kids and the house, he didn’t interact with other adults on a regular basis since he wasn’t working anymore, and the only adult conversations he was having were with me and they were few and far between because I work such long hours. And when I got home I was too tired to talk. I get that, Gina. There was some truth to what he was saying. I couldn’t deny him that.
I asked him why he just didn’t tell me about it; why I had to find out the way I did. He kept apologizing talking about how ashamed he was for what happened and that he would do anything to make it right. Part of me wanted so desperately to believe him, but the other part of me was still hurt. We ended our conversation that night and for the next few days everything was great. He seemed happier and more attentive. He acted like he really wanted to make things work. The nicer he was and the more I saw the effort he was putting into everything, the more I started to let my guard down. I started to get comfortable again.”
Yvette kept wincing and making adjustments in the chair. She had long since abandoned the cup of coffee only having taken a few sips. I started to interrupt and ask her what was wrong, but decided to just wait until she wanted me to know.
“I worked the day shift yesterday, and when I got home from work I noticed that the house was really quiet. Marlon wasn’t there and neither were the children. He hadn’t called me to say they weren’t going to be there. I began to wonder if he had met up with Terry again. I called his cell phone and didn’t get an answer. Of course that heightened my suspicion. I went upstairs to take a shower and change clothes; trying to dismiss the worry from my mind. On the bed was a note and a single red rose. In the note, Marlon explained that he was taking the children to my mother’s house for the night since it was the start of the weekend. He wanted us to have some time to ourselves and that he was going to cook dinner for me when he got home. At the end of the note he scribbled, I love you and will see you soon.”
“Needless to say reading the note made me feel tons better. I relaxed, took a shower and got dressed for my evening at home with my husband. It had been a long time since it was just the two of us. I was really looking forward to it. I saw it as a chance for us to really reconnect and get our relationship back on track.”
She was crying again. It was odd to me. Things seemed to be going so well. What could she be so upset about?
“Marlon came home just like he said he would. I met him at the door and he kissed me on the cheek. I followed him into the kitchen. Marlon thinks he is a gourmet chef and he goes all out when he says he’s going to cook. He emptied his pockets, putting his keys and cell phone on the center island where I was sitting. He made a big show of putting on his apron and laying out all his utensils. We laughed at the show he was putting on. Things were
going great. We shared a glass of white wine and really talked.
Marlon was across the kitchen getting something out of the refrigerator. His cell phone rang and without thinking about it, I grabbed it. He looked up from the fridge, and seeing me with it in my hand, he absolutely lost it. I didn’t even get a chance to answer it before he was back over to the island snatching the phone away from me.
He looked down at the phone and saw the number, but didn’t answer it. He sent it to voicemail.
Marlon looked at me like I had committed some kind of crime. I swear, I hadn’t given it a second thought, but obviously I had crossed some kind of boundary with him. It’s not like I hadn’t answered his phone a thousand times before. Hell I even know the password and everything. It was never an issue before…but now it was.
He screamed at me not to answer his damn phone. I mean he went from smiling and joking with me to threatening me. By this point the tension in the room was high and I was getting upset, too. I asked him why he didn’t answer it. Was he trying to hide something? Was it Terry? God, what did I say her name for?
That’s when he lost it. I mean, he really lost it. Before I knew it he was in my face screaming, DON’T QUESTION ME! I TOLD YOU I WASNT FUCKING WITH HER NO MORE! But the fact that he was so upset let me know that he was lying through his teeth and I told him so. I told him his reaction said otherwise; that he must be still dealing with her. We were toe-to-toe. I ain’t never been one to back down too quickly, so the more he yelled the more I yelled. Trying to appease Marlon and walk softly was out the window. I was back to my old self and he knew it. I told him how I was really feeling and it was pissing him off. At this point, I really didn’t care. He had ruined a perfectly good evening with this bullshit and it just let me know that all that crap he was talking about being sorry and stuff was just that - crap!
The more we screamed and yelled at each other the angrier he got. He pushed me and I fell to the floor. Marlon had never laid his hands on me like that before. He was raging at this point. I was in shock; my mouth literally hanging open. He was like Look what you made me do…look what you made me do! He was blaming me, Gina!
I tried to get to my feet. I was still screaming back at him for putting his hands on me. But he didn’t let me get up. He kicked me in the shins; threatening me that if I valued my life to stay my black ass on the floor. I had never seen Marlon act that way. I tried to get up again and he kicked me again; this time catching me a little bit higher on the right side. I screamed from the pain, but I still kept trying to get to my feet. I thought if I could just get up then I could fight back; get away or something. Every time I tried to move, he kicked me again…and again…and again. I tried to protect myself, but he just kept kicking. At some point I tried to crawl away from him, and he pulled me back. That pissed him off even more. Instead of just kicking, he stomped on me over and over…”
By this point Yvette had completely broken down in tears. She lifted her shirt.
“Look what he did to me! Look what he did!”
When she lifted her shirt I gasped. I felt bad for doing so, but it was such a startling sight. It was absolutely horrendous. Even as a nurse and seeing this kind of thing on a regular basis, my instinctual reaction reflected just how startling her injuries were. You could clearly see heel prints up the right side of her body. They were highlighted with dark purple bruising. Yvette was in a lot of pain, and now I understood why she had such a hard time walking.
I had a few things around the house to attend to her injuries. I suggested she take a warm bath to not only relax but to help keep the swelling down. She agreed. I drew her bath and found her some pajamas. I made my way back to the bathroom with fresh towels and a little something to put in the bath water to help. I got a full glimpse of the brunt of her injuries as she climbed into the tub. From her foot almost to her shoulder she was marked by the heel of her husband’s shoe. Naturally introducing her body to the warm water caused some discomfort. Yvette grimaced as she lowered her body down. Just as she had done when she sat in the chair, she moved inch by inch until she got to such a place that she could sit comfortably. I poured a little iodized salt in the water. That would help with the swelling.
“Try to relax, okay?”I offered this sentiment knowing it would not take the pain away, but it was all I had at the time.
Yvette didn’t speak. She simply nodded her head; allowing it to fall forward as she soaked. I closed the door behind me.
My cell phone rang as I walked back into the living room - once, pause and then ringing again. I didn’t have to look at the number. It was Zenobia.
“Hey Zee, how’s it going?” Wanting to make sure I wasn’t overheard, I walked into the kitchen.
“Gina I know it is way too early in the morning for this, but I don’t know how much more of this I can take! I’m going crazy down here!”
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s everything, Gina…everything!”
“Okay, okay…try and calm down and talk to me.”
“I really thought when we first started I wanted to draw this out and make him suffer, but it’s getting on my nerves. I just want this over.”
“Are you sure? ‘Cause you know that changes everything…”
There was a long pause from Zenobia. “I’m sure.” Her answer didn’t sound confident.
“Well, I think I’m sure…ugh…I don’t know… I …”
“Zee, take a minute and think about it. Once we make that decision there’s no turning back.”
“I know…I know…maybe I’m just aggravated.”
“I know you are Zenobia, but I need you to just hang in there a little while longer. Okay?”
I could hear water draining from the bathroom. Yvette must have gotten out of the tub.
“Okay, I’ll try but I’m not making any promises.”
“Do the best you can and I’ll make sure to talk to you first thing tomorrow, okay?”
“Alright, thanks.”
Yvette emerged from the bathroom dressed in the clothes I had given her. She was still moving slow.
“Feeling better?” I asked hanging up with Zenobia and moving back toward the living room. Yvette struggled to sit again. I moved over to her and helped ease her down onto the seat. I sat across from her on the couch.
“Gina, I need a way out.”
“What do you mean?”
“…a way out… I need to get away from Marlon. I can’t go back to him after this,” she said pointing to the bruising that was darkening and standing stark against her caramel skin. Although most were covered by the clothes, evidence of other abrasions was clear. She had been through hell and didn’t want to go back.
“Divorce is nothing to be ashamed of, Yvette. If you’ve given it your best shot and it’s not working, there’s no harm in letting the marriage go.”
“Divorce takes too long.”
Yvette had a very determined look on her face. Even though she was in pain you couldn’t see it in her eyes or on her face. Her gaze was unwavering and her serious disposition was unquestionable. She leaned in closer to me.
“That’s not the way out I’m looking for.”
The intensity in the conversation increased. We conversed as if concerned that someone was listening and out deleterious thoughts could be overheard.
“What do you mean, Vette?”
I didn’t want to suggest anything or give her any ideas. I needed to hear her say it for herself.
“If I file for divorce, there will be a fight. He’ll fight me for the kids and the house…because he’s not working I’d probably have to pay him alimony. If I file for divorce, then all of this will be made public and everyone will know what happened to me. I don’t want that. I don’t want to fight Marlon. I want to get rid of him…”