A policeman has never had cause to come to our house. When I say “our” I mean my husband and I. For someone who had never been visited by the police I was surprisingly calm. I guess it was ‘cause I knew why they had come or maybe ‘cause I knew there would be no problem. My husband, Danny, had gone to get the door. I cranked the door to the bedroom open a little so I could hear what they were saying.
“Afternoon sir, we are from the New York police department. We got a call from one of your neighbors who claims to have heard noise coming from your apartment. Is everything ok?” asked the cop.
“Yeah everything is alright” Danny replied.
“Are you the only one in there sir?”
“Uhmmm... no, my wife is inside”
“You’ll have to excuse us sir, we’d like to look around and see if everything or rather everyone is ok”
“O… o…ok!”
He must have shown Danny a form of identification because I’m sure he wouldn’t have let him without one. I hurriedly got up and put a veil over my face. Contrary to your thoughts I’m not a Muslim and I’m one who loves to show off her assets but this time I needed one of my assets hidden. I came out to meet the cop before he could get into the bedroom.
“Is there a problem officer?”
“Yes ma’am we got a call from one of your neighbors about a possible case of domestic violence and we are here to make sure everything is okay.” The cop, who looked rather stunning, said calmly.
I looked at Danny, he was scared stiff. Though it wasn’t obvious, I could see it in his eyes. They were begging me not to give him up. I smiled, this by all means was an opportunity to get back at him for all he had been doing to me. The beatings had started a month after we got married and had continued but it had gotten out of hand earlier in the day. Normally when the beating starts, I’ll start pleading with him and won’t raise a finger. I guess I had had enough and I raised more than a finger, I slapped him. Immediately I knew I was dead meat. His whole body changed. He was like a werewolf at a full moon with the way he viciously lunged at me. Fire coming out of his nostrils, well that’s what his breaths felt like, fire, as he pummeled my whole body. It took me 10minutes to escape from him but I eventually locked myself in the bedroom. We had knocked things over and I was screaming my head off as he had landed blow after blow on my whole body. The cops arrived 5minutes later. I had peeped through the bedroom window and told him. You’d never have guessed he was the same person beating me up minutes ago. He started pleading, hitting the door for me to let him in so he could apologize. Prison seemed liked hell on earth to him, who can blame him. The hefty men in the pen would, in no time, turn his butt to a pin cushion and their JTs would be thick pins. He had begged till we had heard the knock at the door.
I looked at the cop and said almost inaudibly, “Everything is alright”. As near inaudible as it was, Danny heard and collapsed into the chair overcome with relief.
I wasn’t scared of Danny. And heaven knows I didn’t pity him one bit. When the cop asked me the question all I could think of were his hands, magical hands I call them. They had the power to numb any pain I had in my body. I thought of his body. The mixture of sweat and cologne has always and would always appeal to the woman in me. His eyes that begged for me to hold on and never let go. His strong arms that made me beg for him never to let go. The sensation that runs through me every time we made love. Heaven knows James was the only reason I didn’t put Danny in jail. You see, James is our gardener, who was working that summer so he could go to college when school resumed in fall… I couldn’t put him out of work just to be comfortable. To be frank he was the one making me comfortable, making me feel loved. One day he won’t need Danny anymore. At that moment that very day, I’ll strike and bite Danny hard. Even if he doesnt attack me, I'll provoke him. Until then I’ll be his punching bag.
The cops left and I looked at Danny… it’s just a matter of time before you become a pin cushion. With that I picked some clothes and my car keys. James darling, get magical hands ready, mama's coming.
