This is Life

Surprise

Around 1 in the morning the screen door burst open. It was a good thing Uncle Robbie wasn’t home. Zek rushed in and slammed the door behind him. He pushed his back up against it and sank to the floor. His hair was ruffled and messed up, and his green eyes darted around, frightened and paranoid. I sprang up, terrified, not expecting anyone to bust through the door. I had been lying on the couch drifting off to sleep. “Zek?” I ran to him, but stopped in my tracks. There was blood on his hands, and on his yellow shirt too. “What the hell happened?” I yelled, forgetting about Ethan asleep down the hall. He was breathing hard, and it was obvious he was high on something, probably his new favorite, ecstasy. He began to stutter out an explanation. I got on my knees in front of him.
“I uh, I don’t know, we were dancing, then, then in that room, and she shut the door. I, I uh, f***ed her, then she was layin, layin there and I choked her.” My eyes opened wide. “She didn’t even move! Look!” He showed me the backs of his arms, where fingernail marks scratching downward were so deep they had blood in them, and were beginning to bruise. “She just dug in! She didn’t even blink Ehvie!” My mind was racing, as well as my heart. What had he done? “Did you, kill her Zek?” I asked, so calmly it surprised me. “I-I took my blade and stabbed her throat and her arms, then legs. See?” He shoved his bloody hands in my face and I moved backwards. “Stop, I see. Get up babe.” I said. What the hell do I do?
I took him by the arm, careful not to get any blood on me. I brought him to the bathroom. He stood staring blankly at me. “Go ahead and get your clothes off.” I told him, “Strip and give me all of them.” I walked past him further in the bathroom and opened the sliding shower door, starting a shower for him.
I turned around and he was down to his boxers. I ripped them down, “Step out of them and get in the shower. Clean yourself, get all the blood off. Then, clean yourself again.” He tilted his head like a confused puppy, but stepped out of the boxers. It wasn’t the first time I had seen him naked. I grabbed every article of clothing and threw them all in the fireplace. I sat on the couch shaking, but amazed at how my mind worked under pressure. What the hell did I get myself into? I listened to the water running in the bathroom and pictured his bloody hands again. “Oh my god.” I said quietly. I couldn’t even imagine him doing that to another human being. That was a brutal murder.
How can I keep this a secret? I thought.
I sat back and closed my eyes; it had to be around 1:30 now. How would this look in court? Oh god, he took it too far this time.
“Ehvie?”
“Huh?” I lifted my head up in a daze and opened my eyes. Zek stood before me with a yellow towel wrapped around him, water from his hair dripping down his chest. I must have fallen asleep.
“Oh, Zek, come on.” I got up, exaughsted, and took his hand. The hand that had been used to take a human life. It was soft. I led him to my room and got some of Jamie’s clothes out of my bottom drawer. “Here you go babe. Dry clean clothes.” I gave him a sympathetic smile. He got dressed and dried his hair off. I took his arm and looked at the back of it, at the four nail dug trails. “Let’s put some bandages on these.” I said.
His usually vibrant green eyes looked empty. He was probably crashing. I rummaged through the bandages we had stocked up and pulled out a box of surgical pads. That should cover the wounds. I went back to my room and made Zek lay down on his stomach, and lifted the sleeves on his shirt. “This is probably going to burn.” I gave the standard warning of alcohol on open flesh. I poured the alcohol on a tissue and wiped down the wounds. Not even a flinch. “I was so mad.” He said quietly. I continued with the other arm and finished up with NeoSporin and the surgical pads. Then I sat down in bed next to him. He looked up at me. “She was so beautiful. And I hated her. And then the room started spinning.” He told me.
“Let’s just go to sleep okay?” I whispered.
“Okay.” He nodded his head absently. I reached down and pulled the white covers over both of us, then leaned over and kissed Zek’s cheek.
”Good night.” I said.

“Ehvie!” I shot up in my bed. The birds outside were singing and I knew it was morning. The shouting had come from Geena, who was home from work. I slowly climbed out of bed and rubbed my tired eyes. My long black hair was all over the place and I shuffled to where Geena’s yelling had come from. My eyes opened wide when I saw what she had seen. Zek, passed out next to the toilet. Puke all inside of it.
“What the hell is going on here Ehvie?” Geena asked, she had a nasty smirk on her face. “Is this your latest f*** toy?” she asked. My mouth dropped. How dare she? I reached up and grabbed her by her long shiny blonde hair. “You bitch!” I screamed.
It was obvious I had caught her off guard. I smacked her face and she pushed against me and knocked me on the ground. Now she was on top of me and she wrapped her perfectly manicured hands around my throat, trying to choke me, but I shoved as hard as I could and she hit the wall next to us.
She sat up, confused at first and rubbing the back of her head. She had no idea what I had been through because of what Jamie and I did, and then to call me a whore? She was the whore! I got up, stumbling a bit and she tried to get up as well, but didn’t get very far before I pushed her back down to the floor and began slapping her relentlessly. Blood from her nose and split lip were getting all over my hands, and Evan was screaming and jumping up and down saying “Stop!” but I was so angry I couldn’t even think straight. All I could think of was this stupid girl coming in my house and disrespecting me!
Then, as fast as it started, I was grabbed by the waist and pulled off of her, my arms still swinging and my legs kicking. Uncle Robbie. Shit. What did I do? He threw me onto the couch at the entrance of the hallway. His look was as serious as death. “Sit. And don’t move.” He instructed me. He walked down the hall and picked Geena up. “Baby, its okay.” I heard him saying. Her crying was quiet, but those tears were real. I sat on the couch, blood on my hands and shaking. He’s gonna kill me.
“Who tha f***?!” I heard him yell. He had found Zek. I looked down the dark hallway, only the bathroom light shone across the floor. Uncle Robbie burst out of the bathroom and charged down the hall at me. I could feel the fear on my face. He grabbed my arm harshly and snatched me off the couch, pulling me down the hall so fast I thought he was going to pull me arm out of its socket.
“Stop!” I cried.
He threw me on the cold tile floor in front of Zek, who was still, somehow unconscious. My head hit the toilet bowl when I landed. “Who the f*** is this motherf***er up in MY house?” Robbie screamed. Zek opened his eyes. “Huh?” Shit. “Yeah you, motherf***er!” He yelled, “Sit yo ass up.” Uncle Robbie’s voice calmed down a little, but when Zek lifted himself to a sitting position in front of the tub, Uncle Robbie walked right up next to me and kicked Zek in the face.
“Zek!” I screamed. He fell back down next to the toilet, blood running out of his nose and mouth. I scrambled to my hands and knees despite my throbbing head and tried to lift him back up to no prevail. I laid my head on his tummy and started crying, forgetting that Robbie was watching.
“Get the f*** off that boy, like he’s yo family or something.” He grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me off of Zek and across the floor. “I ain’t done yet.” I sat in the entrance of the door and watched one of my best friends at the mercy of my uncle.
Uncle Robbie lifted his leg back and began kicking Zek in the stomach and crotch. Zek began coughing blood up on the floor and Uncle Robbie grabbed him by his hair and put his head above the toilet, which already had puke in it and Zek continued to cough and spit up blood. “Don’t get that shit on my floor.”
Uncle Robbie picked Zek up from under his armpits and dragged him from the bathroom to his room and shut the door. I had scooted out of his way. After he shut the door he walked up to me and pulled me up by my hair, making me follow him down the hall to my room.
“Sit on the bed.”
He returned to the living room and told Geena to bring Evan to the park for a little bit, and I heard the screen door close shortly afterwards.
When I saw him coming down the hall again, I noticed for the first time that day that he had dyed his hair black. He came in my room slowly, and closed the door behind him. He licked his lips. “You wanna tell me who that kid is?”
I nodded my head quickly.
“Well?” He asked calmly.
“Zek. He got really high last night and just needed a place to stay.” I told him honestly.
“Did ya f*** him?” He asked. His voice sounded demented.
“No sir.” I said, “No I wouldn’t do that.”
“Uh huh,” He began undoing his belt. “So, uh, that gives you the right to beat on my girlfriend?” He asked. My eyes were glued to the belt he was sliding out of his belt loops. “N-no.” My voice shook. “She, she was calling me a whore.” I explained. He moved closer to me, with the belt looped in his hand now.
“Well it sure is looking like it. Get up.” He commanded. “Take off that shirt.” It was the only thing I was wearing besides knee-high socks and panties, but I didn’t dare protest. I lifted the shirt above my head and let it drop on the floor, with the first strike of the belt to my side. “Pick that shit up. You don’t leave your clothes on the floor Ehvie.” He scolded me.
I immediately bent over and got the shirt and set it on my bed. Then the blows started landing. It was apparent he didn’t have any specific areas he wanted to hit, just my whole body. When I screamed and cried out he only hit me harder. I dropped to the floor and he continued to whip my back and legs. “Get up!” He shouted.
I couldn’t. I couldn’t let him do this willingly, even though I knew it would only be worse if he had to force me to. The belt stopped striking me and he bent over and took me by the arm. He led me over to the wall and told me to stand up against it. I tried the best I could with the burning pain on my back and the endless streams of tears flowing down my face. Quietly saying, “Stop.”
He put his left hand around my neck and held me against the wall so I would stay in place and began hitting me all along my abdomen and legs, and if I started slipping down I would start choking and being strangled by his hand that was steadily staying in place. After what felt like hours he stopped. I guess he just beat me until the anger was gone.
I fell on the floor, crumpled up into a bruised, welt covered, crying mess. He dropped his belt on the floor and bent over, picking me up like the broken child I was. He laid me gently on the bed. “I know it hurts baby.” He said sweetly. Like this wasn’t caused by him. “Sit up.”
My mind had reached its limits on pain and I sat up the best I could, continuously crying. He picked up the shirt beside him and told me to lift my arms. I complied in pain, and he slid the shirt over me, laying me back down and kissing me all over my face, “It’ll be all right. It’s all over.” He whispered. “Where do I put the kid?” He asked.
I gave him Zek’s address through sobbing hiccups. I just wanted him to get home. They would clean him up and take care of him. “Go to sleep baby.” He said kissing my ear. I was so exaughsted from the beating I fell asleep quickly.

I was awoken shortly after though; confused by the pain I felt throughout my body. With my eyes only partially open I saw Uncle Robbie standing at the foot of my bed, and Geena standing next to me. The covers were pulled down to my feet, and my shirt was pulled up to my chin. “Damn Robbie, you really did a number on her.” She touched the inside of my thigh, without knowing that the severe bruising there was from a couple weeks ago. “No one hurts my girl.” He said, “She needs to learn her place now.” Uncle Robbie looked up at my face. “Oh good, she’s awake.
“Does it hurt Ehvie?” Geena asked. I nodded my head pathetically.
My throat hurt from being choked. She had a shit-eating grin on her face. “You know that I am above you now? I am your mistress and you do what I say.”
“Yes.” I said weakly. I felt defeated, but I didn’t want to go through another beating.
“Yes what?” Uncle Robbie’s deep voice questioned me.
“Yes ma’am.” I replied.
“Let’s give it to her Rob, she cooperated.” Geena said. I looked around the room. From her face to his. Give me what?
“Hold out your hand baby girl.” Uncle Robbie said. With both of my hands at my sides already, I simply turned my left hand so my palm was up. Uncle Robbie came around the side of the bed with his hands behind his back, and Geena stood behind him. I felt very uncomfortable. “All right Geena, hold her arm.”
“Huh?” I felt my left arm being held steady as Uncle Robbie brought a syringe from behind his back. “No, no!” I started moving, as painful as it was. “What are you doing?” I asked trying to break Geena’s grip. Uncle Robbie held the syringe up and squirted a little out of the top, like you see on those hospital shows. I wasn’t scared of needles, but the intent behind putting this needle in my arm was unclear.
I started crying hopelessly as he brought the needle next to my inner elbow and rubbed his finger over a certain spot. I was failing the fight. “No, don’t…” I cried, “Please,” I sounded like a helpless little kid being picked on by a bully. I felt the pinch of the needle breaking through my skin and I sobbed feeling him push the cold liquid into my veins. He pulled it out and Geena let go of my arm and backed up.
Uncle Robbie bent over to pull my t-shirt down and I threw my arms up to smack him. He grabbed my throat and I immediately stopped. “You better quit while you’re ahead baby.” He whispered. He let go of me and pulled the covers up over my body. It felt like I was melting into the mattress and suddenly I was fighting to keep my eyes open.
He leaned over and kissed me on the lips, and whispered, “Sweet dreams baby.” In my ear