Loves Me Not
loves me, loves me not
car door slammed
garage door closed
Mercedes tires sprinted down the drive
silence
gone
she peeked
he was gone
garage reeked of alcohol
gun lock box open
handguns and bullets strewn about the bench
the new 20/20 under and over shotgun
laid out
loaded
her body screamed from his recent beatings
"four months of wedded bliss, darlin’”
he'd snarled as he hit her last night
four months of marriage
three of hell
how impetuous she'd been
new divorce.
new town
new job
ten and twelve year old daughters
Connor was a nice looking
successful
local attorney
who pursued her
aggressively
they dated for six weeks
eloped to Norfolk on his insistence
weekend binging arrived with a bang
the first beating
stopped appearing in public
lewd and suspicious comments
“they all know you're divorced, darlin'
they all come sniffin’ around you
lookin’ for a piece
of free ass
they're all wantin' to try your rosebud daughters on
for size, too"
the girls told her yesterday that they saw Connor hiding in
the bushes outside of their bedroom windows
instant nauseous horror
home at 3am last night
drunk
demanding sex
she demanded a divorce
he gave her a beating
extracted the sex
left at noon today
smelling of alcohol
his parting threats reminded her
a woman has no rights in Virginia
"divorce be damned, darlin.
you are my property in this state
along with your brats
hear me darlin?
you're just a slit
get ready for family fun night tonight
be ready"
she tucked the girls in
with a favorite video to watch
placed a chair in front of their bedroom door
sat
waited
alone
thought
frightened
desperate
cold sweat dripped
stinging the abrasions and cuts on her arms
from last night’s beating and rape
they were not old enough
was any woman ever old enough?
she sat and thought
pensive, then determined.
tires screech
screen door rips
back door explodes
he plows his way through the kitchen
dining room
"I’m home, bitch!
"get those juicy tight rosebuds of yours ready
watch me ram my cock out the back of their heads
answer me
bitch!
answer me!”
flushed
wild-eyed
sweating
turning the corner into her line of vision, .
unzipping his fly
“answer me
answer me”
the shotgun
answered
©2014 Cass Sowa.