God's Gift to Women (27 page)

“It’s okay, Joe,” I said while running toward the tower elevators. “Be careful tonight.”

As I pushed the button for the twenty-fifth floor, I thought about going back and asking for help, but Joe was too gung ho. He would have gotten all of us killed, including himself. It was up to me to figure out a way to save my daughter and myself. How I was gonna do that with a dull-ass butcher knife was beyond me. I stared at my reflection in the elevator mirror as I pushed the knife down into my sock.

“You said you wanted to handle it—well, here’s your big chance.”

When the elevator doors opened, I could hear the station playing over the hallway speakers. I ran down the hall as fast as I could, staying close to the walls to avoid being seen by the security cameras. I knew the chances of her not watching were slim, but I needed every break I could get. Once I was at the lobby door, I punched the access code and went in.

The office was completely dark except for a dim light coming from inside the studio. It was the glow from my jasmine-scented candles. I crawled on my hands and knees toward the control room, which was about fifty feet away and next door to the studio. The door was slightly open.

As I crawled down the dark hallway, I heard a muffled sound coming from inside the control room. The closer I got, the more pronounced it became. When I made it to the studio I
eased my head inside the door. The room was filled with balloons and there was a birthday cake with candles. I stayed down as low as I could and made my way over to the control room. The door was cracked open but it was hard to see inside. I had to find out where that humming noise was coming from, so I pushed the door open slowly and ducked my head in. “I’ll be damned! Mitch!”

He was lying on the floor naked with his hands and feet bound with duct tape. He had a strip of it over his mouth and was bleeding badly from the head, like he had been pistol-whipped. When he saw me coming toward him, he jumped as if he was scared. But once he could make out my face, he let out a sigh. I sat him up in the chair and began taking the tape off his mouth.

“I had to open the door,” he said, sounding hysterical. “She said she would shoot Samantha.”

“Where is she now?”

“Right here, you son of a bitch!”

I didn’t see her at first, then those hazel eyes gradually appeared out of the shadows. She was completely naked and holding a gun to Samantha’s head.

“Put that tape back over his mouth and bring your ass in here!”

“Take the gun off her first.”

“I’m running this show tonight!” She cocked the trigger and put the barrel in Sam’s mouth. “Now do what I told you, or so help me God, I’ll kill this nappy-headed little bitch!”

I put the tape back on his mouth and walked over to the studio.

“And you, get back down on the floor,” she told Mitch. “The only reason I didn’t shoot your ass is because you were nice to me at the party—but don’t press your luck.”

“Daddy, I’m scared!” Samantha cried.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. Everything is gonna be all right.”

“Your father is lying to you,” Olivia said while stroking her
hair. “Everything
is not
gonna be all right, in fact, this is gonna turn out pretty fucked up, trust me!”

“Why don’t you let her go, Olivia? You got me. Isn’t that what you came here for?”

“I came here to bring in the new year and celebrate our daughter’s birthday.” She kissed Samantha on the forehead. “All we need now is for the guest of honor to arrive, and we can get this party started!”

“What guest of honor?”

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Samantha cried. “She made me call.”

“Shut your mouth!”

Olivia tore off a piece of duct tape and covered her mouth.

“What are you up to, Olivia? This is just between us!”

“You just do what I tell you and your daughter
might
make it out of here alive tonight. Now pick up those boxes off the floor and get behind that console. We’re going on the air in five minutes.”

“Are you crazy?”

She moved in closer to me so I could see Sam’s face as she began tightening her grip around her neck.

“Yes, I am crazy, which makes you a damn fool for arguing with me!” Sam’s face was turning red. “Now, I’m not going to ask you twice!”

I picked the two small boxes up off the floor and moved behind the console.

“Good boy,” she said. Then she stopped choking Samantha.

I stared down at the console. It read 11:40. It was obvious she was waiting for midnight to make her move. I began turning knobs and flicking switches on the panel, hoping she wouldn’t know if we were on the air.

“Okay, speak into your mic so I can check the levels.”

“Testing one two, testing one two,” she said while clearing her throat.

I pushed a few more buttons and pretended to be preparing to go on the air.

“Are you ready?”

“Not yet—we’re still waiting for our special guest,” she said with a devious smile.

That’s when I knew. Before I could react, the bell rang in the lobby. I looked up at the monitor and saw Terri punching in her access code. Olivia blew out the candles in the corner and stepped backward into the shadow, dragging Samantha with her.

“Don’t try anything stupid.”

When Terri walked into the studio she was wearing a sexy white dress and carrying a bottle of champagne.

“Surprise!” She rushed over and gave me a hug. “Happy New Year, baby!”

I wanted to cry as I hugged her back. I knew it was probably the last time I would feel her soft body against mine.

“I’m sorry,” I said to her.

“Sorry for what?”

“Sorry that you were so damned stupid!” Olivia said as she walked out of the shadow.

“Oh, my God!”

“That’s right, pray. You’re gonna need him tonight. Now move over there and stand still, you booshie bitch.” She directed Terri with the gun. “By the way—nice dress.”

Terri set the bottle down and moved to the side of the console next to the tape rack.

“Now that everybody’s here, we can start opening gifts! Why don’t you open yours first, Julian?”

I pulled the top off the box and carefully reached inside. The light was too dim to see what it was, but I could feel a metal object with a strap attached to it. When I removed it from the box I recognized it right away. It was Eddie’s camera.

“I thought you might want a souvenir.” Olivia laughed.

“Fuck you, Olivia!”

“You already did, remember? That’s what got you into this mess. Now pass the other box over to Miss Eve.”

Terri took the box out of Julian’s hand and set it down in front of her.

“Well, don’t just stand there,
Doctor,
open it!”

Terri looked nervous as she reached inside the small white container. When she pulled her hand out she was holding a multicolored rattle.

“You evil bitch!” Terri said with a hurt expression on her face.

“What’s going on, Terri?”

“You mean you didn’t know?” Olivia laughed. “This is too good to be true!”

“Know what?”

“Shut up, Olivia, I’m warning you!”

Olivia pointed the gun at Terri’s stomach.

“No, I’m warning
you
!” she said. “I’ve already lost two babies—why would I give a damn about killing yours?”

“Olivia, please don’t!” Julian pointed at the clock. “Look, it’s almost midnight. I thought you wanted to go on the air.”

“I’m not done with you yet,” Olivia said to Terri. “Now hand me that last box!”

She walked up to the microphone and began adjusting it. While she was holding the gun to Samantha’s head, she reached inside the box and pulled out two pieces of paper and a Walkman radio. She taped it to her naked waist then turned the dial to 102.3.

“I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid,” she said while putting on her headphones. “Now, let’s talk about love, lust, and lies—
for real
!”

I had no choice but to do what she said. When the last commercial was ending, I switched off the tape and went on the air live.

“Welcome back to the show. Tonight we’re talking about resolutions. But, before we go back to the phones, I have a special guest in the studio who has a few thoughts she wants to share. Welcome to the show, Olivia.”

“Glad to be here, Julian,” she said in a sexy tone. “It’s nice to finally meet the man behind the voice. You are even finer in person.”

“Thanks,” I said with an attitude. “So why are you here tonight?”

“I have a poem I’d like to read.” She unfolded the two pieces of paper. “I want to dedicate this to all the women out there who have searched for love but found only misery and pain. I call it ‘God’s Gift to Women.’”

I laid down a jazz instrumental and adjusted the volume. Olivia closed her eyes, moved her head to the rhythm, and began to recite.

You say, I’m beautiful—sexy—classy,

and a little sassy

but most of all,

you love my honesty

all these things I possess

and yet—I am good enough for a night

but not good enough for a wife?

You ask what is wrong

what am I basing my opinion on?

like they all do,

he went on and on and on

pleading his case

meanwhile his sacks lay on my face

I’m tired of this shit

so now I’m gonna flip the script

remember the time I walked into the room

smelled the sweet perfume?

but it wasn’t mine

but I’m the one you call crazy

and you want to know why I be hidden outside in the bushes

waiting fo’ you to come out your ’ho’s house

so I can bust you in the mouth—or cut your ass

or why you woke up and found

your four rims on four flats

how am I really suppose to act?

all I wanted was to have you back

again, I ask the question

I am good enough for a night

but not good enough for a wife?

and so precious man

you really thought you were God’s gift to women

but the truth is—women are God’s gift to you

If you weren’t so busy strokin’ on this cat

your arrogant ass would have realized that

I told you nigga

I wasn’t afraid to pull the trigga

too bad you won’t wake up from this sleep

rest in peace

There was an eerie silence. Terri and I stared at each other knowing she meant to kill us all. Her poem wasn’t just an expression of her madness; it was a suicide note. I nodded my head slightly and shifted my eyes to signal Terri to tilt over the wobbly tape rack. Her eyebrows raised as if she didn’t understand what I was trying to tell her. I tried to stall for more time.

“Well, that was very—interesting,” I said, sounding cordial. “So, how long have you been writing poetry?”

“Don’t patronize me, goddamnit!” Olivia snapped. “You know damn well that poem was meant for you!” She pointed the gun at me. “Now, get down on your knees and apologize for what you did to me.”

“The only thing I’m sorry about is meeting your disturbed ass!” I said to her. “We had a one-night stand, and now my best friend is dead and you’re holding a gun to my daughter’s head, all because you can’t separate your pussy from your emotions!”

“Well, how about I separate your head from your shoulders, smart-ass?”

She cocked the trigger.

“Olivia, please wait!” Terri said in a caring tone. “I know you still have emotional scars from being raped and losing your babies. There are millions of women like you who suffer in silence through their own private hell. But hurting innocent people won’t make that pain go away. You’re sick, and you need help.” Terri slowly stretched out her hand. “Now please give me the gun.”

Olivia burst out laughing.

“Now,
that
was some good shit, Doc! Did you hear that on
Oprah
?” She pushed Samantha aside and put the gun to Terri’s forehead. “So, what’s your philosophy on this, huh? You think you’re so smart! You don’t know the first thing about what I’ve been through. You sit in your cozy little office reading books about abuse, but I’ve lived through it every day of my life for thirty-five years.” Her eyes filled with tears. “And there’s no book or fuckin’ pill that can make that pain go away. Some of us are just natural-born victims. Sometimes the only way to escape the pain of all the bad memories is through death.”

“So why not just kill yourself?” I yelled. “Why Eddie— why me?”

She turned the gun back on me and aimed at my head.

“Because Eddie represented all the men in my life who ever hurt me. And you—you were everything good in a man that I knew I could never have.” Then she gave me a wicked smile. “So, as the saying goes, if I can’t have you, nobody else will!”

Just when she was about to shoot, Terri shoved the tape rack with her shoulder. Olivia shielded herself with her arm as it fell on top of her.

“Run, Sam!”

Terri grabbed Samantha and carried her out of the studio. I pulled the knife out of my sock and ran over to stab Olivia. She was buried underneath the rack, but the hand she was holding the gun in was still free.

Bang! Bang!
Two shots rang out. The first one missed but the second hit me in my left side. It burned like hell.

“Gotcha, motherfucker!”

I rolled over on my back, holding the wound. Olivia pushed the rack off her and jumped on top of me.

“Like I told you, every dog has its day.” She pointed the gun in my face and began to squeeze the trigger.

I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer, expecting to hear the pop of the gun. Then, from out of nowhere, Terri tackled Olivia, knocking her off me. The gun went flying across the room.

“That’s for callin’ me booshie, bitch!” Terri shouted as she punched Olivia in the face.

I crawled across the floor, trying to reach the gun. Just when I got my hand on it, Olivia reached over and pulled out the box cutter she had hidden in her purse. Terri was so busy punching her she never saw it coming.