Love Through Pain (23 page)

Without notice
, Jose punched him. “Fuck you, Frankie, I’m nothing like you.”

Frankie went to hit him back, and the male officer moved in front of him.

Monica stared at her brother. “I remember the day after Javy’s birthday, you had scratches all over your face, but you told me you got in a fight. You lied to me.”

“Monica shut up!” her dad
lashed at her.

“No, I won
’t shut up. I don’t like her and never will, but no women should have to go through what she did. I saw her that night.” She stared at Jazmine with sympathy. “Her entire face was swollen. You’re a fucking pig, and I hope you rot in jail.” Monica walked up to Jazmine. “I’m so sorry.” And then rushed out of the house. Olga ran after her.

“Frankie Garcia, you
’re under arrest for the assault of Jazmine O’Neal.” She placed the cuffs on his wrists.

The male officer read him his rights.

“I want a lawyer.” Frankie spat.

“I’ll be right there, and your lawyer will be at the station when you get there,”
Frankie’s father said.

“Maria
, we are done!” Frankie’s mother screeched in tears.

“We were done the minute your son put his hands on my daughter-in-law. Get out
of my house!” his mom snapped.

“Let’s go.” They followed the male police
officer through the house as he escorted Frankie out.

Jazmine hadn’t said a word since she
’d pointed at Frankie. The female officer put her hand on Jazmine’s back, making her jump.

“Sweetie, it’s over
; he’s going away for a long time, and the other guy is already in jail; years will be added to his sentence.” She looked at Jose, his parents, and the other guests. “I’m going to need statements.”

Javier cupped Jazmine’s face. “Are you going to be okay?”

She shook her head. “Why?”

“I assaulted him
, they are going to have to take me in.”

“No Javy… Don’t leave me.” Her eyes shined with tears.

“Mr. Martinez, you’re not being arrested.” The officer said, and winked. “What you did was self-defense.” She looked at everyone in the backyard. “Did he act in self-defense?”

In unison they all said, “
Yes.”

Jazmine turned to her. “Thank you.”

The officer took their statements first, and then told them they could leave.

Jazmine grabbed Javier’s hand. “Let’s go see our son.”

“Baby, are you okay?” He gazed at her with his good eye. He knew he had to get her out of there. Away from people for a while. She looked so lost.

“It’s finally over,” she sighed
. “I survived seeing him again. I’m stronger than him, he didn’t win.” She touched his cheek. “You kept your promise, he didn’t hurt me, but you need an ice pack.”

He chuckled,
and they slowly walked up the stairs into his bedroom. Nicky was still sleeping in between the pillows. The commotion from downstairs didn’t wake him.

Jazmine stared at Nicky,
and he knew what she was thinking. Frankie is his biological father; the truth was in his eyes.

“Don’t
, he is my son.” He sat on the bed and gently picked him up. Their little boy’s eyes fluttered opened, and when he saw Javier, he smiled and touched his nose. It melted his heart, this was his son. He didn’t care what DNA ran through Nicky’s blood. Nicky’s eyes closed again, and his head lay on Javier’s chest.

“Javier, thank you
.” She sat next to him. “For loving us, and being our superman.”

There was a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” Javier answered.

His grandma, Elba, entered with a bag of ice in her hand. “I thought you needed this.” She handed it to Jazmine. “Sweet heart, you’re a survivor. No woman should go through what you did, but that man is going away for a long time, and it’s because you were strong enough to step forward.” She stared at them. “I’m a retired social worker, and I saw so much sadness. A lot of women are too afraid to come forward and report their attackers. You helped other women.”

“Thanks
, Elba.” Jazmine gently placed the small bag over his eye.

“Everyone went home, and your parents are worried about you.”

“Grandma, let them know we’re okay. We just need some time alone.” Javier held onto Jazmine’s leg.

“I understand. I’ll let them know.” She touched the doorknob. “I love you guys.”

“I love you, too.” Jazmine placed the bag down on the floor and lay down on the bed.

“Grandma
, thank you for being you.” He smiled. “I love you.”

She closed the door. Javier eased back and lay next to Jazmine. Nicky
sprawled across his chest, and he slipped his arm around his wife. What a fucking day, and he was still a little shaken up.

Frankie was like family
; they’d grown up together—been raised like cousins. He knew Frankie and Kevin were up to no good, but rape. He couldn’t believe how he’d reacted when he thought Jose was one of the men that raped her, he could’ve killed him.

He looked down at Jazmine
, and she was fast asleep. It had been a long, stressful day. He sighed. The day had started off great, and ended in him almost going to jail, but he would do it all over again. He loved Jazmine with all that he was, so when she hurt, he did too. She was a strong, independent woman, and he intended to be right by her side in everything, starting with therapy. “Mi familia,” he murmured.

Javier tried to close his eyes, but every time he did, he saw the pain in Sandra’s eyes
and the steel lodged in her leg. Then the image would morph into Jazmine’s beaten body. Yes, he needed to go back to therapy.

~~~

Jazmine tossed and turned in the bed, trying to go back to sleep, but it wasn’t working. She kept seeing his eyes, hearing his voice, as her attacker blamed her for what happened. Javier had already taken Nicky downstairs, she was too embarrassed to face his family. He’d told her they would never treat her differently, that it wasn’t her fault. But she did blame herself, if it wasn’t for her, his family’s celebration wouldn’t have been destroyed.

There was a knock on the bedroom door.

“Come in.” Jazmine sat up.

Javier’s dad, Papo, entered the room and sat on the end of the bed. “Jazmine, why won’t you come down and join us?”

She watched the clock on the wall, trying not to look at her father-in-law. “I’m ashamed.”

“Why?” His eyebrows met.

She finally peered at him, meeting his gaze.

“You should be proud of yourself. You stood up against your attackers, and I know that took a lot.” He stared at her. “No woman should go through what you did.”

“What about your friends?”

“What about them? The moment Marco pulled that gun on my son, that friendship went out the window. When Frankie was punching Javier did I get involved
? No, I didn’t. If it wasn’t for you, Marco might have shot my son.”

“Why didn’t you stop Javier?” Jazmine mov
ed her feet from the mattress to the floor.

“You know Javier
, no one can stop him once his mind is made up.” He stood. “If someone would’ve done to my wife or daughter what they did to you, no one would’ve been able to stop me either.” He patted her hand.

“How can I face your family after what’s happened?” She looked back at the clock.

“Jazmine, what happened is not your fault, stop blaming yourself. Those cowards are the ones to blame, and because of you, they are going to pay. My mom speaks the world of you, and she just met you, and you’re Lucy’s role model. We are all downstairs, and you’re missing.” He extended his palm to her. “Jazmine, my son loves you, which means we love you.”

Jazmine smiled and grabbed his hand.

“There is a reason why Javier helped you that night, God had a plan, and it fell into place. I’ve never seen my son as happy as I’ve seen him in the past few days.”

“He’s my rock.”

“And you are his.” Papo pulled her up. “Come on, spend some time with your family before you leave tomorrow.”

They stepped out
of the room, walked down the stairs, and joined the rest of the family in the living room. Javier looked up when they entered and winked. Jose stood, letting Jazmine take his seat. She smiled and looked around; no one acted any differently toward her. They shared childhood memories, played taboo, and laughed until the crack of dawn. Early in the morning they left, promising to return for Christmas.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Music blasted from the speaker around the basketball court at the indoor gym. Jazmine, Malanie, Alanie
, Jewel and Connie were up on stage.
Dance for Love
was the name of the Charity event, which supported breast cancer awareness, and a campaign for,
together we can end domestic violence and sexual assault
. There were over one hundred women, survivors, and supporters. “Women’s empowerment.” Jazmine started clapping her hands over her head. It was her turn to lead the dance routine,
Roar,
by Katy Perry, began playing.

“We are Champions!” Jazmine stepp
ed to the left and then the right. “I can’t hear you!” she screamed into the mic.

All the females in the crowed began shouting, “We are Champions!”

“I want to hear you roar!” Malanie yelled, moving to the music. “We are survivors, let me hear you roar!”

The ladies
roared loudly and followed their lead, dancing to the music, shouting, and pumping their fists up high in the air.

Jazmine placed two fingers in the air
. “To the left.” She stepped to the left, and then to the right, jumped up and down. “Come on, we got this.”

Connie
, Jewel and Malanie followed Jazmine’s lead, they were sweating, swaying from side to side, and fists pumping in the air, motivating the crowd.

Alanie clapped and chanted. “Show them
that we rock!” she placed her hand around her ear, “I can’t hear you ladies!”

The crowed shouted, pumping their hands in the air.

Jazmine sung along—it had become her anthem—she listened to the words and yes, she’d had enough. She did have the eye of the tiger, a fighter, and she was a champion, and the ladies beside her were, too. Malanie was Commander Wood’s wife, Javier had introduced them. She’d been through a lot herself, involved in an abusive relationship before Jeremy, but she’d survived with the help of family and therapy.

They’d hit it off immediately, and
had been friends ever since.  Jazmine knew she was a survivor, it’d been four months since Frankie was arrested. They tested the DNA they’d found under her nails and the semen. Both Frankie and the Kevin guy had been a match. Frankie was sentenced to six years in jail without probation, and Kevin got jail time added to his already ten years, for drug and weapon possession.

She and Javier went to counseling every week, and even he was benefiting from the sessions. Javier
had admitted to Jazz that he still felt responsible for what happened to Sandra, but he was learning to let it go, and that it wasn’t his fault.

At that moment
, Jazmine looked out in the crowd and saw three tall, muscular men and two toddlers in-between all of the women, and she chuckled into the mic, making Malanie, Jewel and Connie look at what she was staring at.

Javier and Jeremy were laughing at his little girl
, Faith, and Nicky as they danced, trying to mimic what they were doing on stage. They were all dressed in pink T-shirts. How did she get so lucky to have such a supportive husband? His eyes met hers, and he started clapping. Javier stepped to the left two times and then to the right, falling into pace with the crowd. Jeremy and a tall African-American man joined in. They all chuckled, trying to stay in tune.  The women around them laughed.

“Military in the house!” Alanie shouted.

Jeremy, Javier, and the other guy pumped their fists in the air. “Yeah.”

Nicky stomped his little feet on the ground, singing along. He knew the song
; she’d played it enough. Faith placed her hands on her hips, shaking from side to side and then turned around.

“Mommy
.” Faith ran to the stage when she saw Malanie, and Jeremy took off after her. That girl was fast. She managed to get around the crowd and climbed on stage. “Mommy, I want to dance with you.”

Laughter burst out from the crowd.

Malanie smiled at Jeremy and mouthed, “I got her.” Faith mimicked what her mom was doing, waving her hands to the ladies in the crowd. Jeremy shook his head and walked back to the other men. Some ladies stared at him, giving him flirty smiles.

She looked back out in
to the crowd, and Javier had Nicky on his shoulders. He winked, crisscrossed his feet, and turned around, making her laugh. She loved that man.

“Thank you for supporting each other, and know you are not alone
,” Jazmine said before the music ended. “We will find a cure.” She took a deep breath. “And stop violence against women.” Everyone clapped.

They filed off the stage. Jazmine ran straight to her husband and kissed him on the lips. “This is a wonderful surprise.”

He combed back her hair with his fingers. “We’re here to support you.” Nicky bowed his head and kissed her forehead.

“Champ
.” Nicky clapped over his dad’s head.

“She is my champion
.” Javier hugged her. He tapped the other man, making him turn around. “Jazmine, this is Derrick, Jeremy’s friend.”

She dried her hand on her shirt and extended it. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” He shook her hand, and then released it. “My wife wanted to come, but she and my son have the flu.”

“It’s going around
. I hope they feel better.” Jazmine wiped her neck.

Derrick shook Javier and Jeremy’s hand. “I’m out
. I have to pick up some chicken soup.” He looked at his cell-phone.

“Tell Stephanie, I call her later
.” Malanie held her two-year-old.

“I will
.” Derrick walked off.

Jeremy kissed Alanie on her head. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Daddy, stop getting mushy.” She hugged him.

“Jazmine
.” Malanie took her hands. “It gets better, believe me.”

Jazmine squeezed her hand. “I know.”

“We’re going to be heading out. If you need me, I’m a call away.” Malanie hugged her, Jewel and Connie. “Bye Javier.”

“Bye
.” Javier shook Jeremy’s hand.

“Well
, your husband is here, so you can hitch a ride with him.” Jewel grabbed Nicky and kissed his chunky cheeks.

“So
, it’s like that now?” Jazmine joked around.

“Ye
p, but you know I love you.” Jewel snickered. “I have another charity event to attend to, I’ll see you guys later.” She handed the baby to Connie, hugged Jazmine, and then she walked off waving. “Bye.”

“T
hank you for helping me out.” Connie hugged Nicky, staring at Jazmine.

“Anytime.”

Connie placed Nicky on the floor, and he ran to Jazmine.

Connie tapped her head. “Damn, I sweated my relaxer out.”

“Jazmine sweats hers out every night.” Javier chuckled.

“TMI
.” Connie looked at them.

Jazmine threw her hand towel at him, and he caught it, still laughing.

“You two are crazy.” Connie picked up her gym bag. “See you later sister.” Connie hugged her. “Damn you’re sweaty.” She chuckled. “Bye Javier.”

“Bye
.” He waved and grabbed their son’s hand. “I’m so proud of you, Mami.”

“I’m where I am
, because of you.”

“No babe, it’s because of you.”

She took his other hand, and they left the center. Another chapter closed in her life.