The Widow Of Magnolia Lane

Part 3

Frightened, Natalie looked up and saw Joseph standing in front of the car. She tried to back the car up but he was parked directly behind her. She put the car in drive. He quickly moved to nod and smile at her. Taunting her to hit him.

"Mommy don't hit daddy! J.J yelled from the back seat.

She put the car in reverse again, hitting the chrome grill on Joseph's Mercedes. Joseph ran over and slapped the window on the passenger side causing her to scream. Putting the car back in drive, she made a quick swerve to the left knocking over the concrete fountain spewing water. She knew that if she could get past the statue, she could turn the car around in the large driveway and make it to the road.

"No daddy", she heard J.J. yell.

She looked over in horror towards the backseat, Joseph had managed to open the back door and began to pull J.J. out of his car seat.

"No! Natalie screeched unaware of the base in her voice.

She threw the car in park and ran over to Joseph pulling at J.J. He grabbed Natalie by her hair, while holding the frightened toddler, and dragged her up the steps towards the house. Once inside, he threw her to the floor.

"Go upstairs Joe Joe", he put the child down and began to undo his belt.

"Daddy. Don't hurt my mommy", he ran to his mother wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"Move Joe Joe", he bellowed but the small child would not budge. "Tell him to go upstairs before I give him the same ass-whupping' I'm gonna give you.

"J.J...Listen to me. I need you to go upstairs and play with your toys". She rubbed his head and grabbed his little hands.

"No mommy. Daddy is going to hurt you", he looked up at the towering giant and pouted his lips.

"No baby. We are just going to talk. That's all baby". She looked at his angelic face and held his gaze. Gathering his features and chiseling them in her heart. If Joseph killed her, she wanted to take the image of his sweet face to heaven with her.

"You promise mommy?" he looked at his mother with uncertainty.

"I promise". She lied.

J.J. let out a huge sigh and walked upstairs. Natalie stood in front of Joseph. She glared angrily at his broad face and the recent black eye he supported thanks to the wrath of his eldest brother. He had threatened to beat her son or worse. At that moment, she was no longer afraid of him. She had to be strong for her son.

"You must wanna die bitch. Thinking you gonna leave me and take my son. Are you fucking crazy? He stood back and looked at her confusingly.

"If you gonna kill me. Kill me. But I refuse to make it easy for you, you son of a bitch!

He chuckled to himself. Natalie was only 5'2 and 160 lbs. Joseph was twice her size and twice her height. He found her newfound courage humorous. He reached for her. Natalie was quick. She dodged his grip and ran into his private office. She grabbed the fire poker near the fireplace. He walked over to her and tried to seize the slender metal object. As he reached, she took her foot and kicked him in the groin. As he bent over in pain, she raised the fire poker and struck him in the head knocking him to the floor.

She ran to the steps to get her son. Just before she got to the second step, Joseph was on her heels. Wavering from the hit to the head, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder throwing her to the couch on her stomach. She called out her son's name...And then there was darkness.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 4:16 am

Natalie was jolted out of sleep by pain that enveloped her head. She swung her leg over to get off the couch but felt nothing but the satin sheets of her mattress. She tried to sit up but was anchored to the pillow by a migraine. Unable to move or yell, she lay helpless trying to collect her thoughts. How did I get in the bed? Why am I wearing my nightgown? What time is it?

She eased her feet onto the floor and crawled slowly to the bathroom. The room was dark and she refused to turn on any lights for fear that her head would explode from the sudden brightness. Her migraine was debilitating. Every move caused the pain to spread rampantly from the nape of her neck to her temples. She made her way to the toilet and emptied the contents of her stomach. The smell of the grease and chicken making its way out of her gut sickened her even more. After heaving, she slowly she stood up and reached blindly into the medicine cabinet. Reaching on the second shelf, she found the pills and gulped them down with handfuls of water. Lowering herself to the commode, she sat with her eyes closed until the pain started to subside.

Natalie walked into the bedroom and grabbed her slippers under the bed. The house was quiet. Too quiet. She walked down the hall into the darkness and quietly opened the door to J.J.'s room. He was sleeping peacefully in his new Spider-Man pajamas, a gift from Maria. She stood at the top of the steps listening for Joseph. If he wasn't in his office, he must have been with his whore. Natalie preferred the latter. She decided if he was gone, she would gather J.J and leave on foot across the street to Mrs. Pritchard's house. She needed to be sure this time.

She could see the light from his office illuminate the hallway downstairs. The office door was open. Joseph never kept the door open while he was in the office. She eased her way down the steps and peeked around the foyer into the office. She dropped to the floor in horror.

Joseph was laying in the office floor with blood around him saturating the carpet. Thinking that he may have hit his head, she walked over and shook him on the shoulder. No response. She began to feel for a pulse. When she placed her fingers on his neck, they sunk through the warm wet flesh. He had a gaping hole on the side of his neck. He was slightly cool and his eyes were half-open. She removed her fingers and began to scream and cry. "Mommy?" Her screams had awakened J.J.

"Go back to your room baby. Mommy is down here trying to find the monster"

"Monster?" he wiped his eyes and widened them.

"Yes, baby. Stay in your room before it gets you". She hated to tell him there was a monster in the house but it was the only way that she could keep J.J. upstairs. He was afraid of monsters.

"O.k mommy". He quickly closed his door.

She walked into the family room and called the police. She went to unlock the front door but it was already unlocked. She grabbed a knife out of the kitchen and began to search the house for intruders. Once she deemed it safe, she carried the knife with her to the couch across from the office. Natalie watched her husband's dead body lay lifeless on the floor, waiting patiently for the police. She was in shock. She sobbed quietly covered in his blood. Natalie wasn't for certain if the tears were for sadness or joy. Nevertheless...She sobbed.