CHAPTER TWO

Pulling up to her driveway, Zoe saw that her mom and sister were already waiting on her front porch. She figured they’d seen the news report about the bank robbery and while she was not really in the mood to talk about it, she loved the fact that she could always depend on the two of them for emotional support. Zoe killed the car’s engine, took a deep breath and reached for the door handle. But before she could get a good grasp of it, Pamela snatched the door open. Zoe could always depend on her sister to bring the drama.

“Oh my gosh Zoe, are you okay? We saw the news and I swear I’ve been a shaking ball of nerves ever since. Come on now, step out of the car; let me see you so I know for sure that you’re okay.” Pam turned Zoe from side to side as if she were inspecting her for bullet wounds. “Thank God that you weren’t hurt, at least you don’t look like you were.”

“For the love of God, Pam, move out of her way so that the child can go in the house,” Martha instructed. She pulled Pam to the side and watched as her baby girl gathered her things from the car and made her way to the front door. Martha waddled in the door behind Zoe and Pam followed closely behind them both, locking the door and rechecking the lock to make sure that it was secure. Zoe dropped her things on the table, but before she could plop down in one of her chairs, Martha grabbed her and pulled her close. She held Zoe and rocked her from side to side as tears flowed down her face.

“Mama, it’s okay, I’m fine. I promise. No one was hurt. I gave him the money, he left the bank, and I ran and locked the door behind him. The cops were there in no time and right before I left they informed us that they’d caught the guy.”

“We’ve been through so much already, I hate that you now have to deal with the possibility of some desperate fool threatening your life.” Martha sobbed and continued to hold onto Zoe as if her arms could shield her from any further hurt, harm or danger. But all three of the ladies knew that Martha had never been able to protect them when they needed it most.

“Mama, come on now, stop that crying and sit down. I’ll fix us some tea and we can focus on something a little more positive rather than that stupid robbery. Don’t you want some tea?”

“Yes, baby, tea would be nice, but let me fix it for you. Have a seat, Pamela and I will fix the tea and a nice meal to go along with it. Won’t we Pam?”

“Of course we will. Let me check the locks to make sure that they’re good and secure.” Zoe and Martha watched as Pam checked each door lock once, twice, and then a third time. “Okay Mama, what are we going to fix for dinner?”

Zoe watched as her mother rummaged through the refrigerator and pantry for the makings of a good meal. Her heart sank a little bit as she took notice of the additional weight her mother had gained. At two hundred twenty-five pounds, Zoe didn’t know how much more weight her five foot two inch frame could handle before something went seriously wrong. She glanced at her older sister walking back and forth from the sink to the door, checking the locks over and over again. Zoe took a deep breath, shook her head and decided to head down the hall and get out of her work clothes. She was mentally drained and wanted nothing more than a good night’s sleep. But as she stepped into her bedroom, the four poster oak queen bed seemed to taunt her. It was as if she could hear it whisper, come on, dear, I’ve got a nightmare waiting for you. Disgusted, Zoe snatched off her clothes, pulled on some sweats and headed back down the hall.

It didn’t take Martha long to throw together a meal of fried chicken, mac and cheese, green beans, and corn bread. Zoe would’ve been completely satisfied with a small tossed salad, but her mom didn’t consider that real food. Zoe sat down and watched as Pam filled three glasses with tea and her mom heaped food upon her Walmart plates.

“Everything looks good, Mama, but I’m not all that hungry. You can take some of that food off of my plate. That way I’ll have some left over for my dinner tomorrow.”

“Non sense young lady. You can eat all of this and still have plenty left over,” Martha grunted as she plopped down in her chair. She reached for her daughters’ hands, bowed her head, and led them in prayer. “Eat up now. I know that it’s not often that y’all eat like this. You both have gotten all healthy on me. Don’t want to eat fried foods or any of that good stuff I used to make for us, but you both can make an exception today.”

“Of course we’ll make the exception for this, Mama, it’s all delicious,” Pam declared. Zoe agreed and both the sisters stuffed themselves for the sake of saving their mother’s feelings.

“I have some news for you Zoe,” Martha spoke timidly, like she was afraid to speak the words that she knew would weigh heavy on the three of them. Pam had already begun to cry, not her usual theatrical tears, but real tears filled with fear.

“What is it Mama? Did someone die?”

“No, baby, thank God we haven’t lost anyone, but this…this is what we’ve feared for a very long time.”

“Otis?” Zoe quizzed with a twisted mouth as if speaking her father’s name left a foul taste on her tongue.

“Yes. I got this letter from the District Attorney’s office saying that the parole board decided to set him free. They feel that he has been rehabilitated and can now be a positive contributor to society.”

She held the letter in her trembling hand and though she tried to appear unfazed, the truth was written all over her face and her eyes puddled with fear.

Zoe snatched the letter and read it three times before she looked back up into the faces that were staring at her. They were waiting for her, the baby of the family, to provide the plan for how they would handle this threat to their lives.

“I can’t believe that this animal convinced an entire board of folks that he was fit to live among the general public. That board must be comprised of fools.”

Zoe’s mind was spinning; she knew that action would have to be taken to keep her father from finding them. After his conviction, Zoe had moved them all to Manassas, Virginia and they’d been living an easy, peaceful life ever since. They assumed he’d never get out of prison and that no one from his side of the family knew where they’d disappeared to. But low and behold, three years after relocating, her father’s sister managed to track them down. And now this. They all knew that within two weeks of his release he’d appear in their small town and shatter the sense of peace they’d been so comfortable with.

Wringing her hands nervously, Pam timidly asked, “What are we going to do, Zoe?”

“I don’t know!” Zoe snapped. She instantly regretted her angry, harsh tone. The tears that now flowed a little more freely down Pam’s face were a clear indication that her sister was hurt and confused. “I’m sorry, Pam. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just so upset and confused by this decision, but I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I apologize, honey.” Zoe always tried to be very careful of how she dealt with Pam. After all that Otis had put her through, Pam was fragile and often needed to be handled with kid gloves.

“It’s okay; I know you didn’t mean it, we’re all upset and on edge. I guess I’m just anxious to know what our next move will be, how we will protect ourselves.”

Zoe knew full well what her sister was really asking was how she would protect them. “Guys, you know I love you and you know that I’ll figure something out. Give me a little time to think through this and I’ll let you know what our game plan is, okay?”

Confident in Zoe’s strength and resourcefulness, Martha and Pam made their exit and would patiently wait for direction from their fearless leader.