YING MING LO had taught me many things, and I had been his best student. Now more than ever, I remembered what he had told me about my temper, but I felt so powerless against its consuming fire. With each act of violence against my family and friends, my anger burned more and more out of control. I needed to rest to give the fire a chance to subside. I would need to be in control when Coco Nimburu and I met. The waiting was extremely difficult—knowing she would call yet, not knowing when tested my patience as well. I decided to go home, take a hot bath, and meditate. A hot bath always relieved my tension, and meditation would help prepare me for battle.
I entered my house through the garage and went straight to the bathroom adjoining our bedroom. The house felt so empty, so quiet, without Keyth and Savannah. The water was hot, but it felt good. I could feel the day’s stress leaving my overworked body. I was on my own now that Kelly had been skillfully put out of commission. I wondered if Kelly would ever find the right man. In the years I had known her, she had always had bad luck with men. Simon had seemed so right, which proves you never know until you know.
Before him, it was Edward, who thought of Kelly as his trophy. Then there was Tony, who was always broke and in debt up to his neck. Before him, there were Bobby, Kevin, and John, her good-for-nothing husband. Each of them had a variety of problems. I felt bad for Kelly. She was divorced with two children who spent more time with their grandparents than with their mother. At least she would have time to spend with them now, I thought.
Climbing out of the sunken tub, I grabbed a towel and dried off. I sat in front of the mirror and looked at myself. I had never realized until now how important my family was to me. They were important before but even more so now. I tried to relax but found myself getting frustrated again. I went back into the bedroom and plopped down on the bed. I felt something when I landed. Lifting myself up a little, I pulled a videotape out from underneath me. It read: Play me.
I put the videotape in the VCR and hit the play button. What I saw rekindled my anger with a vengeance. Coco had tied Keyth to our bed and stripped him naked. She had the needles strategically placed, giving him a permanent erection. Then I heard Coco ask, “Should we make her watch, Keyth? Or should we let her drive herself crazy wondering what I was going to do to you? Or will she wonder where Savannah is while we’re in here taking care of an itch that just won’t go away.”
Keyth looked into the camera and closed his eyes, then shook his head. Coco laughed. “Can’t bear to watch, huh, Keyth? I know what you must be going through, wondering how this is going to look with your wife knowing that as much as you tried to resist, you couldn’t. And then wondering if your marriage will ever be the same after she sees you thrusting yourself inside me with reckless abandon. I just can’t wait to ride you. It’s so long and thick. Looks like it’ll completely fill my love box. I think I’ll start off with a little appetizer.” I heard her smacking her lips as though she were eating something very tasty. “I wonder how much of you I can take.” She smacked her lips again. The videotape became snowy.
I sat at the edge of our bed and cried, wondering if this nightmare would ever end. She had killed my father and kidnapped my husband and daughter. Now she was fucking my husband with my daughter somewhere in the house. I needed to talk to someone. Kelly was the first person who came to mind.