Counting the Days (21 page)

He left the room, ranting and raving, hollering for Jenny and Samantha. I could hear him going from room to room looking for them. I ran to the bedroom window and saw that Jenny’s car was gone. Good, she got Samantha out of the house.

Danny was incensed and out of his mind. He was going about the apartment like a lunatic. I heard his mother and father hollering and knocking on the front door. He opened the door and began threatening them, telling them that everything was okay and to go away. I could hear his mother screaming about all the blood he had all over him.

While his parents were questioning him, I grabbed my car keys and slipped out the back door. I waited at the corner of the rear patio while Danny’s parents debated with him at the front door. They were not going to leave that easily this time…they were insisting to see me. Danny became enraged and stepped out onto the walkway, closing the door behind him. He cursed and hollered at no one, as he walked to the driveway, like an insane maniac. Then he did the strangest thing…he knelt down onto the ground and began pounding his head into the cement floor, insanely cursing and screaming. He didn’t seem to notice that his head began to bleed. He got up, still cursing and screaming to himself, staggering back to the apartment. His parents became afraid and backed away from him. He was in a rage, screaming and hollering at them. They finally walked away and went into their home, and Danny noticed that Jenny’s car was gone.

I heard Danny hollering inside the house, looking for me from room to room. I ran to my car and drove away. My mother’s house, that’s where I was heading. I hoped Jenny would think of going to my mother’s house.

When I got to mom’s, I frantically banged on her door, hollering and screaming for her. It would only be a matter of time before Danny would show up and I wanted to be safely inside, but I had to wake her up, because she was probably out cold after working all night. After a few moments, she answered and I ran in. She was horrified at what must have looked like a lot of blood all over me. I quickly began to recite the events of the morning to her, when Danny started banging on the front door.

“
Debra, send my wife outside this very minute. We’re married and she belongs to me,” he hollered, banging on the door. He was ranting and raving.

My mother was leaning on the front door and hollered that I call the police. “Danny, go home and sleep it off,” she screamed at him. “The police are coming, so please go.”

“
Send my wife out…right now, or I’ll kill you both,” he threatened. I could tell that he wasn’t drunk anymore, but he was totally out of it. Danny was no longer in his right mind.

I picked up the telephone and dialed 911. The officer on the other end of the line could hear Danny hollering and banging on the door. “Mam, several officers have been dispatched to the area and will be there momentarily. Please stay on the line.”

For a moment, Danny was silent on the other side of the door and then, all of a sudden, a big item came crashing through my mother’s front bay window. His toolbox…he threw his toolbox through the window. I couldn’t believe my eyes as he came in through the window after it. I began screaming, and the officer on the line kept asking, “Mam, what’s going on over there? Are you okay?”

“
Help me, he’s going to kill me,” I shouted. I dropped the telephone and ran for the kitchen. Danny followed yelling “I told you that I’d kill you if you ever left me.”

“
Help me,” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Someone, please, help me!”

My mother was instantly on top of him, fervently hitting him with her fists. “Danny, get out of my house right now, the police are on their way,” my mother hollered. Danny turned around and smacked her. She hit her head on the floor and was instantly out cold.

Mom, oh no, what have I done. I looked back up at Danny. “Oh no…Danny…please,” I pleaded with him as he turned his attention back to me. I looked down at my mother. Is she breathing? I can’t tell if she’s okay. She’s not moving. “Mom…Mommy, wake up!” I shouted. “Danny, what did you do?”

“
Haven’t I told you time and time again that you are not allowed to leave me? I will find you wherever you go. Don’t you know that by now?” he said and paused waiting for an answer. “Did you honestly think that you could leave and live?” he said viciously as he slowly walked toward me. “Now, I’ll forgive you, if you beg for your life.”

I was looking at my mother’s body lying limp on the floor. I cried out to her again, “Mom, can you hear me? Are you okay…Mom?”

“
Beg…Marilyn,” he said reaching out for me.

Hatred welled up inside of me as he approached. I quickly grabbed a knife from the butcher block on the counter next to me.

“
This is for you, mom.”

“
Daniel Monroe Jr., you are under arrest for the murder of Marilyn Paige Monroe. You have the right to remain silent,” the officer continued reading him his rights as he placed Danny in handcuffs.

It was all happening too fast and all I could hear was my screaming. I was screaming at the top of my lungs. It wasn’t until Jenny pulled up, that I knew I had to get myself under control. I had to be strong. These kids were all going to need me to be strong. I couldn’t help it. My baby was lying there lifeless. Come on, Miss Big and Tough R.N. You need to keep a stiff upper lip. They all need you now…Samantha especially needs you.

Moments later, the police removed Danny from my house, escorting him out in handcuffs. Totally confused and not too sure what had happened, Jenny tried asking Danny. I could see panic beginning to set in on Jenny’s face and she started yelling at him, “Danny, what did you do? Where’s Marilyn?” The police gently restrained Jenny and she began crying. “Danny…what did you do?” she said, making a run for the front door calling out for Marilyn, but the police intercepted her and didn’t allow her to enter the house. I knew that Jenny could hear my screams from inside the house. She dropped to the floor weeping, knowing without asking that her friend, my daughter, was gone. “I’m so sorry, Marilyn,” Jenny cried.

My granddaughter, Samantha, was seated in the backseat of Jenny’s car. She began to panic and started banging on the car window, calling out for her mommy. Jenny slowly got up and tended to her. She sat, rocking back and forth, with Samantha in her arms, inconsolably sobbing in the front yard. Samantha was wide-eyed with fright and confusion was written all over her little face. She was unaware of the tragedy that had unfairly put a new life course ahead of her. My heart began to ache for her.

Shortly thereafter Paul pulled up and ran over to see if Jenny was all right. Jenny struggled to get the words out, but couldn’t. Through her gestures and sobs she finally relayed to Paul that Marilyn was gone. Overcome with sorrow, Paul immediately fell to the ground and wept. Jenny, who began weeping again, held on tight to Samantha and put her arm consolingly around Paul’s shoulders.

Inside the house, I first called Eric, Marilyn’s father, and told him that a tragedy has happened and to come over immediately. I fought to regain my composure and was finally able to emerge from the house. I had to somehow console these kids. I went to Jenny first and immediately embraced her. She was a broken hearted soul in my arms. We both cried together. After holding Jenny for a while, she introduced me to my granddaughter. I couldn’t embrace Samantha fast enough. My daughter’s face…she has my daughter’s face. I sobbed. I didn’t or couldn’t let go of Samantha. Not for a second.

Within minutes, Eric pulled up and even though I was highly distraught, I greeted him compassionately. Without a moment’s hesitation, he ran into the house, after wrestling the police, ignoring their requests to stay out of the house, and immediately broke down when he saw his daughter’s body lying there broken.

A car came speeding up the street and stopped abruptly, half on the sidewalk and half on the front lawn. Thomas bolted from the vehicle and after observing the commotion for a moment, he made a beeline for the front door. It was apparent that he and Danny must have gotten in a fight, because his face was pretty busted up. The police quickly stopped him. He took a couple of steps back away from the door, and in a panic, began wailing, “Oh, no, Danny what did you do?” He paused and breathing deeply screamed, “Marilyn, what have I done? I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He dropped to the floor crying. Jenny immediately ran over to Thomas to console him. He pushed her away and screamed, “Don’t touch me…this is all my fault. Marilyn is gone and it’s all my fault.” He began tearing at his hair and clothes. In mental anguish, he howled. His soul was deeply broken in two. Jenny cried for Paul’s help and together they were able to restrain him. He wept, “Marilyn…oh god, Marilyn…no, what have I done? Marilyn! Marilyn…No…this can’t be…Marilyn, I love you.” Jenny and Paul held on to Thomas tightly, and let him cry in their arms.

Danny’s parents, Cathy and Daniel Sr., soon arrived. Upon seeing everyone in the yard, they too began sobbing, weeping in disbelief. When I noticed them, I walked over and without hesitation embraced Cathy. She seemed a little bewildered, “Thomas came over in such a panic demanding to know where Marilyn was…Daniel and I heard such a commotion coming from the kid’s apartment earlier, we didn’t know what to do. So, we told Thomas to come over here. We didn’t know what was going on…and when I saw all that blood…I…I…oh, my god…I should’ve called the police…I didn’t think he’d…Oh my god…I’m so sorry,” she repeated over and over, weeping. When I told her that Marilyn was gone, we stood there embracing, sobbing and grieving…together. Daniel Sr. sat down on the ground and thought out loud, “Danny, my son, why couldn’t you be a man and just walk away? What kind of monster have you become?” He wept in disbelief.

Finding herself unattended, Samantha wandered into my house calling out for her mother. “Mommy! Where are you, mommy?” She finally found her and said, “Oh, there you are mommy…mommy tired.” She lay down beside her mother’s body and began stroking her mother’s hair. “Go sleepy-sleepy, mommy. I love you. Night-night.”

When I realized that Samantha was no longer by my side, I began to immediately panic. I frantically began searching for her. After a while I found her. My heart sank and I immediately broke down, crying at what I saw. Samantha was sucking her thumb sound asleep along side her mother’s body.

The breeze in the cemetery was brisk today. Samantha was glad that her grandmother had insisted she put on a sweater, because she was pretty cold sitting out there in the open air. Debra had a bench placed in front of her daughter’s grave so that Samantha had a place to sit when she came out to visit.

Samantha thought about the lecture that her grandmother had given her earlier today. She’d finally told Debra about the speeding ticket she got the other day and man was Debra really very angry with her. Samantha tried explaining to her grandmother that she was late and was rushing to get to school. Debra didn’t seem to understand. “Did grandma lecture you like that too? I might be wrong about this, but I seem to get one every day,” Samantha thought out loud.

As the years passed, Debra could see more and more of Marilyn in Samantha. It never ceased to amaze Debra that two people, from two entirely different generations, could resemble each other in so many ways. As a matter of fact, everyone and anyone that knew Marilyn comment about Samantha being her mother’s spitting image. Even Samantha’s mannerisms are similar to that of Marilyn’s. When you look at pictures of Samantha, you see Marilyn, and visa versa.

Early this morning, Officer Lombard came by with a bit of sad news. He informed Debra and Samantha that they had recently discovered the remains of a young woman along the Long Island Sound and the body had been identified as a Miss Tina Langford. Danny admitted to murdering her

Samantha had a rough time seeing her grandmother cry again. Even though fourteen years have passed, Debra’s been through so much. After Marilyn’s death, Debra and Eric began spending a lot of time together. Danny’s trial was very stressful on the both of them, so it was nice that they had each other to lean on during that trying time. By the time Samantha was five years old, they got married. Can you imagine? After all those years, they finally realized that they loved each other and got married.

As Samantha sat in the cemetery, she thought about the many pictures she’d seen of Tina and her mother together. Samantha thought that Tina was a very pretty woman, but she didn’t like her face. In all of the pictures that she’d seen of Tina, there was a deep sadness in her smile. She never looked happy…throughout all her life there was something disturbing in Tina’s eyes. Debra laughs and laughs when she tells Samantha stories about some of the antics that Marilyn and Tina did when they were young girls. But today Debra was saddened by the news the officers brought. “Mommy, what could Tina have done that Danny found no other recourse, but to murder her?”

Samantha bent down and began picking up some leaves that were at the base of her mother’s headstone. She sat thinking about the conversation she had with Jenny earlier, who only told her that there was some bad blood between Tina and her mother. Jenny hadn’t told her what, but Samantha knew that it had something to do with Danny. To no avail she pressed Jenny for more information. Jenny’s never talked to Samantha about the night her mother died. It was still too painful. Jenny told Samantha to forget about trying to figure out how Tina plays into the mess that we call life, to let well enough alone and enjoy being young.