Abuse is Abuse

Thunderheads and storm clouds gathered from every direction, massive, grey, full of menace, they descended upon the city without mercy like a prison rape gang. It was hard to picture a worse day for moving. However Hector "Macho" Morales and his wife Maria were helping his sister Lenore move.

Macho was angry, he kept hoping that his sister's no good husband would be stupid enough to show his face. Yeah, he would put a bullet in the fat lazy sob's face this time.  "Macho" had tried to tell his sister that the Moreno was no Bueno, but she was in love and wouldn't hear anything that anyone had to say about her husband.

She didn't care when Macho had shown her that her husband had a prison record, or that he had more baby mamas than he had revealed to her. In fact it had placed a strain on their sibling relationship the more information that he gathered.

If Macho was angry, then Maria was enraged, and her anger was being directed towards him. "Stupid! Don’t let the fucking mattress touch the pinche floor!"  "Idiota! You’re bumping the wall!" “I told you we should have eaten before we came over here. Why are you so stupid? All you have to do is listen to me.” Like he always did Macho simply ignored Maria’s tirade.

The U-Haul truck was almost completely loaded and despite the fat drops of rain that were baptizing the Bronx sidewalks, none of Lenore’s belongings had been damaged by the rain.

Macho was tired. He had worked a long shift at the factory before embarking on what he deemed as a rescue mission.  All he could hope was that this time it stuck. That maybe just maybe his sister would realize that Leon was no good and that any man that would beat you, regardless of how much he apologized and brought flowers or wrote poetry, was an abuser and couldn’t be trusted.

Truthfully, Macho didn’t hold out much hope that Lenore would stay away from Leon. She was whipped, and so enamored of the chubby African-American starving artist that Macho was convinced that Leon was going to literally kill her one day.

The rain had become a downpour. Water poured onto the cracked and pitted sidewalks in sheets that had to equal hundreds of gallons.

Everything was on the truck except for a sectional sofa. Macho, had been meticulous about how the items had been loaded in order to make room for the Mauve monstrosity. As he waited for the rain to slow enough to load the final piece he stood under the awning next door to Lenore’s apartment and lit a Newport.

His .9mm handgun rested beneath his Champion hoodie, and he tapped one Timberland boot to a rhythm that existed only inside his rain dampened head. Lenore and Maria were both on his already raw nerves and Macho just wanted the day to end.

“You really think that she’s gonna stay gone?” Damn, he really had not wanted his wife to find him. Macho just wanted a few moments of peace. He drew on his cigarette deeply before he responded. “Mama, I think that she’s my sister and that I’m gonna help her no matter how many times she runs back to his no good ass.”

Maria’s pretty features contorted as she replied. “Then you are as fucking stupid as she is. I’m getting on the train asshole. You and this bitch figure the rest of this shit out.”

Hector reached for his wife’s arm as she walked towards the train station. “Aye mami, hold up I thought we were going to the little seafood spot you like?”

“Fuck you machcito!” Maria cast the final insult over her shoulder without even looking back at him.

Angrier then ever Macho attacked the sofa as soon as the rain lessened. He couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. Lenore needed to understand that she was exhibiting classic abuse victim behavior and she needed to realize that she was better than, that.

“Hermana, usted no puede seguir permitiendo que este hombre le maltratan." The look on her face as he said the words gave Hector pause, as did her next query.

“Why not Hector?” Lenore’s shoulders had slumped and her older brother assumed that he knew the reason why, so he ran ahead with the conversation. He explained that no matter how much Leon apologized and tried to pretend that things would be different, soon he would be hitting her again, and if she wasn’t careful the man might kill her.

Lenore took in all of her big brothers words without making a sound. Until he finished. Then she asked him. “How is the way that he treats me different from the abuse that you accept from your wife?”

Macho, had nothing to say.