EDITOR’S NOTE: The following fictional account was submitted in recognition of domestic violence month, which is marked in October by the National Network to End Domestic Violence.
She sat in the corner with her head buried in her hands. The tears poured down her face. She tried to overcome her pain through her tears. It’s all she knew how to do.
Weekly she called the crisis hot-line. She always hid behind her silence. She wanted her marriage to work but each day became more challenging. Especially days like today when you can almost anticipate his actions.
Jason stormed in furiously. He walked over and put his face up to hers. Staring at her with his intimidating eyes, his demeanor was starting to scare her. He took her hair and yanked it back from her face. The thought of him even touching her caused her to tremble. He pulled her head and began to choke her. The more she didn’t respond, the angrier he became. He grabbed a hold of her and threw her up against the wall. She hit pretty hard and fell to the floor. She put her hands over her head crying fearfully. She pleaded with him to stop because her body couldn’t take much more bruising. He snarled at her then spit on her accusing her of faking. He continued to kick her weak helpless body against the wall. Paralyzed with fear, all she could do was just lay still.
A lot of the times she felt it was her fault on how he acted. Maybe if she did things differently or tried a little harder maybe he wouldn’t beat her. She was scared to run but more scared to stay as each beating became worse. It was only a matter of time before her next beating led to her last breath.
Jason took his fist and punched the wall. He looked down at her with his raging eyes and grunted then went to sit in his chair. Outside behind their storage shed underground she kept a packed suitcase. It had her daily essentials in it and copies of all her identification. Everything she needed to make a quick escape to get out.
Jason was starting to doze off so it was her chance to grab her suitcase. With every step she walked, she cried a little bit harder. There was no going back. She took out her phone and called the crisis hot-line. She knew they would help line her up with a place to go until she could get back on her feet. Confident in knowing what she did was right, when someone picked up she softly said, “Hi, it’s me again. I left him.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.
