“Sharon called me from the ER after her husband hit her, not for the first time. ‘I’m done. I’m moving on from him now. I’m telling you, so you can hold me accountable.’ Her voice was ragged and hoarse. I promised her that I would.”
and my teenager’s insistent voice in the hallway. I could not answer them. “How?” I kept asking the social worker. “How is that possible?”
Her laughter was like a sun shower: bright and infectious, with dark storm clouds circling underneath.“I’m done. I’m moving on from him now. I’m telling you, so you can hold me accountable.” Her voice was ragged and hoarse. I promised her that I would. “But why would I want to do that? I’m doing just fine without remembering all of that.” She couldn’t meet my eyes as she said this. I didn’t need to tell her that it wasn’t true, that marrying men who abused her meant that she wasn’t doing fine at all. She sighed heavily. In a small, tight voice she began to unwind the abuse, and to figure out when she knew it was wrong, a process that unfolded over many years.
I might have recognized certain patterns from work with previous incest survivors, but the truth is I just knew. “Sarah, you don’t look happy. Are you sure marriage agrees with you?” she asked me one day. She didn’t expect me to answer, but she was extraordinarily perceptive and rarely wrong. She predicted my divorce long before that relationship’s weary collapse and asked if I was pregnant before I had even allowed myself to take a test. Sometimes if I was not tuned in entirely to her, she would ask me “Are you fully here?” I knew better than to pretend. “You’re right, I wasn’t entirely, but now I’m back.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
1 of 2 suspects in custody following Austin mass shootingAt least 13 people were injured in a mass shooting in downtown Austin, Texas, early Saturday, police say.
Read more »
The Winner Of The Westminster Dog Show Was This Thing“I for one am delighted that such a handsome footstool has achieved such greatness.”
Read more »
The Funniest Marriage Tweets To Get You Through This Week'My husband has the AC so low I’m sitting outside to get warm, how’s your day going?'
Read more »
Lin-Manuel Miranda apologizes for lack of Afro-Latino representation in 'In the Heights'“In trying to paint a mosaic of this community, we fell short,” Miranda wrote. “I’m truly sorry. I’m learning from the feedback, I thank you for raising it, and I’m listening.”
Read more »
Kamala Harris is First Vice President to Join LGBTQ Pride ParadeKamala Harris breaks lots of ground ... the latest being she's the first Vice President of the United States to march in solidarity of LGBTQ rights.
Read more »
A$AP Rocky says Rihanna is 'love of his life' and he is 'blessed' to be with herThe US rapper gushed over his megastar girlfriend and revealed that he believes that she's 'the one'
Read more »