Annie’s Story
Annie thought she’d explode, she was so angry. She couldn’t understand why Ned had to act like such an ass. It was rare for him to agree to visit her family. This was the first time in over six months that he’d agreed to go.
She’d been excited and looked forward to a nice dinner and pleasant conversation. Unfortunately Ned had felt it his duty to challenge and insult anyone who had opened their mouth, no matter the subject.
Now, not more than five minutes after eating he’d told her to get to the truck, they were leaving. A direct order, as though she were his dog instead of his wife of a year.
Sitting in the truck beside him on the long drive home, she vented.
“I don’t appreciate being ordered around, Ned. Why were you so sarcastic and insulting to my family? That was so rude and uncalled for. What has any of them ever done to do you? “
Slanting his eyes at her and then back to the road he mumbled, “What has any of them ever done for me?”
“What are you talking about? Why couldn’t you just give them a chance? They barely know you.”
“I do and say what I please, woman!”
Annie’s jaw dropped. Had he just called her woman in that insulting tone? “Don’t speak to me like that and don’t ever order me around again, the way you did back there at...”
The sting of the slap was loud in the truck as Annie’s head was knocked back against the side window from the hard blow. Tears sprang to her eyes and she raised her hand to her face. It hurt and she knew there would be an ugly bruise tomorrow.
She couldn’t believe he’d actually hit her. As soon as the truck pulled into the drive of their home, she jumped out and ran into the house and to the bedroom. Dragging her suitcase down from the closet, she began packing.
Ned followed more slowly and entered the bedroom behind her. “What are you doing, Annie?”
“Leaving.”
“You can’t just leave me, Annie. I love you.”
“You hit me, Ned.” Annie could feel the tears streaming down her face and wished she were stronger, more angry, but she was deeply hurt that he’d hit her.
“You goaded me, attacked my right to feel the way I do. You know you did, Annie.” Coming up behind her, Ned dropped to his knees and circled her legs with his arms. “You can’t leave me, baby. I’d die without you. You know how much I love you, Annie.”
Ned’s voice was rough with tears as he pleaded with her. “Come on Annie, I’m sorry I lost my temper. You shouldn’t have made me lose my temper, honey. I promise it’ll never happen again. Please, Annie, don’t leave me. I can’t live without you.”
Annie felt as if she were literally being torn in half. Part of her demanding she get out and away from him, the other half wanting desperately to believe him.
She loved this man with her entire being and couldn’t stand seeing him so torn up. Maybe she should have been more tactful with her comments. She’d never meant to verbally attack him.
Dropping to her knees, she wrapped her arms around him in a protective gesture. “I love you, Ned. If I stay, this can never happen again.”
“I promise, baby. I’ll never do it again. Just don’t leave me.” Ned was sobbing and Annie’s heart broke. She knew she couldn’t leave.
Ned kept his promise for two weeks, treating Annie with extreme care and gentleness. Bringing her flowers every night and making sweet love to her. Annie had never been so happy.
Ned arrived home with the usual bouquet of flowers, but Annie wasn’t home. He was hungry and there was no dinner. She’d left a note saying she’d to sign up for some classes at the local college and would be a little late.
Crumbling the note in his fist, Ned threw the flowers at the wall. I treat her like a queen and she can’t even have the f........ dinner on the table when I get home. Going to the fridge, he grabbed a beer and paced the living room. Waiting. Becoming more and more angry as he watched the minutes tick by.
Smiling as she opened the door, Annie thought how surprised and proud Ned would be when he heard all her news. She’d finally registered for the college courses that Ned had insisted on before they were married.
Annie had left college to marry Ned and move to another town. He’d said that as soon as they were settled into their new home she would continue her education. The subject hadn’t come up in the year since the wedding, but Annie knew Ned was going to be so proud of her.
Shutting the door she turned to call for Ned. Her head and face exploded in pain and she hit the floor hard. She could feel the blood pouring from her nose and mouth as she looked in terror at the dark figure looming over her. Blinking to clear her vision, she realized in horror that it was Ned.
“Where the hell have you been, woman? I work f...... hard and when I get home, I expect to see a clean house and dinner on the table.”
“I left you a note.” Annie couldn’t believe how weak and wobbly her voice sounded.
She screamed in pain when his booted foot landed on her stomach.
“I don’t want any notes from you. I want you to do what you’re f...... supposed to do. Who the hell do you think you are, a princess or something? You’re my woman and you’ll do exactly what I tell you to do and nothing else. Now, get off the damn floor and fix me something to eat.”
Annie hesitated and rolled away in time to prevent another kick. “I will, Ned. Please don’t kick me again.”
She pulled herself up off the floor and holding her hand against the pain in her stomach, made her way to the kitchen, Ned close behind. He slumped into a kitchen chair and watched as she moistened a towel with cold water and held it against her face to try and stem the flow of blood while preparing his dinner.
He looked up when she set the plate of food before him. “Go clean yourself up. You’ve got blood all over that dress.”
Annie hurriedly left the kitchen and went upstairs to shower. Watching the water swirl her blood and tears down the drain she knew she’d have to get away from Ned, somehow. She should have left when he slapped her the first time.
She’d read enough on domestic abuse to know she’d made a critical error in staying. She also knew the abuse would continue and grow worse, regardless of his promises to the contrary. Her head throbbed, making it difficult to think. She only knew she had to leave, but she’d have to wait until Ned left for work tomorrow.
Wrapping herself in a large fluffy towel, she left the bathroom without glancing in the mirror. She was afraid of what she’d see. Ned waited in the bedroom and when she entered he jerked the towel away from her body and pushed her down on the bed.
Annie made the mistake of trying to refuse his advances and he beat at her with his fists until she thought sure he was going to kill her. When she lay still, almost unconscious from the blows, he raped her. Using her in ways he knew would inflict the most pain.
When he finally rolled away from her, she felt as though she’d been run over by a truck. Listening to his soft snoring, she lay awake in pain and terror, praying that morning would come quickly.
Pretending to sleep the next morning, she listened as Ned showered and dressed for work. Annie knew she’d have to make it downstairs to the phone. When Ned came to the side of the bed and pulled her over onto her back, telling her she needed to fix breakfast, she moaned and pretended to be half unconscious.
She thanked God when he left her alone and went downstairs. She listened to the sound of his truck leaving the drive before trying to get out of bed. It was harder than she thought it would be. Every movement brought excruciating pain and she was breathing hard by the time she’d managed to pull on her robe and leave the bedroom.
It seemed to take an eternity to make her way down the staircase to the phone. She called her parents house, praying her mom would answer the phone. It wasn’t her mom who answered but her dad.
When hearing her dad’s strong voice, Annie broke down and started to sob. “Daddy? Please come get me, Daddy.”
“What’s the matter, Annie. Tell me what’s happened.”
“Ned hurt me, please come.”
“Call the police, Annie, your mom and I are on our way.”
“No, Daddy, not the police. I can’t. I’m so afraid, just please, come get me.”
“We’re coming, Baby. Just hang on.”
After hanging up, Annie went to unlock the front door for her parents before falling onto the sofa. She didn’t think she’d have the strength to move again even if the house were on fire. The sound of sirens roused Annie from her stupor, but she couldn’t make her muscles move her from the sofa.
The EMTs knocked and getting no answer, entered the house and saw Annie on the sofa. They kept telling her that she was going to be all right. Her father had called and told them what happened. Annie tried to answer but her head was spinning and then everything went black.
Annie awoke and glanced around the hospital room. Her father was asleep in a chair by the bed and her mother was sitting on the side of the bed, wet tear tracks marring her round cheeks.
“Annie, everything is okay now.”
Her father roused at the sound of her mother’s voice and came to the bed and took her small hand in his large work worn ones, squeezing gently. His shoulders shook with sobs as he looked at his daughter’s battered face.
“Daddy, please don’t. I’m so sorry.”
“Shush, now. You are not to blame. Your mother and I are going to take you home with us just as soon as you’re strong enough.”
Three days later, Annie left the hospital with her parents. She had bruising over eighty percent of her body and her face looked like it had been through a grinder, but there had been no serious damage done and in time she’d heal both emotionally and physically.
Her father had documented the beating with photographs and hospital records and then gone to see Ned. He told him that if he tried to see Annie or objected to the divorce in any way. He’d take the documentation to the police. Unlike most abusers, Ned did stay out of Annie’s life and she was able to obtain her divorce and move on.
Note from the author:
Most abusers do not give up as easily as Ned. If you are in an abusive relationship, get out. Seek help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline - 1-800-799-7233. Be very cautious. Abusers can and do kill their victims in many cases. When in a relationship, leave at the very first sign of emotional or physical abuse, no matter how minor. It will only get worse.
