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An young abused woman contemplates her next move.
THE NEXT MOVE
by
Patricia Sims
Amanda Perry slowly opened her eyes and pain quickly assaulted her senses. Her whole body was in horrible pain and she refused to move. Just the thought of turning over was more than her body could bear. So she laid there in bed just listening.
The house was deathly quiet as if waiting for her next move. Darrel had gone to work leaving her alone to mend her broken body.
What could have set him off last night? The house was immaculate, dinner was prepared and everything was in order. But apparently it was not enough. It was never enough for Darrel.
She could smell the alcohol on his breath when he walked through the door. That always spelled trouble for her and it wasn’t long in coming. After supper all hell broke loose.
It started are usual. He began to insult her saying she was nothing but a hindrance to him and he went on and on about her short comings as a wife. Then the insults turned to threats and the threats were carried out with a vicious beating. He slammed her head against the wall so many times, she lost count. Fighting back was out of the question. Darrell outweighed her by at least two hundred pounds and she was powerless to stop the attack.
She knew that her eyes were probably blackened and her lip swollen because she could taste the saltiness of her own blood. She tried to sit up and the dizziness she experienced gave her a feeling of utter helplessness and she fell back onto the bed.
Last night’s vicious beating was different. It was followed by rape. Darrell took something way from her last night that finally gave her the courage she needed to get out of her abusive situation.
This was her life—not his—and she would no longer be under his control. It was over. She once loved him but realized that he simply did not love her as a husband should and there was nothing she could do about that. Her love could not, had not, and would not change him. He would come home tonight apologetic and sweet, but she would not be here.
As she willed her body to sit up she almost passed out from the terrible pain that enveloped her whole body. Slowly she stood up, but the dizziness made it impossible to stand. So she sat down again.
The mirror on the dresser showed a reflection of pathetic creature and with a small sob she realized the creature was her. Two blackened eyes, a swollen face, and lips that were so swollen they were doubled in size.
She stood up again. The dizziness was still there but she fought it and won. She slowly went into the bathroom for a shower. She cried for several long minutes in the shower knowing that thing could never be the same. It was time.
Slowly she dressed, gathered her items of identification and placed them in her purse. She had one more thing to do. She dialed the Battered Women’s shelter and asked if an unmarked vehicle could be dispatched to her address as soon as possible.
When the vehicle arrived, she locked the door, threw the key into the nearby shrubbery and left--for good.
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Web Site:
The Next Move
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Ron