She sat gazing out at the field by her home. The grass blowing in rhythm to the breeze as the sun angled in such disposition that it created a haze in the distance with a variation of multiple colors in the sky beyond. She continued to file down her nails evenly because, if not, her husband Tom would express his blunt opinion of how horrible her hands look. She must always look her best to make her husband happy.
Meanwhile she reminisced about the first day her best friend, Karen met Tom. They went out to dinner on a double date. Tom was such a gentleman. Always opened the car door for her and pulled her chair out at the restaurant and let her sit down first. She remembered the first thing Karen said to her. “Oh Cassie, you’re so lucky.”
He at one time had a passion about him that made her smile incandescently. But oh how things have changed and she realized that was all just a front he put up in front of others and she wasn’t at all that lucky.
She heard a knock at the front door. It was her friend Karen. Shortly after Tom arrived home from work, nevertheless, growling like an angry old bear.
“You’re supposed to have your check waiting here for me, Cassie. I have bills to pay. You knew I expected to have that tonight.”
Cassie abruptly stood up. “Yes Tom. I have it right here in my purse.” He snatched the check from her and walked out of the room. Expecting no less then a hundred questions from Tom criticizing or belittling her for something she may or may not have done right that day she sat back down and waited.
Karen glanced at Cassie. “Why do you put up with that Cassie? You’re far more better then he is.”
“I love him Karen. He’s just having a bad day.”
Karen responded in a soft unsure tone. She sighed and gave her friend a hug goodbye. “I love you. Call me if you need me.” said Karen.
Cassie halfway grinned and closed the door behind Karen. Tom came walking out upset about how Cassie picked him up the wrong type of steak today while getting groceries. “You should know by now what I like. Why can’t you ever do anything right? When I married you I didn’t think you were this dumb.”
His words were so sharp and hurt so much. Her eyes began to water. His voice was always filled with anger and even sometimes hatred. She was scared to leave him in fear of he may come after her. He grabbed her by the hair and hit her. “Owwww,” she bellowed. ‘Tom, don’t do this to me, please.” He was belligerent. He grabbed her and threw her across the floor and her back hit the wall. She told herself that he just had a bad day.
That evening Cassie knelt down beside her bed to say a prayer.
“Dear Lord, I pray for the strength to get me through another day because I feel nothing but weakness and pain. I pray for your guidance and for you to help change Tom back into the man he used to be. I pray you will still love Tom through his sins and I pray that I feel your hand on my shoulder as you walk with me through this journey because I don’t know what else to do. And one last thing, I pray for hope to a happy ending.”
A few days later Cassie took sick. She was so thin and her face was sunk in because she was scared to eat and gain a pound or Tom would beat her. Her beatings started about a month ago. She felt she deserved them because of her misdoings. On a good day she would just get his hand but on a bad day he would throw things at her until she fell to the floor.
She went to the doctor. She was really dizzy, nauseous, and dehydrated from lack of nutrition. The doctor attempted to lift her shirt to get an accurate heart rate. Cassie quickly pulled down her shirt.
“I mean, can’t you just do it from outside my shirt?” she asked. The doctor’s expression was perplexed.
“I’m not going to hurt you Cassie.” Replied the doctor. Cassie just looked down at the floor for a minute. She allowed the doctor to lift up her shirt. The doctor was amazed to find her back covered in bruises. She was questioned about them.
“I fell off the truck as we were moving furniture to haul away.” The doctor didn’t buy it.
“Cassie, is everything OK?” “Is your husband doing this to you? Cassie, you can tell me. No one deserves to be abused.”
Cassie quickly pulled her shirt down, grabbed her purse and ran out of the room.
When she got home Tom asked her where she had been. She told him she had a doctor’s appointment. He jumped out of his chair and grabbed her arm.
“You didn’t tell that doctor of yours anything now did you? Now baby, I will change. I swear. I do love you. Here, I brought you some flowers.”
Cassie swiped the flowers from his hands and threw them in the trash. “No Tom, I didn’t say anything. But I think she knows. The bruises kind of speak for themselves.” Cassie couldn’t believe she just spoke like that to Tom. She was crying hysterically now. The tears would not stop pouring down her face, She felt as if her world was shattering around her.
Then they both heard a knock at the door. Tom answered it. It was the police. They said they had an anonymous claim that Tom was abusing Cassie. Tom calmly spoke,
“Oh we play around sometimes, isn’t that right Cassie?”
Cassie looked Tom square in the eyes. “I’m not going to deny it anymore. I’m not going to be your puppet. I can’t do this anymore, Tom. I just can’t do this anymore!”
Cassie was crying harder then ever as they placed handcuffs on Tom. From across the room he shot her a look of despise. She watched him step into the patrol car and be read his rights. And you know what? She broke his silence and she felt pretty good about it!
Editor’s note: Help raise awareness on domestic violence by watching for signs of someone you love or even yourself being abused. There are many forms of abuse; emotional, physical, verbal, and even silent abuse. No one deserves to go through any form of abuse. So take that stand just like Cassie did and speak out. Call the domestic hotline at 1-800-439-2323 because no one should ever be a victim!
