My Future by Bridget Cole

Finally I have made the choice to stand up to an abusive husband. For years I suffered in silence. I accepted his verbal abuse, his threats, his hatred of my children. I didn’t do what he wanted. Dinner was not served at the right time. It was not to his liking. I tried to make meals he liked, so vastly different from my tastes. I didn’t go out with my friends, he wanted me at home, he said he didn’t trust me. The house was not cleaned to his liking. It was my fault I had been convinced that he spoke to me so rudely. It was my fault my children did not behave the way he wanted them to. I was proud of them, they stood up for themselves not kissing his ass like his own daughter. I was the reason he cheated on me.

For years, far longer than I should have, I endured. Finally and after a tearful phone call from my sister demanding I leave, I found the strength to do so.

I found a lawyer who would represent me, filed the paperwork with the court and had my husband served the divorce papers. This was the easiest route, and I took it. His fury would be public and it would have diffused some by the time he confronted me. Safer for me than handing him the papers. I rented a house, packed up my neighbors pick-up truck and made several trips moving me and my children to safety and a new future.