Life Before
Carlene had spent the last eight years, three of which married to a man that didn't love her. She was used to being used, that didn't bother her. She had escaped her family's abuse by getting with the man next to her now. She no longer recognized the man who had once promised to be her savior. Slowly his home had become her prison and his love had transformed into her nightmare. He had became the same as the monsters she had been running from in the beginning.
He had convinced her, along with everyone else that she was crazy. Her doctor had her on a very large dose of psychotic medicine. As she listened to her husband tell her how wrong she had been about everything in life she found her mind wandering to other places. She couldn't help but wonder if she was actually the reason everyone around her seem to go crazy and blame her. Once her husband had left the hospital, she was sent to have a meeting with the psychiatrist.
"Carlene, please have a seat." The psychiatrist voice was harsh. She did as instructed. "I don't understand why your here. When you were brought in it was because your husband said you had attacked him and today he shows up and says that he was never attacked and that he wants to take you home with him."
Carlene calmly explained, "We we're arguing because he has been seeing another girl. While arguing he went into the bathroom and started cutting his wrist. As he came out of the bathroom, he pointed to his wrist and was yelling look what you made me do. It's your fault I did this, if you would of just left well enough alone I wouldn't of had to do this. He took me to the hospital and made me tell them I attacked him." Once she finished her explanation she could feel the tears running down her face for the hundredth time.
The psychiatrist narrowed his eyes and looked empathetic as he spoke his next sentence. "That was not your fault, I am going to hold you for 72 hours. An argument can not force someone to hurt themselves. I would suggest when you leave you should find somewhere else to go instead of leaving with your husband. You should hurry along to dinner."
Carlene was deep in thought as she headed to the cafeteria for dinner. If indeed the doctor's words were true why was she taking all of this medicine. Her husband would take her to the doctor and have her medicine increased with each argument. Perhaps she didn't need the medicine. A plan formed in her head she was stuck in the hospital for 3 days if no complains about her behavior then maybe she wasn't the crazy one after all.
The dinner was a bland selection of healthy foods, none of which she paid attention to. Her mind kept wandering to life before her husband. She had always had someone telling her what to do. If she left her only option was family and she would be damned if she went back to that torture. Evening phone calls came and she waited her turn to speak to her husband. Through the phone she listened to how things would be better once her medicine was increased. Her husband said all the pretty words one would want to hear.
Once the call was over she went to her assigned room, as the wheels turned in her head she formed a plan. Though she considered her thoughts devious. She would stop taking her medicine when she got home. She would hide her medicine and throw it away when her husband was not home. The next 3 days flew by and she found herself being released to her husband. The car ride home was filled with tears. Once home her husband waited on her hand and foot until it was time for bed. She sat on her side of the bed with her back to her husband. She watched the shadows on the wall as he pulled his handgun from under the pillow and aimed it at the back of her head.
Trying not to display any emotion without turning to look at her husband. Carlene spoke and whispered, "I think I feel really tired and she gets some sleep." She watched the shadows as she laid down and her husband hide his gun back under the pillow. Because of the medicine she fell asleep rather quickly. Carlene awoke the next day, and put her plan into action. She went through the motions of every day prior to the hospital not to give away her plan. She called homeless shelters and women's shelters to try to find a place that could squeeze her in. To her dismay there were no openings for the next 3 months.
The more she thought about it she realized she had to get a job, she would need money to be able to leave. She set about trying to convince her husband to allow her to work. Finally after 3 months of begging and explaining how her income would benefit him the most he finally agreed and she began working at the company he worked at. He would not allow her to work anywhere else; he explain that he wanted to be able to make sure that she was safe and nothing bad happened. When she started working he became more controlling. With the new job she gained some more confidence, he didn't count on the fact that his coworkers didn't like him. They encouraged her and helped build her confidence. She did not confide in any of them what had really been going on; she kept her head low and her mouth shut.
Everyday he picked more and more fights, he became more irrational and more paranoid. He had put security cameras inside of the home and was video recording everything. She would never forget the last 3 weeks that she lived with him. Those weeks he made sure that she would be haunted for the rest of her life by the dirty deeds he had put in place. Every afternoon he would bring her the drink and he would make her drink the drink. She would fall asleep almost immediately after she owould awake the next day with bruises all over her body. She felt like she had been violated over and over during the night. She waited till he wasn't home and pulled video footage that showed he was bringing strangers into the home that she didn't know.
She knew she wouldn't be able to prove anything without the footage and she was scared to go to the police. When she finally did go forward she'd made her way to the hospital to do a rape kit. A co-worker had informed her husband that she had not come into work and had headed to the hospital. Her husband rushed to the hospital. She could hear him hollering that she was crazy and not to believe her. Intern the hospital staff and the police no longer wanted to do a rape kit they refused to do the rape kit they refuse to take the evidence from the home and she was sent home with her husband.
She called and begged the police to help her, the officer made a snide remark that if she was telling the truth she would leave and never come back. She informed the officer that she couldn't leave if her husband was there, the police then made her husband leave for 24 hours. She drained everything in the bank account which was only $800. She bought a car from the junkyard for $400 and set off to find a place where she would be safe. Once out of the state Carlene pulled over and started calling shelters again; the only shelter with an opening was on the other side of the country. She knew 400 would not be enough to get her there but she wasn't going to let that stop her.
Nothing could stop her; she was fleeing for her own safety. She knew if she went back the next time he pulled his gun she wouldn't wake up the next day.