Somethings We Never Forget, nor should we!!!

It was the first year of marriage not even six months into it and I knew the difference between right and wrong. It had already lacked the first foundation blocks of respect. From waking him up in the morning for work and running to lock myself in the bathroom so he wouldn't pull my hair and punch. His excuse was that he was overly tired. There were other red flags that continued to show themselves. I wanted out, I didn't want to try and figure it out, I didn't want to continue on a path that I had already been born into.
I remember the day clearly, I said we need to talk, my first words to him were, this is not how I expected marriage, I think we need to call it quits before we go any further. It's not about love I said, it is about right and wrong. A different man stood before me, his features changing. He pulled my hair and pushed my face close to him, tears streamed down his eyes, and slowly he repeated the words " no one makes a fool of me, not even you, you are going nowhere!!! alive that is. " That was the very first set of invisible bars that were placed in front of me. The bars of fear, standing on the platform of Pity. He did make an effort, to some degree anyway, to change. The next year we rarely saw each other, I worked full time, he worked full time.
It would have been the second anniversary that I would remember the first time, he would hit hard enough to draw blood. I now understand more about abuse and the stages of violence to the honeymoon phase, and how it all plays on your emotions and consciousness. I would have to say that there was fear in staying and a fear in leaving, the Jekyll and Hyde personalities are complicated to deal with. Somehow they are able to convince you, that your the one at fault.
To a certain degree the more you allow, the more doors of disrespect you open, as physical abuse was limited, "as I told him never again will you touch me, do you hear me?? "This is where control became much more an issue, limiting contact with other people, and verbal abuse, both which eat away at the soul.
Why we do what we do, societal view of failure, the you made your bed, you lie in it philosophy, she must have deserved it mentality, ignorance, pride, insecurity, but definetly not stupid.
It is for Jessie who I write this, her husband sits in prison for beating her, she hides in fear for the day he is released. She has these big beautiful gray eyes and warm smile and she definetly does not deserve all that she has been going through. Because of the courts and her two children, she will never completely be able to go into hiding, as believe it or not, despite his extreme violence he still has rights as their father. My heart breaks for that which I can do so little about, other then to raise consciousness, that no human being deserves to be treated with so little respect for life.
The fuzzy shades of right and wrong cross cultural barriers, but whether it be intimidation, verbal abuse, or physical violence, no one!!! not child, nor man or woman, deserve to be treated in away that strikes out with fear on the heart and soul or physical being. So for all the Jessie's in the world, who have found the courage to stand up and fight back through the system, may the system not abandon them.
It isn't easy to reach out and help those in need, but it can be done. I was walking home from work it was starting to get a little gray and a man and woman seem to be in their late 20's were physically struggling. No one seem to be around, let her go!, he burst out in anger, " mind my own business. " I said let her go or I am calling the police. He released her for a moment and she ran up to main street. Was I frightened of interfering in a situation I was uncomfortable with? Yes, but I would have been more upset had I not intervened. How many times do we close our eyes as to not be involved? How many times do we turn our head? How many times do we say they deserve what is coming to them? How many times do we say it won't happen to us? How many times do we stereo type? How many times will the cyle of abuse carry over? How many must die,before as a whole we really care?