One Thousand Miles

One Way Out: Part One

One Thousand Miles

Chapter  |  One Way Out

Part  |  One

After we arrived home from the trip things didn't change. I was terrified of my husband, but I still loved him and he was still the cruel abusive husband. Two days after we arrived home he hit me again. I didn't finish dinner before he got home from work and he beat me until my whole body was covered by blue and purple splotches. When he was finished I was a teary eyed mess lying on my injured side on the kitchen floor.

"I tell you this all the time Stephanie, so when are you going to learn to listen! Next time you better have dinner ready before I get home, do you understand me?" he yelled as he stood above me. His hands were at his sides clenched into tight fists and he was breathing heavily. The way he looked standing over me scared me to no end and I knew if I didn't respond back fast enough he'd hit me again.

"Yes, John," I whisper.

I saw him nod his head before looking in the direction of the dining room. Cameron's cries sounded from upstairs and I knew I wouldn't be able to make it up the stairs.

"You be a good girl and finish making dinner. I'll take care of Cameron," John said down to me before walking out of my vision. I laid there for about a minute before finally I forced myself to stand up and finish cooking dinner. About a minute afterward John came downstairs cradling Cameron in his arms. The sight was beautiful, but everything I saw him holding him I got the image of John hitting him.

As weeks passed by I still hadn't come back up from the black bottom and was still resting on this dark floor. It was quiet throughout the day, but whenever John arrived home all I heard was screaming and nails scratching against wood trying to break free. The screaming and scratching terrified me and I knew John was the reason because of it. The only way for it to go away was to drink it away. I learned that one night after putting Cameron to bed. 

Peeking around the corner of the living room I looked over at John who was occupied by some show on television before quietly going into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine. I was never a drinker but if it made the girls screams and scratching go away then that was the way to go. I continued sneaking myself a glass of wine every night before bed before heading upstairs.

May seventeenth marked the day Cameron turned three months old and I planned on spending the whole day with him. The day went great until John arrived home. He seemed to be in one of his very many moods so I made sure to stay out of his way. I made sure I stayed out of his way ever since our trip back in April.

We ate dinner and afterwards John went into his office to finish up some work while I went in the living room with Cameron and turned on some cartoons. I moved his baby swing in front of the coffee table and sat next to him staring at the television screen with a small smile on my face. My son, Alexandria, Michael, and wine seemed to be the only thing to put a smile on my face these days.

Soon John came and took a seat on the couch and stared up at the screen with a blank look on his face. He wasn't used to just sitting down and watching cartoons with Cameron, but I was.

"Come here Stephanie," John calls from behind me on the couch.

I turn to look at him and my eyes widen. Slowly I turn back around and stand up from the floor. As I get closer to John I hear the screams and scratching get louder since I hadn't had my nightly cup of wine. My heart was pounding so hard and loud in my chest I was sure that John could hear it. If he couldn't hear it then he had to have sensed my fear, right?