Behind Closed Doors

Six

After my mom gets off the phone with the 911 dispatcher, we walk outside to smoke a cigarette. She walks over and sits on the swing out front, and doesn't say anything for a while. Finally, she looks over at me and says, "So, how long has this been going on for? Is this why you always have bruises on you? Has that motherfucker ever touched one of my babies?" I don't even know what to say. Where do I begin? That he's fucking crazy and doesn't want me to do anything ever? That I can't wear certain shit. I can't look his friends in the eye when they talk to me or I want to fuck them? I can't have any guy friends. Hell, Tye tried to say I probably got pregnant by this guy at work. Even though he drops and picks me up every day. His explanation? I was fucking him in the bathroom on my breaks.

I tell her everything, starting from the beginning and ending with tonight. My mom sits on the swing with her face in her hands. She isn't crying or anything, but just sitting there silently. When she does finally speak, you can tell she's at a loss of words. "What the fuck Lizzy? Why didn't you say something? We could have protected you. Now, you're pregnant and going to have to deal with this crazy fuck for the rest of your life?!"  Trust me mom, I know. The thought alone stresses me the fuck out. I don't even know what I'm going to do.

Headlights approach over the top of the hill and slowly pull down to the front of our house. The officer pops his door open and casually strolls up to the house. God, this is the third time tonight I have to recount what happened to me. I'm mentally exhausted and really just don't feel like going over this again. After I tell the officer everything that happened, he begins talking to me. "You know, I see victims like yourself all the time. A lot of them don't get away though. Don't be that person. You're a beautiful woman with soon to be three children, take better care of yourself. Make better decisions. I don't want to see you on the news next. The officer explains to me that a detective will be in contact with me eventually to get any further details. As well as to press charges.

It hit hard though. Hearing someone tell me that they think I could possibly die if I continue to involve myself with Tye. I don't want my kids to grow up and think treating women like this is okay. It's never okay. I feel awful, lost. Am I wrong for doing this to him? Tye has never been arrested before so this could completely ruin his clean record. He wouldn't be able to get a decent job for a baby now! Not like he has one anyways, but you know. For some odd reason, I instantly regret coming here. Maybe if I would have never been looking at Darrin's Facebook, this wouldn't be an issue. Tye doesn't always put his hands on me. He has never actually punched me either. It isn't abuse until then, right?

I know I have to see him at least one more time to get all of our things out of the apartment. It will probably be super awkward. I wait two days to even say anything, and just keep washing my clothes at my mom's. Thank god she has an arsenal of the boys' clothes at her house. In the course of these two days, I don't receive any texts or calls from Tye. He even went as far as to completely block me on all social media accounts and to delete all pictures he had of us on them. Including the ones of my children. It surprises me and hurts because he has always claimed to love my kids' like his own. If I sat around and tried to figure out why Tye does what he does, I would be forever confused. More than anything, I'm upset he hasn't even reached out to see how I am. I guess he will figure everything out once the police show up with a warrant to arrest him. Oh well. I need to go get all of our things, so I call him. Two rings in and I hear his voice. "What?"

"Hey, I was wondering if I can come by after work and grab our stuff?"

"Yep, I got it packed already."

CLICK

Tye just hangs up. Just like that. No questions about how I am or the kids'. No questions about the baby and the pregnancy. More importantly, no sorry for the shit he did to me. What a fucking lunatic. He almost sounded annoyed that I was calling him. That pisses me off. I never even did anything wrong to him, and it's almost like he's attempting to punish me for leaving. Maybe he wasn't raised to respect women. Tye's mom left him to go live in Florida with her mom, and doesn't really reach out to him to see how he's doing ever. Whatever I guess.

After I get off work, I head to my mom's to drop off Leon and Acen and to pick up Abigail to ride with me. Abigail is my litter sister. She's 17 and has the same white-blonde hair as me. Same eyes, and even same skin tone. Abi's basically my doppelgänger besides the way her head is shaped. Her head is more oval than mine. We have different dads, so there are some noticeable differences, but not much. When I pull up to my mom's house to get her, she walks out and looks visibly stressed. Abi doesn't do well with drama. She doesn't like to be in the mix of things. I don't really blame her, but I don't want my mom to go. I know how she can get and I don't want Tye to do something to her. He wouldn't to Abi because she is so quiet and to herself. Listening to music the entire car ride, she finally turns to me and asks me if I was scared. Scared? Yes. I'm always scared when it comes to Tye now. Even when I thought I wasn't, I was. I was constantly watching the way I would say things and watching the things I do as to not piss him off. I don't even respond to Abi. She knows the answer. Her big blue eyes stare a hole into the side of my face. She just doesn't get it. I hope she never has to either.

When we finally pull into the apartment complex, Tye and his friend Robert are outside, of course, acting like assholes. You can literally hear the music they're playing from the parking lot. How ghetto. Tye has his shirt off and his big belly is hanging over the top of his red shorts. EW, he really is fucking disgusting. How was I ever even attracted to that? When he notices my sister walking up to the patio with me he grimaces.

"She can't come in here. Only you."

"Uh, fuck you. She can come wherever the fuck she wants."

I continue past him into the house and he slams the screen door in Abi's face. "I said you couldn't fucking come in. Stay out here with Rob." My sister glances over at me, nods her head at me, and stands at the screen door. She looks nervous. Looking around the apartment, he really hasn't gotten all my shit together. I'll start with the easiest place, and that's the bathroom. When I walk into there to start getting all my shower things and putting them in a bag. Tye walks in right behind me and I look at him through the mirror.

"So this is really what you want huh? You want to just fucking leave me? After I gave you and your kids a place to stay? I want my fucking half of the rent."

"Uh, yeah? You put your fucking hands on me and I'm pregnant with your child?! Why the fuck would I stay."

I'm screaming. I glance in the mirror, and my face is completely red. Sunburn red. This is fucking unbelievable. Who does he think he is? My sister calls into the house from the patio door, "Liz, you okay?"

Looking Tye directly in the eyes from his reflection I respond, 'Yeah sis, I'm fine." I shake my head and continue throwing things into my bag. Tye is towering over the back of me just staring at me. His green eyes trying to get me to look at him. Go fuck yourself, piece of shit.

"You're a fucking whore."

I don't even miss a beat replying. "And you're a little bitch who puts his hands on women. Fuck you pri...."

SNATCH

Quickly, Tye grabs me by the backs of my arms and spins me around. I swing and dig my fingernails into the side of his face. There's blood immediately dripping down his cheek. That's what you get, you fucking loser.

"You BITCH."

He reaches his arm back and smacks me right in the mouth. I taste blood instantly as my lip snags my front teeth. Sucking my lip in, I grimace. That fucking hurt. By the time I reach up to touch my lip, he grabs me and tosses me into the wall. I hit the towel rack, causing it to crash to the floor. The sound of my body ricocheting off of the wall must have been loud enough for my sister to hear. Abi is standing at the bathroom door. Her mouth is wide open in a soundless scream.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE ABIGAIL! NOW!"

Abi doesn't budge though. She's staring Tye down with the meanest look I've ever seen from her. This is the last thing I need. My little sister involved in my bullshit. Blood is dripping from my bottom lip and my ribs hurt really badly. I think one of them might have cracked. Tye isn't finished yet though. He looks directly at Abigail and kicks me really hard in the stomach. The weight of his leg lifts me off of the ground and slams me directly into the toilet. The toilet rocks off of its base and topples over. Water starts leaking out of the bottom of it. "Uhhh," I groan out loud. Abi runs to my side. She's shaking. All I can remember is seeing her standing above me and screaming for help.