Monday, October 24, 2005

One October Night

23 years ago, almost to the day, I was 8 months pregnant with our 2nd child. We also had a baby girl that was nearing her 2nd birthday. She wore corrective shoes at night that were screwed on to a bar because of a problem with her legs. My husband and I were still newlyweds, yet we were already separated.At 24 years old, I was now living back at my parents & he with his family.

On this particular night, he called me, drunk & accusing me of all sorts of things; none were true. This was the norm when he drank, he would have blackouts & wouldn't remember anything he did the next day. (Physical abuse wasn't really his thing, he was more into emotional torture & tearing me apart, 1 shred at a time) The phone conversation went on for quite some time & then he started crying. I finally said, "Okay you're right, I"m sorry." To which he laughed & said, "I knew that! You fucking bitch! " and hung up.

About 30 minutes later I hear a knock at the front door. His sister dropped him off so that we could 'talk'. I let him in & he says he's going to get the baby and take her away from me. I beg & beg him to leave her alone as she's sleeping. When he goes in to get her, I call the Operator. (there was no 911 then) I'm trying to whisper to her to notify the police, but while I'm whispering he walks out with our daughter. I immediately hang up the phone. He's holding the baby in 1 arm & a beer bottle in the next. She's groggy as she was asleep & is wearing her correction bar. The phone rings.
I don't answer it, but he hands me the baby, as he can't put the beer bottle down. (thankfully) And I hear him, "No, no, there's no emergency here." He hangs up & says to me, "I"m going to kill you." At this point, he's on the other side of the counter in the kitchen & I realize I've got a few seconds on him. As fast as I could, at 8 months pregnant & a baby in my arms, I ran & unlocked the door, went outside & start screaming for help.
I get near the end of the walkway & he's catches up to me. He tries to grab her out of my arms. I've got one end, he's got another & I'm screaming for somebody, anybody to call the police. If I don't let go of my daughter she's going to be seriously injured. So, I let her go.
One neighbor comes out & sees us, but then just goes back inside. Somehow I fall over a low fence that surrounds our yard. I don't know if I just fell or was pushed, but I was worried about my unborn baby. Around this time I hear another neighbor yell, "We've called the police."
He's got my daughter now, she's crying & he's walking away, drunk with her at God-only- knows what hour of the night. I can hardly see them as they're getting further away, but I can still hear her crying for me.
As I'm hysterically crying outside, in my nightgown, a Sheriff's car pulls up. Back from the dark he comes walking with the baby. The officer is rather nonchalant about this & my husband kind of laughs & tells the officer he was just messing with me & was going to bring her back. I'm hysterical & just want my daughter. He gives her to me & gets in the back of the patrol car & driven away.
I go inside, call a friend down the street & fortunately, her husband comes with a gun, to walk my daughter & I back to their house for the night. I kept expecting him to jump from behind a bush & do something. But we make it to their home safely.
Fortunately, when I go to my doctor, he says that the baby seems to be fine.
I found out later, the Sheriff's officers just drove him around the block & dropped him off. Even though he lived about 10 miles away. But that's how it was back then.

posted by jane at 12:02 PM