Love’s Suicide(59)
Author: Jennifer Foor

He walked over and sat in his favorite recliner, watching me. “You think you’re goin’ somewhere?”

“I want you to leave, Bobby. Go stay at your house until you can get yourself straight. I can’t live like this anymore.”

He began laughing loudly. “Do you seriously think you’re going to get rid of me and move your pretty boyfriend right in?”

“No! I’ve never even considered that! I swear.”

B was reaching her arms out and crying loudly. I didn’t know what to do. “Bobby, please let me take her. She’s scared.”

He pulled her closer to him and she screamed harder. He made her look at him. “Tell daddy how much you love him.” Tears streamed down her face and I was so upset for her. She didn’t understand and he’d never acted so violently around her. It was when I knew he’d finally lost it. Bobby couldn’t take it anymore. Whether or not I was admitting it, Brooks was back in my life and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t deny my love for him.

“Give her to me.”

He rolled his eyes and finally let her jump into my arms. I kissed her lightly on the head and ran my fingers through her soft light curls. “Shh, Mama has you.”

I walked her into the kitchen to get her settled down and heard something being thrown against the wall in the other room. Then I heard the door slam, and I took a deep breath, preparing for what was coming. “It’s going to be okay, sweet girl.”

I hated the idea of doing it, but I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called the police. Bobby was outside, so I walked over and locked all the doors, including the deadbolt. Me and B went into her room and I started packing her a bag. Until I knew that Bobby couldn’t come near us, I was taking my daughter and staying in a hotel.

About ten minutes after I called, I heard a car pulling in the driveway and looked out to see that it was the police. Bobby must have gotten scared, because he tried to come in the house. I opened the window and called out to the officer. “He attacked me.”

The officer pulled out his stick and started walking toward Bobby. I hated that he was doing this to us, but wasn’t going to live with someone that beat on me whenever his life wasn’t perfect. I wasn’t a punching bag and I certainly wasn’t one of those women that sit around and take it over and over again.

The officer got Bobby seated on the porch steps and I finally opened the front door. At that same time, Bobby got up and came running after me. I slammed the screen door in his face, stopping him from coming forward. The officer didn’t waste any time handcuffing him, and forcing him into the back of his car. “Ma’am, I need to know what you want me to do here. He’s your husband, and because this is a domestic dispute, it’s up to you.”

I looked down at B and then back at the officer, while keeping my composure. “I’m pressing charges for assault.”

I let him inside to take my statement. The whole time I felt sorry for Bobby, as if all of this was my fault for loving Brooks after I said that I wanted to stay in my marriage. Now I was sitting there not only breaking his heart more, but also giving him a criminal record to add.

I walked the officer out and saw Brooks’ truck coming up the driveway. When I turned to look at the police car, I saw him watching as my knight in shining armor hopped out and approached me.

It was that pivotal moment where I knew my life was about to change again and as much as it hurt, I knew it was going to be a long and painful journey.

Chapter 34

Brooks didn’t wait for the officer to pull all the way down the driveway before walking me inside of my house. Once the door was shut, he grabbed both of my shoulders and forced me to look at him. One glance at my face told him all he needed to know and that was before I noticed the hand-marks on my arm. “How long has he been doing this to you? Is this because of me?” Brooks looked pained, as if he’d caused me to get beat up by my husband.

I sat down on the couch and started to cry. “No. It’s not you. It happened before. That’s why we separated. He got help and I didn’t let him come back until after he had his accident. Things were better for a long time, but now he’s so jealous and I don’t know how to make him believe that there’s nothing going on between us. He thinks I’ve been sleeping with you.”

Brooks did that thing where he clenched his jaw. B ran over and wrapped her arms around his legs. He picked her up, looking at how she’d been crying too. “Has he ever touched her?”

I shook my head. “No. Never. I don’t know that he would. Bobby only takes out his anger on me.”

He pointed at me, with the most serious look on his face. “He won’t lay a damn hand on you again, Kat. I can guarantee you that.”

“You can’t get involved, Brooks. It makes things worse.”

He kneeled down in front of me. With B on his lap, he looked right into my eyes. “Don’t you get it? I’m already involved. You might be married to him on paper, but that doesn’t make you his.”

I cried harder, scared of what was going to happen next. “He said if I ran to you he’d hurt me.”

Brooks stood up. “Pack a bag for each of you. You’re coming with me tonight and we’ll figure out what to do next in the morning.”

I refused to stand up. “I can’t do that. This is my mess.”

“She’s my daughter, Kat. I might not have been around her that much, but she’s my responsibility. I will kill him if he tries to hurt either one of you again.”

I finally stood up, pleading with him. “That’s exactly why I don’t want you helping. I can’t let you put yourself on the line for me. I’ve done enough harm to you. My marriage problems are something I have to deal with on my own. I shouldn’t have even called you.”

“But you did. You called me, because you knew I’d show up.” Brooks was getting mad at me. “Pack a damn bag now. I’m not leaving here without you. Bobby knows a lot of people in this town. He’ll be released in a few hours and where do you think he’ll come looking first. Is this the first time you’ve had him arrested?”

I started crying harder. “Yes.”

“Then he’s going to be more pissed.” He looked at B. “Tell Mama that she needs to listen to me.”

She looked at me with a straight face. “Yisten, Mama.”

I laughed through my sorrow and finally got up. Ten minutes later we were locking the doors and packing up his truck with our bags. Once we got B’s car seat fastened we were on our way to somewhere that we would be safe, until I could get a protective order and go home again.