The worst part of that speech for me was when he said that NATO has never and would never answer the call for the US

[littlemissmartypants]

34. In my instance...

I'm very thankful that I had an epiphany. I never got any rest, I was hiding injuries. Crying all the way to work and all the way home. Toward the end , the sound of duck hunter's guns across the branch had me thinking, "If I only had a gun."

He kept telling me repeatedly that he didn't like the smell of my shampoo. So, I kept trying different shampoos. One day I opened the bathroom cabinet and counted 13 different bottles under the sink. He had not thrown any away (typical because he was a cheapskate) and I realized that it didn't matter how many times I changed shampoo, he was going to blame me. It was not me, it was him and if I didn't get out of there soon ...

In the 80's police were still always prioritizing the husband's case and overwhelmingly subjugated the wife. Even with visible injuries, holes in the walls and escalation with every call made by me and the neighbors, he was who they believed. I was the problem.

That day I realized that I couldn't change a thing about myself and make him happy. He was sick. In less than a year, one thing at a time, I secretly planned my escape.

Unfortunately, even then he found me. The emotional abuse and destructive abuse of my home, my property and my family continued until I was able to transfer to another position in another state and I won't say more here but that trauma never really goes away. I was lucky that day. I saw the light, under the bathroom sink.