A Halloween I Will Never Forget
By: Sabrina
It was Halloween night, and me and my husband bought matching Onesies to wear to the Halloween party we were invited to. I got completely dressed up (something I hardly ever do), with full make up, curled hair, and a cute cow onesie. When we went to the party, things started off great! We were having drinks and catching up with old friends. As the night went on, we went our separate ways and had separate conversations with our own friends.
At one point, I realized that my husband disappeared for a good portion of the party. I had been drinking quite a bit, so I thought that I was just losing track of time. Then I kept thinking about where he might be, so I decided to go look for him and check on him. I didn’t want him puking in a bathroom from too much alcohol and have him yell at me later for not being by his side.
Our friend’s house had a finished basement, and in the basement was a bathroom and two bedrooms. I first checked the bathroom to make sure he wasn’t there, but the bathroom was empty. Then I heard moaning from one of the bedrooms with the door cracked. I went to go close the door and give whoever it was some privacy, but then I recognized the onesie next to the bed that my husband had on. I opened the door and the only thing that came out of my mouth was “how could you?” I ran from the house without telling anyone I was leaving.
It was only a three-minute walk to get back home, and when I got there, I slammed the door shut behind me. I couldn’t stop crying from the anger over what I had just seen. About five minutes or so later, my husband walks through the door and locks it behind him. Before I had the chance to say anything, he grabbed me by the neck and said “how come you always have to ruin this for me? I wouldn’t have to do this if you just stayed where you were.” Next thing I know, I was on the ground.
I managed to scoot away from him, and when I did, I managed stood and ran to the basement. We only have three doors leaving the house: the front door he locked, the patio door in the basement, and the door to the balcony. I ran to the basement to try and get out of the house as fast as I could. I knew if I stayed, I would be in much more pain. As I ran through the dark basement, he caught up to me and shoved me away from the door. I hit our weight equipment and felt the shooting pain go up my leg and across my head. He grabbed me by my hair to pull me up and said, “you must be too drunk to even acknowledge what you did. It’s probably time for you to go to bed.”
He dragged me by my hair and my arm, all the way up two flights of stairs. He threw me on the bed and told me to keep my mouth shut because he didn’t want to hear me talk. He also told me I would be in ‘big shit’ if I left the room. I spent the rest of the night drunk, sick to my stomach, but not able to go to the bathroom in fear of what he may do. I ended up falling asleep when my eyes were too dry to continue crying.
In the end: I left my husband about four months after this incident. I still have the scars from hitting the weight equipment and I can still feel the ache of my head from where my hair was pulled. I also still have the cow onesie, sitting in the back of my closet. One day, I know I will have the strength to get rid of it and remove it from my memory. But for now, I remind myself that I am safe and supported by my loved ones. I learned that I was never the problem, and my behavior was not reason enough for him to hurt me. I learned that that is not what love is. I grew and realized that my actions, who I am, and what I care for is not the cause of my pain. He was.