Confessions of an Iyeska by Burnette Viola;

Author:Burnette, Viola; [Неизв.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Utah Press

Ten

THE LONG ROAD BACK

The end came one evening when Bill came home. I was ironing his fatigues, which I really hated because he was never satisfied with the way I did it. As soon as he walked in, he started criticizing the way I was doing it. I listened silently for a few minutes and then I got mad. I took the shirt off the ironing board and threw it at him.

“Do it yourself,” I said and walked away, shaking.

I thought he would follow me and I fully expected him to hit me. All he did was scream at me.

“I hate you, I despise you.”

It hit me hard. I knew in that moment that it was true and had been true for some time, probably since the first year of our marriage.

The next morning I began my long journey back to being myself. The first thing I did was make a visit to see a priest. Deep down, I was hoping he would tell me to go home and would give me a solution to our problems. Fate intervened and the housekeeper said he wasn’t in and wouldn’t be back for several days. I went to the car, cried for a while, and went back to the house with the knowledge that I had no choice but to leave (somehow).

I started packing while I considered my options. I had absolutely no money and the only place I could think of to go was home to my parents. I knew they would take care of us. In a quandary, I defied Bill and called Teewee to ask for advice. When I told her the story, she was livid. She said she would talk to her husband and call me back. She called the next day to say they were being transferred to California. They would leave within a week and they would take us as far as South Dakota. I was so relieved I burst into tears. I was not trapped.

Later that day, I told Bill that I was definitely leaving and he informed me that he was not going to stop me but he would not help me in any way whatsoever. He wanted to know how I was going to manage and I told him about the arrangements I had made with Teewee. Those arrangements included somehow getting the girls and me to Atlanta where they would meet us. After a while, he agreed that he would drive us to Atlanta. He also told me that he would give me $40, which he claimed was all he had. He was obviously relieved that I was leaving and he didn’t care how I did it.

Arriving in Atlanta, we were welcomed by my sister, brother-in-law, and niece at the home of Teewee’s ex-mother-in-law. After a few days’ stay, we all piled into their car. There were three adults and five children and it was crowded, to say the least. Somehow we managed, but it was particularly hard on the kids.

Anita, who

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