Screaming With No Voice - Part 2
My first story about finding the courage to stand up to my abusive father at 17 was hard to write. I finally stood up to him and didn’t realize at the time that I might be putting my life at risk.
WHY?
This event triggered an open battle with my father over the next 2+ years and I almost died. The picture of kitchen knives is significant because when I was 19 he attacked me with a butcher knife. He kept a loaded .32 revolver in the top of his closet and threatened to shoot me several times.
So why did I stay in this terrible situation that threatened my life? I have asked myself that question many times over the years and all I can offer is that I was trapped by my own fear and programming to just take whatever he dished out and not fight back. I also feared for my younger brother and sister and stayed to shield them from his abuse.
Why do people put up with domestic abuse like this? I don’t have all the answers but one that stands out is that people…
