Abused

I once dated a despicable man named J.G.( initials are enough for now)who physically abused me. This was post- Clifford and pre-Alfredo, who are the Gentlemen bookends to this sordid episode in my life. I met J at a dance club and he was polite and mannerly, said the right thing, did the right thing, and I agreed to go out with him. A couple of meetings were fine, and then, when another guy asked me to dance one night - even though I declined- J became maniacal from jealousy, and as soon as we got into his car, he started hitting me and slapping me hard. I was stunned of course, and when we got to my place, he, literally, kicked me out of his vehicle and drove away. I was really in pain and just went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, my head was throbbing ;I had a swollen, bruised eye and a sprained wrist.I could only think about the fact that it was Christmas break from school, and I didn't have to call in sick for teaching. I got some ice, took some Tylenol, and went back to bed. Later, I cancelled some appointments with my friends, telling them that I didn't feel well( understatement).I was miserable for about 3 days, and then I started to feel better. My eye still looked pretty bad, and my left wrist was bandaged and useless. I didn't know how to explain this to my mom and dad. I needed and wanted to go to their home for Christmas, but I was humiliated by the violence perpetrated on me, and I didn't know what my parents' reactions would be.Meanwhile J called me and said how sorry he was and it would never happen again - abused women hear that all the time , I know, but I forgave him and said ok. When he arrived,he kept telling me how bad he felt about what he had done. I sat quietly, and eventually got up from my chair and went to get us some wine. Bad idea, bad, bad idea. He wanted some beer, and I didn't have any. He took the bottle of wine and hit me over the head with it,and I saw stars as I fell to the floor.Then he pulled a clump of my hair from my head. J left just then and went to the bathroom. I found the phone, called Dad, and said, " I'm hurt, I need you now." I lay on the floor and pretended to be knocked out. Dad must have broken the speed limits, because he was pounding on the door wanting to get in. J wasn't opening the door, so I yelled,"Help me; help me!".I didn't know how strong my father was until he kicked that door in. He helped me to my feet and sat me on the sofa,pausing. just long enough to stop J from leaving. Even though I was dizzy, and everything seemed somewhat blurry, I will never forget the livid look on Dad's face. He looked like he could have killed J. J sat down and didn't move. Dad called the police and an ambulance; the neighbors had their free entertainment for the day. The police took J to jail. I went to the hospital , was treated and released as they say, and ended up having a wonderful Christmas with my family.They didn't pry, and my parents waited until I was ready to talk about the ugly episode. My dad rescued me more than once, when I needed help in the future, and he was my hero. I got a restraining order against JG , didn't press charges and never saw him again.The following March I met Alfredo, and he has been my other hero. A few years later I heard that JG was married with children. I felt sorry for his wife, because I imagined he battered her. It is very difficult for that kind of mean, insecure man to change, and there are way too many in the world. What a hard lesson I learned. I had never been hit by a man , and I should never have given him a second opportunity to hurt me again. I got to thinking about this unfortunate time, because of the three girls in Cleveland who just escaped after 10 years of captivity with a sadist. I was lucky by comparison, but many women stay in abusive situations, and it confounds me.