My now ex husband never hit me. Mitch had violence in his childhood, and I thought about that before we got married. “Oh no,” I said. “Mitch would rather die than hit me.” It was a chance I took; I brought a monster into my life and loved him.
I reexamine my memories, shuffling over the pieces of paper until they’re soft as cloth. Within 12 months of our separation my husband
* Showed up uninvited at my home
* Showed up uninvited at my new home
* Drove across town to surprise me at my morning bus stop
* Parked his car near my workplace in the daytime “so he could feel near me”
* Sat on my doorstep and waited for me to return from my pre-work neighborhood exercise
* Left presents at my door for me to find when I got home in the evenings
* Called–I always answered if I was home. He called, the calls eventually got into a cycle of him threatening to walk into traffic while we were on the phone.