Forgive me

He promised to forgive me, if I picked up the phone. And I'll
be honest with you: for a spilt second I actually thought about it.1

I heard his pleas in my head, his apologetic voice, saw his gorgeous face; and just for a moment, I thought it would be ok. And then as if for the first time, I took a real look at the faded bruises on my arms, and the scrapes on my knuckes; at the bruises that surrounded my eye. And it suddenly hit me. I had become something I always swore would never befall me. I was a battered woman. When the truth set in, I slid down the wall in a heap on the floor, tears falling down my face. 2

How could I have been so stupid? I should have seen the signs. The angry temper, the contolling behavior, they were all warning signs I should have seen. But when he looked at me, and those green eyes of his looked me up and down in appreciation, I remember thinking I was the luckiest woman alive. He was strikingly gorgeous, with jet black hair, a muscular physique...he had it all. Except respect for me. 3

I looked at the clock and realized that the phone had stopped ringing. How long had it been? A slice of fear ran down my back at the thought of what Eric would do when he got here. There was no doubt in my mind he would come. No one turned down Eric and got away with it. 4

Well, at least I was going to try! Jumping up, I ran down the hall clumsily to gather what I could. I pulled my overnight bag from the closet and hurriedly began throwing what I could find. I started reliving that morning when he had raised his hands to me, not quitting when I begged him to stop. It was only when a passerby came by the car window and knocked on the door that he finally came out of the rage that had engulfed him. 5

I'll be damned if I let that happen again, I thought to myself bitterly. Suddenly a calm came over me, and the anger that I had supressed from earlier surfaced. I needed to get the hell out of there! I closed my eye and pulled myself together. Finally it dawned on me to call the police. Quickly I dialed 911 to ask for help. 6

As I was dialing, I heard the sound of breakin glass from below. I grabbed the bag and my keys off my dresser, and ran into the last bedroom on the right. There was a spare bedroom that had a walk around porch underneath it. Years ago I had secretly hid a ladder for when I had snuck out of the room, when the house belonged to my parents.
I quickly said a prayer that Eric didn't know about it. Sticking to the side of the wall, I moved to the bedroom. I could hear him in the kitchen below. What if he grabbed a knife? I thought. 7

"Hello, 911 what is your emergency?" In a panic I covered the phone receiver and slipped in the room, shutting the door behind me. "yes, I have an intruder in my house. He broke the front door, and is in my kitchen. He's my ex boyfriend, and violent." I made my way to the window. 8

"Ma'am, what is your address?"9

"It's 159 Malabar. I'm making a run for my Mustang. Please hurry!"10

I hung up the phone, and slowly eased the window open, praying that Eric wouldn't hear anything. I grabbed my bag, threw it in the concealed bushes below, and tucked my car keys in my bra. I knew that if he saw my car, that he would know i was here somewhere.
Suddenly footsteps started walking down the hall. Trying not to panic, I slipped outside, and stepped onto the small ledge. I sat down, lowered my foot onto the ladder, and grabbed the ledge for support. Reaching above me, I slowly pulled the window shut. 11

God how did I do this ten yrs ago and not get killed? I thought to myself. Almost there! Just five more steps. I heard the sounds of the door above me open, and panic washed over me. Why hadn't I locked the damn door? I tried desperately not to think about what he would do to me if he found me. Footsteps were above me. Three ladder steps left. The footsteps got closer. Two.... and one! I was down! I scrambled out of sight just as I heard the door above me open. Oh god my bag! Frantically I looked to see if Eric would spot it. I knew that I couldn't wait. My car was just around back. If I hurried, I knew I could make it. 12

Terror gripped me, and I waited for the window above me to close. Only it wasn't closing. I looked up and saw Eric positioning himself to come down my ladder. Fear consumed me. I turned around. I had to get to my car! Desperate, I tiptoed around furniture on the patio, praying, pleading to every God I knew to help me get through. "Please God, don't let me make a sound, let me get through this!" I glanced over my shoulder, and saw Eric's feet dangling right above the Patio roof. Climbing over the opposite patio wall, I landed on the ground below. 13

I knew this would be my last chance before he saw me. Just a few more steps and I would be at the other side of the house. I would need to hurry to beat him, or I was royally screwed. I rounded the corner just as I heard Eric land with a curse. "Had he seen me?" I agonized.
I took off running, pumping my legs as hard as I could go. My breath was coming out in quick bursts, and the fear of getting caught virtually overwhelming me. I rounded Eric's Mercedes, and came across my Mustang. He had tried to block me in! Stupid asshole! I glanced behind me, and saw Eric coming around the corner of the house I had just left. Oh God he had seen me! 14

"Gracie!" He roared. "Don't you dare leave!"15

I pushed the unlock button on my car, opened the door, and scrambled in the driver's seat. I slammed and locked the door, started the engine, took off the brake, and threw it into first. I floored it, whipping around his Mercedes just barely grazing his car. I looked into his mirror, and saw him scrambling into his car.
"Go ahead asshole. I can take you any day." I thought to myself.
I dropped it into second, shifted into third, and was flying around the corner, when I saw red and blue lights up ahead. I punched it into forth, and saw Eric's tail end go out from under him on the corner. "Novice," I thought and smirked. I rolled the windows down, laid on the horn, and pulled right up to the cops. I pulled in between the cars where one of the officers was getting out. 16

"He's following me, in the Mercedes!" I shouted out. 17

The officer looked at me, nodded, and turned around. He said something in his radio and the other cop car pulled out in front of Eric, sirens blazing. The cop walked up to my window.18

"Ma'am, are you hurt?"19

"No, he didn't catch me," I said, my voice catching.20

"You did just fine, hon, stay in the car, we'll handle this."21

His partner had his gun drawn on Eric, and was demanding that he get out of the car. The other officer stepped up to help. I knew that it was going to get violent. And I was right. The minute the cop touched Eric, he went crazy. He spun on his feet, and punched cop #1 in the face. The second cop reacted by throwing his arm around Eric's neck, and forcing him to the ground. Cop #1's face was bleeding everywhere. Fear set in, because I knew that if they didn't contain Eric, I was dead. They struggled, and finally managed to handcuff Eric. He started screaming obsenities to me, and then moved on to threats. It wasn't over, not by a long shot. I leaned back into my seat, and sighed. But I had made it past so much farther than so many women. I found help. And I would do whatever it took to make sure he never hit me, or another woman ever again. I was alive, and I planned to stay that way.