“How did the children handle it?” William asked.
“The children didn"t even know he was gone,” I said. “In their minds, he left in September. In December, they never asked, not once, about their father. Amid the screaming and the debates, the fighting and name calling, Richard dished out his usual approach of locking me in the bedroom. I lost both my jobs due to stress that affected my attendance.
“Richard refused to drive me to work and would not allow me to take the bus. He would not take me to a clinic for my thumb, which had swollen and maintained a permanent state of agony. When I finally did get to the doctor, they confirmed it had been dislocated and healed in the wrong position. It forever hurt and my mobility was limited.”
William glanced at my thumb.
I smiled.
“I reset it a y
