Spectrum


Domestic Violence:
I Will Follow You Into the Dark
By Richard Sheets

Editor's note: this story was written as a hypothetical examination of the psychological state of someone in this position. Originally, it was written for this week's "Guy and Girl" column, in which the writers switch voices. The editors felt that the story was too good, and too serious, for that column. Although the character is fictional, these relationships are more common than we'd like to think. This is meant to be a companion piece to our story on domestic violence.

You know, when Joey and I got together, it was like a fairy tale. He told me how beautiful I was, how much he enjoyed spending time with me, and exactly how much he loved me, almost on a daily basis. We would go out on the weekends and go to movies and nice romantic dinners. Sometimes we would get in a little trouble together, but it was all innocent fun. I didn’t think that I could ever ask for a better man.

Things were really nice for a long time; in fact, I became so infatuated with him that I barely noticed any negative qualities at all, not that he had many to begin with. I guess you could say I was in love.

Lately though, things seem a little different. I know that, deep down, he is the same old Joey that I fell in love with. It just seems a little harder to pull that side of him out. It's not that he doesn’t love me, because I know he does. He just seems a little more distant, and lately, I’ve upset him quite a lot. I don’t know what the problem is. I do everything he tells me to, but he just doesn’t seem the same anymore.

I’ve heard my friends tell me that he’s no good for me and that I could do way better. Honestly, I don’t think so. Joey is older, responsible, smart, and handsome. His job sucks and he doesn’t make much money, but that doesn’t matter because we’re in love. I know how much potential he has, and I’m sure one day it will pay off.

The only thing that I don’t like about Joey is how dumb he makes me feel. I do things that in his eyes are stupid, so I've learned to just stay quiet and not make my opinion heard. I’m sure that I'm just being young and immature, like he says I am.

I know that I nag him and get on his nerves, but it’s only because I care about him and our relationship. Sometimes he’ll forget that we had plans or ignore me all night while “we” hang out with his friends, but that’s okay. He’s just busy and popular, and I’m just lucky to be there.

I do get aggravated when he flirts with other girls, especially in front of me, but he is a guy and I know he can’t help it. I know that at the end of the night, he’ll be coming home with me. I tried to yell at him about it one time, but he just hit me again. It wasn’t that hard, though. I know he was just drunk, and it didn’t really hurt. Besides, I had enough makeup in my purse to cover it. I know that deep down inside, despite what he says, he really didn’t mean it. What I said was pretty rude and I guess I deserved it. It’s not like I had permission to speak in the first place.

Even though he can be mean, manipulative, aggressive, and deceitful, I know that is not the real him. I know that he cares about me and loves me; I just have to find ways to get him to show it. Of course he can be mean and hurtful, but what guy isn’t? It’s not every day that he's like that, though. Sometimes he kisses me and tells me that he loves me, and I know I have my Joey back.



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