A Bad Life

Boozing, Bruises and Black Eyes

Monday

Stephany threw herself into the bathroom, kicking the door shut as a beer bottle exploded against the door frame. She locked the door and curled into a ball amongst dirty clothes and damp towels and began to cry. She knew he loved her, it was just the alcohol and the drugs. He didn't mean to hit her. She could hear him screaming abuse and kicking and punching the walls and doors. She hoped a neighbour wouldn't call the police again. It would only make things worse. She slowly got up and looked into the cracked bathroom mirror. Her eyes were black again and already swelling shut. Her lip was split badly and blood was spilling out like a red river. The cut above her eye had reopened as well. Make up wouldn't cover it this time. She didn't know what she'd say to her employment officer on friday. She pulled her phone from her pocket and played Blahzay Rose. It was nice to know that out there, somewhere was a woman who knew what she was suffering. She wished she had the strength to grab that kitchen knife and run him through. But thats not what you do to the man who loves you. You love him no matter what. And when he sobers up you make him breakfast and he'l be happy again. He'l love you truly again. She started washing her face in the basin, wiping away gently at the blood with an old shirt. Once he was asleep she'd come out. She made a make shift bed out of the clothes and used a dry towel as a blanket. It was just another Saturday night.

Tuesday

He still hadn't come down. She awoke to sound of a banging on the bathroom door and screams of "let me in bitch! I need to piss!". She only cried again as the pain came back. "Promise you wont hurt me baby?" she begged "get the fuck out of their woman or I'll slap the ever loving shit out of you, you useless piece of shit!She stood up and quickly unlocked the door. She tried to run out but he caught her in the back of a head with a punch. She fell dazed and confused hearing him piss. Before she could get up he walked over to her and kicked her in the stomach with his booted feet. "Next time don't make me wait so long" he spat on her as pain radiated out from her stomach to every inch of her body. She would've vomited if she'd eaten at all. He'd said she was fat so she'd done her best to be skinny for him. She stumbled to the kitchen and boiled the kettle and made two mugs of coffee. He was already sitting at the table, he was scratching at his arms, both bleeding from fresh scratch marks all over. She carefully set his mug down in front of him realising now what drug he was on exactly. Ice. The simple rock that stole people and turned them insane. She went and hid back in the bathroom sitting on the toilet. She drank her coffee quickly before reaching over to the drawer and pulling out her codeine pills. The pain was threatening to make her black out again. These would tide her through until tomorrow, when the dole came in. Pills and love, thought Stephany. Pills and love are what gets a good woman through.