All the Reasons Why

The Job

    I grabbed my red blouse from the blue satin chair. I had ironed and washed it to perfection the night before, but I jumped when I saw the horrible dark purple splotch right on the front. Wine. I clenched my hands, Ben must have spilled it on there when he was drunk. I threw it down on the ground with tears in my eyes. I couldn't confront him, going to my first day of work with a welt on my face was a big fat no. I wanted to scream in frustration. I should have known he would want to make the one good thing in my life bad.
  Today is the big day, my new job. I have always wanted to be a journalist, even though it wasn't good money, it was my only talent. Since I was young my hand scribbled over a piece of paper and created a masterpiece. Nothing else was so easy. So when The Wall Street Journal said yes to my small and sad resume, my dreams came true. But Ben had had other ideas. He yelled and screamed because I wouldn't be at our apartment to "house keep like a true woman." I sighed and shook the thought put of my head. I opened the closet and grabbed my plain pencil skirt and a blue blouse I hadn't worn for ages. I quickly threw that on and rushed to the bathroom. With my teeth brushed, mouthwash swished, hair styled to perfection in just 5 minutes, and my makeup done, I rushed out of the bathroom and reached for my briefcase on the stool by the door. It was knocked over. All my work was spilled out on the floor. I rolled my eyes and bent down to pick up the paper's but Ben's voice stopped me short,
"Stop," he growled. I shuffled the paper's back together and stuffed them in the suitcase. I could almost hear him getting angry, ignoring him was a big mistake. I turned around and Ben's hand reached forward. The stinging spread across my face, and I recoiled in blind shock. "Do not disobey me," he said, his voice low and dangerous.
I nodded, barely lifting my eyes. My legs were trembling as he turned and walk down the short hallway to our- his -room. He slammed the door behind him, and I quietly opened and stepped out the door. In the elevator Oscar was there pushing the buttons.
"Hi! Lobby, please." I said with a big fake smile in my face. Oscar nodded and looked up, his young baby face scrunched with concern when he saw the growing welt on my face. He didn't say anything, he knew to well not too. He had seen all my bruises and bumps  and cuts and never said a single thing since the incident. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in and out. I tried to convince myself my day would be good, but everything good was ruined by the always manipulative Ben.  I tried and tried and tried, but Ben is a disease. He is taking over my life and isolating me from my friends and family. I am afraid when the day comes when he'll take over everything. I'm so, so, so, afraid.

      To be continued........