joxville
11-Sep-13, 00:25
I first met Mary almost 30 years ago at the wedding of mutual aquaintances, and we were to meet many more times over the years at other weddings, birthday parties or christenings etc. A very nice girl, quiet, softly spoken but a good sense of humour. Over the years, whenever I saw her, I always held back from saying what I really felt, that I must say something, anything, but 'it wasn't my place', and so it went unsaid. Mary always looked gaunt, and on her frame which stood at only 5' 4", the emaciated look disturbed me. She married and gave birth to two great kids, who are now grown and have started families of there own. I last saw Mary 4 years ago at my nieces 18th birthday party, and she hadn't changed. Still smiling but it didn't mask the pain. For almost 30 years Mary's husband had mentally abused her, had numerous affairs, but she worshipped him and so probably turned a blind eye to it or refused to believe anything she did hear. He continually told her she was fat. On seeing her, you could tell she needed to put on weight, not lose it. But anorexia had a grip of her and it didn't let go. Last year she ended up in hospital after her body couldn't take anymore. Her husband would visit but the callous beast still had his bit on the side.
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Kim has been working in my local Co-op for about 2 months. She's pleasant enough, but on trying to chat to her she always seems distant, she's there, yet not there. She's only about 5' tall, I tower over her. And like Mary, she is slight of build, and gaunt. I suspected she too is anorexic, but it was only confirmed earlier when her name happened to crop up in a conversation I was having with my nephews girlfriend about the shop. Kim is 27, has a little boy aged 5, and a husband who 'works hard and plays hard'. He's the same as Mary's husband, a well known player on the local sports scene, has his drink with the boys, and cheats on his wife. And mentally abuses her by telling her she's fat. I'm seeing history repeat itself, but once again its not my business. But I want it to be my business. I want to save her life.
Mary didn't walk out the hospital. She died, aged 50, after being in ICU for a week. A huge turn out for the funeral, and as expected, people passing on their condolences to him, most probably not knowing of what he put his wife through. I don't want Kim to be another Mary. I drove home with anger building up inside and my eyes welling up. Wars aside, how can one human abuse another in such a way. To knowingly cause so much mental anguish is beyond my comprehension.
And I'm powerless to do anything about it.
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Kim has been working in my local Co-op for about 2 months. She's pleasant enough, but on trying to chat to her she always seems distant, she's there, yet not there. She's only about 5' tall, I tower over her. And like Mary, she is slight of build, and gaunt. I suspected she too is anorexic, but it was only confirmed earlier when her name happened to crop up in a conversation I was having with my nephews girlfriend about the shop. Kim is 27, has a little boy aged 5, and a husband who 'works hard and plays hard'. He's the same as Mary's husband, a well known player on the local sports scene, has his drink with the boys, and cheats on his wife. And mentally abuses her by telling her she's fat. I'm seeing history repeat itself, but once again its not my business. But I want it to be my business. I want to save her life.
Mary didn't walk out the hospital. She died, aged 50, after being in ICU for a week. A huge turn out for the funeral, and as expected, people passing on their condolences to him, most probably not knowing of what he put his wife through. I don't want Kim to be another Mary. I drove home with anger building up inside and my eyes welling up. Wars aside, how can one human abuse another in such a way. To knowingly cause so much mental anguish is beyond my comprehension.
And I'm powerless to do anything about it.