behavior was the result of insurmountable and unavoidable stress. He’d lost his scholarship to play football at a much-desired college, and working long hours at a near poverty level rate of minimum wage increased his frustration. Attempting to find the solution to his anger, she blamed herself, thinking she never did enough. Optimistically, she believed her love for Kevin would fix everything, and she’d done her damndest to be a good wife.
However, whatever she did wasn’t enough for him and Kevin wanted more.
He demanded Control over everything she did. His last deed, striking her in the head when he discovered she’ found a job at Bentham’s Association for the Blind, had been the breaking point. She barely recalled the event, and perhaps her lack of memory was for the best.
Pausing and lifting her face to the sky, the very last touches of the sun warmed her cheeks. She huffed bitterly, wishing she could see the orb, instead of the hazy gray and white.
Just one shade of red , she thought. Meghan wished she were able to grab one forgotten tint of bright crimson and erase that last image from her memories of the sighted world.
Anything , she whispered silently.
Her last recollection was of Kevin’s fist rocketing towards her, the veins standing out on the side of his neck, and his jaw clenched. Ducking, fearing for her life, he struck her. The full heaviness of his punch, his entire weight behind his rapidly moving arm, collided with her temple. The blow had sent her reeling backwards, and she fell, smacking the corner of the kitchen counter.
When she woke, she was in the local hospital. At first, Meghan imagined she was in a dark room, unable to distinguish the objects around her. The steady beep of monitors surrounded her and Chesca’s hand clasped her cold grip. As the sedatives wore off, and questions flooded her spinning mind, reality set in. Her friend informed her Kevin was missing, the police were waiting, and she’d lost ninety percent of her vision.
The rays of the sun caused a faint flicker of brightening gray to appear behind her lids, and she sighed, heartbroken. Colors had vanished from her world, and only their memories lingered in her nightly dreams. In her daily life, Meghan saw everything in shadow, each representation murky and indistinguishable. She’d learned to accept her disability with grudging reluctance, and had moved on with her life.
Moreover, Meghan wouldn’t allow Kevin’s actions to end her life and take from her the independence she loved. Stubbornly, she rose from the mess and forged onward. Even though her husband had vanished from the face of the earth, a compassionate lawyer helped her with her divorce, and she moved from their apartment. Leaving the dreadful memories behind, and selling the material possessions they had accrued together, she found a house closer to work. A row house, built during the early nineteen hundreds, was the home of her dreams. Modernized, and with Chesca’s help, she filled the place with furniture she dreamed of in her youth. The smell of polished antique wood greeted her every evening, and the thick plush of hand-woven Persian rugs comforted her tired feet.
She admitted her life was good, given Kevin wasn’t in it anymore.
She continued down the street, the last lingering rays of the son on her back. The pedestrian traffic was dwindling, and the streets were quieter. Meghan hummed a catchy little tune and tapped along, savoring the encroaching darkness and the slight nip in the air.
“Hey, lady, where are you going?”
The question wasn’t one she normally encountered and, startled, Meghan halted. Sensing there was something darker to the inquiry, she gripped her cane and purse close, her heart leaping into her throat. Somewhere in her bag, there was a can of Mace, but she didn’t have time to grapple for it.
“Excuse me, I need to pass.” She managed, realizing the person blocked her way.
“ Excuse meee ,” came the mocking
However, whatever she did wasn’t enough for him and Kevin wanted more.
He demanded Control over everything she did. His last deed, striking her in the head when he discovered she’ found a job at Bentham’s Association for the Blind, had been the breaking point. She barely recalled the event, and perhaps her lack of memory was for the best.
Pausing and lifting her face to the sky, the very last touches of the sun warmed her cheeks. She huffed bitterly, wishing she could see the orb, instead of the hazy gray and white.
Just one shade of red , she thought. Meghan wished she were able to grab one forgotten tint of bright crimson and erase that last image from her memories of the sighted world.
Anything , she whispered silently.
Her last recollection was of Kevin’s fist rocketing towards her, the veins standing out on the side of his neck, and his jaw clenched. Ducking, fearing for her life, he struck her. The full heaviness of his punch, his entire weight behind his rapidly moving arm, collided with her temple. The blow had sent her reeling backwards, and she fell, smacking the corner of the kitchen counter.
When she woke, she was in the local hospital. At first, Meghan imagined she was in a dark room, unable to distinguish the objects around her. The steady beep of monitors surrounded her and Chesca’s hand clasped her cold grip. As the sedatives wore off, and questions flooded her spinning mind, reality set in. Her friend informed her Kevin was missing, the police were waiting, and she’d lost ninety percent of her vision.
The rays of the sun caused a faint flicker of brightening gray to appear behind her lids, and she sighed, heartbroken. Colors had vanished from her world, and only their memories lingered in her nightly dreams. In her daily life, Meghan saw everything in shadow, each representation murky and indistinguishable. She’d learned to accept her disability with grudging reluctance, and had moved on with her life.
Moreover, Meghan wouldn’t allow Kevin’s actions to end her life and take from her the independence she loved. Stubbornly, she rose from the mess and forged onward. Even though her husband had vanished from the face of the earth, a compassionate lawyer helped her with her divorce, and she moved from their apartment. Leaving the dreadful memories behind, and selling the material possessions they had accrued together, she found a house closer to work. A row house, built during the early nineteen hundreds, was the home of her dreams. Modernized, and with Chesca’s help, she filled the place with furniture she dreamed of in her youth. The smell of polished antique wood greeted her every evening, and the thick plush of hand-woven Persian rugs comforted her tired feet.
She admitted her life was good, given Kevin wasn’t in it anymore.
She continued down the street, the last lingering rays of the son on her back. The pedestrian traffic was dwindling, and the streets were quieter. Meghan hummed a catchy little tune and tapped along, savoring the encroaching darkness and the slight nip in the air.
“Hey, lady, where are you going?”
The question wasn’t one she normally encountered and, startled, Meghan halted. Sensing there was something darker to the inquiry, she gripped her cane and purse close, her heart leaping into her throat. Somewhere in her bag, there was a can of Mace, but she didn’t have time to grapple for it.
“Excuse me, I need to pass.” She managed, realizing the person blocked her way.
“ Excuse meee ,” came the mocking
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