by BobA. Troutt
*****
Still Wind, Forgotten Days
The Thorns of Rose
Hollis and Rosemary Bennett and their two children, Becky and Josh, lived in the small quiet town of Stone Ridge, Tennessee in Bradley County. Stone Ridge was about thirty-five miles south of Jackson. Rose, as she did on so many other days, stood and looked out the window of her home with the reflection of her face on the window pane. As she stared out the window with tears in her eyes, she quietly watched the rain as it fell slow and steady. She had sat by the window many times, looking out, thinking and wondering. She dreaded each day when Hollis came home because she didn’t know if he would come home drunk again like he had so many times before or if he would come home sober and in a good mood; she never knew what to expect. Her life was in bondage from an abusive husband. She lived her life in fear, hopelessness and doubt. She often wondered if the lives of other women and wives were like hers. She felt so isolated and alone. She was afraid and worried every moment of the day about the condition Hollis would come home in. She could never do anything right in his eyes; everything she did was always wrong. No matter how hard she tried, she could never please him. She stayed on the edge, most of the time, and hurt not only for herself but for their children as well. She felt like a prisoner locked down in a cell, with no life and cutoff from the rest of the world. She felt so hopeless at times and wanted to die. But, she couldn’t leave her children because she was all they had; she lived for them. Rose didn’t have many friends and most of her family stayed away because of Hollis. Her family and friends had talked to her several times and even begged her to leave him. She knew even if she did leave, he would find her and the children and bring them back home if he didn’t kill her first. Besides, she didn’t have any place to go and she was terrified of him.
Hollis was a controlling and abusive husband. He would beat and slap Rose and the children often. At times, he whipped them with his belt. He even picked out the clothes she wore. Every night, he laid out the clothes he wanted her to wear the next day. If she didn’t have them on when he got home, he would lock her in the closet for hours at a time. No matter what he did or how he treated her, she still loved him. He was the father of her children and nothing would ever change that. Hollis was a sick man and she didn’t blame his actions on him. Instead, she blamed them on his sickness. She truly believed he still loved her under his anger and rage. She thought she would be the only who could help him since she knew him better than anyone.
Hollis was not always like that. When they were dating, he was a lot of fun and exciting. He was sweet, kind and gentle. He had swept her off her feet. In the first years of their marriage, he was a good man. They were so happy in the beginning. But, after Josh was born, he changed. Somehow, he got it in his head that Josh was not his son. Josh was still a newborn when he started to drink. Whenever he was drunk, he always accused her of cheating on him. The good memories, her love for him and her love for the children was the reason she held on. She always thought things would go back like they used to be.
As the rain slowly fell and the raindrops beaded up on the window and ran down, Rose saw Hollis as he came up the drive. She quickly closed the curtains and went in the living room. She knew when he came inside that he’d been drinking. The first thing out of his mouth was what’s for supper. She told him she had fixed his favorite. He asked her if it was ready and told her it better be good.
Very little was known about their lives. Her family and friends only knew what Rose told them. And Rose only told what she wanted them to know. She didn’t want to go against him nor did she want her family and friends to go against him because she was afraid of what he might do. Everyone knew he had a drinking problem and knew he was abusive, at times. However, they didn’t know how bad it really was for Rose and the children. They didn’t know what to do for Rose and the children. One thing they did know was she would never go against him; she kind of protected him in a way. All they knew to do was to pray and be a friend to her in time of need. Hollis was also paranoid. Whenever he heard an airplane fly over, he became afraid. He would run and hide; he thought they were coming after him. He never did say who they were. His friends thought a lot of him. They considered him to be a good man, husband and father; he was a hard worker who provided for his family. They knew he had a drinking problem but they had no idea it changed him in to a different man. He was different around them and they only saw what he wanted them to see. His friends didn’t know how bad it was for Rose and the children. He drank some during the week, but not much. He did most of his drinking on weekends. When he went out, he made Rose and the children stay home; they were held captive in their own home by their fear of him. He made it clear to her that she and the children could only leave the house with him and if he ever caught them out without his permission, they would have to answer to him.
People tried to tell Rose they had seen him out with other women. However, she never believed them. Eventually, she kind of suspected it and wanted to confront him about the accusations but she was too afraid. She had learned the hard way, through the past years, not to question him or talk back to him. He had told her he was her husband and the she and the children would respect him or suffer the consequences. There was no telling how many times he threatened to kill her and the children. Rose knew it just wasn’t a threat; it was a promise.
Hollis never remembered Rose’s birthday or the children’s but he made a big deal out of his birthday. He had Rose fix a big dinner, bake a cake and he invited all his friends over. Her friends and family could only come over when he was at home. She had never had them over when he wasn’t at home because she knew she would have a price to pay if she did. They didn’t celebrate their anniversary anymore. In fact, he hadn’t remembered their anniversary in years. At Christmas, he always gave her a cookbook or something to use in the kitchen. He never gave her jewelry or anything worthwhile. If she was lucky, he might buy her a dress but it wouldn’t be worth wearing. Every year, the fire department brought toys for kids of underprivileged families. Hollis didn’t allow them to stop at his house because he didn’t accept charity. He always told them he worked hard every day to provide for his family and he didn’t want their help. One Christmas, Josh and Becky only got a balloon and some candy.
There were times, often on weekends, he would get drunk and keep Rose and the children up all night by fussing for no apparent reason. At times, it got so bad he would chase her around the house with a butcher knife as the children cried and tried to get him to stop. Most of the time, they hid from him. Many times he’d run her and the children out of the house and they would have to spend the night in the garage which was in back of the house. They would sneak back inside the house the next morning when he was passed out. After he sobered up, he always told them he was sorry for whatever he did. Rose felt sorry for Hollis because she knew he was sick. But, she didn’t know how much more she and the children could stand. He always accused her of cheating on him by having men come over when he was at work. He constantly called her a bitch and a whore.
The neighbors had called the police many times to go to their house because they could hear him raising so much hell; they were afraid for Rose and the children. Whenever the police came, Rose met them at the door and told them everything was alright. There were times the abuse sent her to the hospital. However, she always made up an excuse as to how the injuries happened. The police, her family and friends tried to get her to leave him and take out an order of protection against him. Of course, she wouldn’t. She always said everything would be alright. She lived in bondage by fear for herself and the children. He not only physically abused her; he abused her mentally and emotionally. He also forced his way with her sexually. She hoped and prayed he hadn’t sexually abused the children.
A friend of Rose invited her and the children to go to church with them. She asked Hollis if it w
as okay for them to go to church. He never said a word but nodded his head yes. She and the children went to church for a while until he got it in his head that she was sleeping with the preacher. One Sunday, when she had gotten ready to go, he got mad and jerked her dress completely off of her and left her standing there in her bra, panties and the belt from her dress around her waist. After that day, she and the children never attended church again. Not too long after that, he broke her arm and nose, knocked out one of her teeth and blacked one of her eyes. She ran out of the house screaming. A neighbor saw her, put her into the car, took her to the hospital and called the law. At the hospital, the police questioned her; her family stood by her and her friends prayed for her. She told them all she fell off the back porch and hit a rock. Once again, her family tried to get her to leave him. They knew her injuries were caused by him and not by falling off the porch. But, Rose kept saying over and over Hollis was a good man and he wasn’t like what they thought. Her family asked the officers, Jim Burns and Tom Burks, if there was anything that could be done. They told them Rose would have to have him arrested and she would have to get an order of protection against him; she was the one who would have to do it. The officers questioned her again and explained the order of protection to her. They asked her if her husband caused the injuries. She started to cry but lifted her head and stuck to her story. Meanwhile, back as the house, Hollis wondered what was going on so he got into his car and headed to the hospital. On his way to the hospital, the police pulled him over and took him to jail for DUI. Of course, he blamed Rose for it and she had more hell to pay. After that incident, there were very seldom any bruises or marks seen on Rose. His abuse didn’t happen as often. He was worried because he wasn’t sure what Rose might do with the help of her family and friends.
Rose often tried to remember when all the verbal abuse, the mind control things and the mental abuse started. She realized things changed after Josh was born and only got worse after Becky was born. First, he started kicking the children under the table and hitting them on top of their head with his fist when he thought they were drinking with their mouths full. Sometimes, he’d make the children do without supper because he suspected they had eaten a snack when they came home from school and didn’t wait until after supper. They would have to stand in the corner and face the wall while he and Rose ate. There were many times the children had to go to bed without their supper. He had even slapped Rose at the table, once, threw food at her and onto the floor because it was too cold or not seasoned enough. If the children got up to leave the room while he was watching television, he would curse them and make them sit back down until he told them to get up. When he thought the children or Rose were out of line, he would whip them with a belt and fuss at them. He told the children their mother was evil and she had brought it all on them. He often told Rose and the children they were no good, sorry and weak. He also told them they were disgusting and made him sick to his stomach. And, he always cursed them. One day, Rose had washed the dishes but she failed to rinse them good. When Hollis fixed a cup of coffee, he took one sip and threw the cup into the sink. He cursed her and said the coffee tasted like soap suds. Then he called the children in to the kitchen. He put some dish liquid into their cups, added water and made the children drink it. He told the children it was their mother’s fault they had to drink it. Rose left several times with the children but she always came back because he came after them, crying and begging her to come back. He would tell her he was sorry and it wouldn’t happen again. Even though she knew he was lying, she still went back. She eventually stopped leaving and stayed in the mess.
Finally, one day, she’d had enough. She and her children went to her family and they put her up in a motel outside of Jackson. Her family went with her to the courthouse where she filled out the paperwork for an order of protection against Hollis. She had to write down everything he’d done and said to her and sign the papers. The paperwork was sent to the judge for his approval. Within a few days, Hollis and Rose had to appear in court. She had gotten a lawyer, Wesley Brooks, to appear with her in court. The judge, Wendall C. Carter, addressed them at the bench and told Hollis about the order of protection against him. That day, they left and went their separate ways.
A few days later, Rose filed for divorce. She and the children stayed at the motel outside of Jackson. Her family had chosen the motel outside of Jackson because it was secluded and it wouldn’t be so easy for Hollis to find. The order of protection and divorce papers caught him off guard. He never thought she would file an order of protection against him, let alone file for divorce. He put a lot of the blame on her family and friends; he accused them of breaking up their home. Hollis laid low for a few weeks until he found out where she was and started stalking her without her knowledge. He was convinced she had run off with another man. But, he never saw her with anyone. He still drank but not as much as he had been. He hoped it would help convince her to come back to him. At times, Rose became afraid of being a single parent and had thoughts of going back to him. Rose was afraid she couldn’t make it on her own and needed help taking care of the children. However, she knew he would never change. To help her through the issues she was having, Rose started getting counseling and was making progress. One evening, while she was at therapy and the children were with her family, Hollis told the clerk at the motel that he was Rose’s brother from out of town and he asked him if he would let him into her room so he could surprise her when she came back. He told the clerk he hadn’t seen her and the kids in a few years and he was there to surprise them. Unfortunately, the clerk at the office was filling in for the manager who was sick and couldn’t come in that day. He wasn’t a real motel clerk; he was a friend of the manager and was doing him a favor. He didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to let anyone into the guest’s rooms. Besides, Hollis looked so caring and trustworthy as he stood there with a bouquet of flowers and presents for the kids. The clerk took him to Rose’s room and let him in. As soon as the clerk left, Hollis hid in the closet. Well, it so happened, Rose was running late that day. After therapy, her parents took her to meet with her lawyer about the divorce. Since they were running late that evening, her parents dropped her off at the motel and left; they didn’t go in like they normally did. Rose and the children went on in. Hollis waited in the closet until the children were asleep and Rose went to bed. After he knew she and the children were finally asleep, he eased out of the closet, shot and killed her and then killed himself. When the shots rang out, the children woke up and so did the people next door. The children saw their mother and Hollis covered with blood. They immediately ran out of the motel room screaming and crying. The neighbors took the screaming children to their room and notified the office clerk who called the police.
Rose’s family buried her and took in the children. They put them in counseling to help them overcome the tragedy and lead a normal life.
A few years later, a lobbyist petitioned a bill to be passed in the Tennessee State Congress for an order of protection and restraining order law to protect the rights of all abusive people. The bill named The Thorns of Rose soon passed in both houses and the governor signed it. If an abuser violated any part of the law, they would immediately be sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in the county jail for the first offense. The second offense, they would have to serve two years in a state prison. The third offense would be an automatic three to five years in prison. There would be no exception to any part of the law.
I love and miss you, Mama – Love, Joshua.