Blond, Black, and Blue

by Ruth Temple Taul

  “I have no idea where my children live. My husband had our mail sent to his shop. If the children wrote me, I never saw the letters,” she said sadly.

  “May I ask, is there a beautician among you?” Caitlyn ask

  Hannah raised her good arm said, “I am a beautician Mrs. Connelly. That is why my husband breaks my arm, so I can not work,” she said.

  “These women need to have their beauty showing. We need hair do’s and manicures. Hannah could you direct them?” Caitlyn asked.

  “Actually, I can cut hair and apply the nail polish if they could file their own nails. If they wash their own hair, I could roll it,” Hannah said.

  “You hear that, ladies? We are on a roll!” Caitlyn shouted. “Girls, if any of you want to make a list of what you want your life to be, have it ready for me next Thursday. Your bruises are looking better, and next week I want to see nails that shine and all new hair arrangements. Now, if Allison will please join me in the other room, we have some things to discuss,” Caitlyn said with a smile.

  When the two women were safely out of ear shot Caitlyn asked, “Allison, from listening to you, I have surmised money is not one of your problems. Would you be willing to buy LeTeasha and Virginia an outfit to travel in?” Caitlyn inquired.

  “I would love to. Do you actually think you can get them to their family?” Allison asked.

  “I plan to spend the week trying,” Caitlyn promised.

  “And I will spend the week quietly getting sizes and doing some shopping. My car is here and I have no fear of seeing my husband. I will be going home as soon as my lawyer gets him out of my house.

  I want to continue contributing to the women here but I will do it through you. Just call me when there’s a need,” Allison requested.

  “Thank you, Allison. We need people like you so badly. You will be giving these women a new lease on life,” Caitlyn assured her.

  Caitlyn gave herself to her family one hundred percent, six days a week, but when Thursday arrived, she gave herself to the women of Safe House. A week later, after greeting the women, she said, “We have surprises for two of our ladies today. First of all, LeTeesha, please come here with me. I want to present you with a plane ticket to Macon, Georgia and your parents. Your reservation is for tomorrow.”

  Leticia’s eyes were wide, her mouth open, her hands on either side of her face. Tears were rolling down her face and dripping from her chin.

  “You have talked to my parents? I can go back to Georgia? I never expected to see them again in my life. Oh, Mrs. Connelly, you have made me so happy!” she said, putting her arms around Caitlyn.

  When she turned around, the other ladies were in a line, each holding a gift.

  Opening the first box, she found a beautiful pants suit. The next was silk undies. Then a gift of shoes and another with a matching purse. The last gift was unwrapped. It was a handsome piece of luggage. By this time LeTeasha was sobbing loudly. When she had regained her composure she said, “Dear God, I feel as though I might really see my Mom and Dad. I want to thank you all for such a gift! Thank you Jesus, I’m going home!” La Teesha cried.

  There was not a dry eye in the room. Everyone stood and applauded as LeTeesha returned to her room, still crying.

  “Dry your eyes girls, we have one more wish to fill. Virginia, will you please come forward?” Caitlyn requested.

  “What could you possibly want with me? There’s no one wanting to see me,” she said dejectedly.

  ‘No? Thanks to the age of computers we have found people who love you and want you very much. Does the names Carlton, Susanne, and Juanita mean anything? ’’Caitlyn asked smiling.

  ‘They are the names of my children. I have not seen them in years. I do not even know if they will speak to me,” Virginia replied sadly.

  “Your children want you with them. When your son left, he moved to Maryland where he became successful. Susanne and her husband work for him. They have two children and a big house. If you want it, you have a job caring for your grandchildren. You will have your own room, and you will be safe. Juanita has been caring for the children but she is to be married soon. They need you and want you. Here is the plane ticket to their town, your reservation is open. You are to call this number to tell them when to meet your plane,” Caitlyn said.

  Virginia covered her face with her hands, her body shook with silent sobs.

  Caitlyn’s arms were around her until she could speak again.

  “What if I have to go to jail?” Virginia asked tremulously.

  “Oh that, I checked the hospital your husband has already been dismissed. They informed me he was furious when he left the hospital. He will have a headache for a while, but the blow did not kill him,” Caitlyn explained.

  Watching Virginia’s face, it was almost miraculous to see the ray of hope that filled her eyes. She looked ten years younger already.

  “Praise the Lord, I can get away from this town where I have known such miseries.”

  Caitlyn placed her hands on Virginia’s shoulders and turned her around. There was another line of women with gifts of clothes for her.

  Virginia would leave the following day with her new clothes and with Hannah’s help, she would indeed be pretty.

  Closing the session, Caitlyn asked others for their wish list. Admitting that every case might not end as happily as these two, but assuring them she would be trying.

  “What you are experiencing today is proof that you do not have to be abused. Something can be done about it, but you must get away from your abuser,” Caitlyn exclaimed.

  Allison had bought everything for Virginia and La Teesha, but wanted no credit for herself. She had insisted the other ladies present the gifts. It had done wonderful things for the ladies moral.

  “Before I leave ladies, I want to thank Hannah for making you all so beautiful. Your new hairstyles are so becoming and your manicures have your hands looking classy,” Caitlyn complimented, then said, “Next week I will work on the wish list I have, but there is a subject I want you to consider until then. Why do our men abuse us? How can they be so charming to everyone else and so evil to their family? There is an answer out there and we need to find it!

  Remember girls, we take one step at a time, the happiness we deserve is just ahead,” Caitlyn assured them.

  As Daniel drove Caitlyn home, she was excitedly telling him about Virginia and LeTeesha. How happy they were to know their families wanted them. How good they looked after Hannah’s hair styles. What a fulfilling task she had taken on and what a feeling of accomplishment!

  Daniel held her hand and let her chat to her hearts content.

  When they arrived home, Aunt Betty had put the children to bed, so Daniel and Caitlyn had wine in front of the fireplace while day dreaming, just watching the flames flicker and dance.

  They still had their date night once a week and Daniel worked at the news room again. Isabella was walking everywhere keeping her household in subjection.

  Caitlyn had asked Aunt Millie if she would talk to the lawyer she worked with, to see if he could be influenced in getting Allison’s children home. when he returned the call, he informed Caitlyn that Allison had one of the best lawyers in the state. Allison’s husband had been removed and he was leaving town. If Allison could find a reliable woman to help her with the children and the housework, they could be home within the week. What good news for Allison at the next session, if her lawyer had not already called her.

  When she next visited the Safe House, Carlita and Hannah were gone. Carlita had gone back to her job, her employer was providing her with a place to live.

  Hannah had called a taxi and left of her own volition, not leaving a forwarding address. Caitlyn wished her the best.

  There was one new member in the Safe House today. When spoken to, she would only nod her head one way or another.

  “Ladies, I
promised to have a speculation program today. We are going to explore the reasons why a man who is very likeable to everyone else, turns into such a monster at home. Who would like to start? Anyone?…. Then I will introduce you to my ex-husband, a real charmer.

  “The children had to be in bed before he came home from work. He seldom came home at the same time, but his food must be hot when he did. If it was dry, I received a beating. If I asked him to come home earlier, I got a beating. I often got his fist because he did not like the expression on my face

  When I finally left, the beatings had escalated to three or four a week and had increased in intensity. Even though the children were in bed, they heard everything. It was revealed later that he was supporting a mistress in a very high fashion and was in debt over his head. The pressure he put on himself, he took out on me. I feel I am alive today because I left him,” Caitlyn summarized.

  “Mrs. Connelly, why do these men do this?” Asked a member named Jane.

  “That is a good question, although I am not a Doctor of any sort, I have personally arrived at four different possibilities.

  One, frustrations in their lives from guilt over their own wrongdoing.

  Two, a chemical imbalance in the brain that they have little control over, and are sometimes insane.

  Three, they are bullies and cowards. They are bigger, stronger, and they can!

  Four, they have been treated this way as a child themselves are unaware of how to treat others any differently, than they themselves were treated.

  They put on such a good front, often the life of the party. It is a shame we can not expose them for what they are,” answered Caitlyn.

  “Mrs. Connelly, you have a great idea! We women should be willing to have our broken faces in the newspaper with our husbands photo right beside us with a bold headline saying, “WIFE BEATER” over the picture, instead we cover our bruises, clean the house when they wreck it and make excuses for them because we are ashamed. If we could only get the newspapers more involved, and we were willing to suffer the humiliation of exposure, just think of the impact that would have!” Estelle exclaimed.

  “Women have always had to get in the trenches to get their causes recognized, We are not doing this just for ourselves, but for our children as well,” Jane exclaimed.

  “Ladies, this exchange of ideas has been most exciting. Let us make a movement out of them. Who is willing to do this?” Caitlyn asked. “I see three hands,” she continued. “That is a great start! While I am at home this week, I will contact the newspaper. You three write your story. We will use the photo’s taken of you when you first arrived here at Safe House. While we do not have a picture of your husbands, we will use their names. That is, of course, if the newspapers co-operate,” Caitlyn promised.

  Caitlyn had not yet called the newspapers when on Tuesday morning the local headlines showed a battered woman who had crawled from her house and fainted on their walk way. It was Hannah! Her husband swore he was not home at the time. He had been so convincing, he was released on his own recognizance.

  After Caitlyn saw her family off to work and school, she called the newspaper for an appointment with the columnist who wrote the local news. After explaining her purpose for the requested attention for the abused women, Mrs. Allgood, the columnist, was very thoughtful. She had often wondered why something could not be done about the country’s secret shame Secret shame, that would be the name of the column. She would do it!!

  “I believe the time has come for spousal abuse to be exposed. First, I must meet with my supervisor on an article as controversial as this. If the powers that be will allow it, I would like to start with the poor soul in today’s paper, Hannah Barnsdale. Maybe we can help catch the beast that did this to her. The poor husband is broken hearted,” she related.

  “This is confidential, but I visited the Safe House she was in for a month. She had a broken arm for the second time within a year. Last year she miscarried her baby due to a beating by her husband. This looks like the sort of work he does,” Caitlyn said softly.

  Miss Allgood’s face was a picture of shock and disbelief. “I interviewed him along with the police. He had me convinced he found her that way. Of course she is still unconscious and only has a fifty percent chance of survival. Dear God, how can this be?” she asked aloud.

  “Mrs. Allgood, only a fraction of abuse gets reported for a variety of reasons. I am trying to start a movement against it. As long as it stays hidden, it will continue. I believe if the men are exposed with their picture in the paper, there will be very few repeat incidents. Did your photographer take pictures at the scene? The police also had a photographer there, did they not? It is a great human interest story. With the help of the newspaper and the police we might wipe out this blight from Shelby County, maybe even the entire state,” Caitlyn said excitedly.

  “We will call the column ‘OUR SECRET SHAME’. We will encourage women to call in. I will see if I can get medical records. Of course the police arrests are public knowledge.”

  “Mrs. Connelly, we are on our way. If you see our column in the paper in the following two or three days, you will know we have been approved.

  Not only was ‘OUR SECRET SHAME’ in the paper two days later, with Al Barnsdale’s picture and Hannah beside it, but when the president of the company that Barnsdale worked for saw it, he fired him on the spot. Barnsdale was cleaning out his desk when the police arrived to arrest him.

  There would be no bail posted until Hannah’s condition changed. He could be charged with murder.

  In the meantime Hannah’s sisters were with her night day. One of her sisters, and her husband, visited Hannah’s home and had all the locks changed. Barnsdales’ belongings were removed from the house and dropped beside a dumpster. This way the people who frequent the dumpsters could easily go through the bags.

  A week later, Hannah was awake when Caitlyn visited her, her face was still unrecognizable but her eyes could open a little.

  Caitlyn gave way to tears of relief when she realized Hannah would live.

  ‘OUR SECRET SHAME’ column was a huge success! Every day had at least one new story of abuse. The circulation of the paper increased until the competition paper began to print their own column called it ‘THE SHAME OF SHELBY COUNTY.’ Both papers had printed their interviews with Caitlyn, although her name and picture was not used. They had the notes on the why’s of the abuse also the reasons the abuser needed to be exposed.

  One lady had even put a sign in her yard reading, A WIFE BEATER LIVES HERE.

  When interviewed she stated, “I do not want to divorce my husband. I am trying to save my marriage but I will never take another beating without shouting it from the house-tops. No more cover ups! If he will not treat me as well as he treats the people he works with, he can get himself a sparing partner as well as another place to live,” she stated firmly.

  The newspapers were getting more letters than they could process. Letters from the surrounding cities as well as local!

  In an interview with a policeman, he stated, “I am glad to see this movement. I am often called to the same house twice in a week. I agree with the lady who said “Men beat us up because they can.” If the men did not know what they were doing, as they claim, they would beat up someone at work or some place else. They know exactly what they’re doing and who they are doing it to. In any abuse case, it would stop if the men knew in advance that all their friends and family would be told.

  Caitlyn was so excited over the progress of their movement. Daniel, however, was beginning to notice something else. There were men writing in to the editor angrily, complaining about the movement creating trouble in their home. Even though the columnist did not agree with the men, Daniel sensed anger toward the movement. As far as he was concerned, that spelled anger toward his wife. ‘This changes everything,’ he thought.

  The papers received more than one let
ter saying that what happened inside the home was no one else’s business.

  The columnist’s answer was “No one has the right to inflict cruelty on another human being, it is every tax payers business when the state must pay the hospital bills for women and children of the cowards who abused them.

  Many abused children became abusive adults. “Let us work to stop this domino effect.” the paper added.

  There was so much interest in the news papers they were often sold out. Curiosity over who the next man to be exposed was wide spread.

  Dr. Phil had great programs devoted to the problem of spousal abuse.

  Oprah had a heartbreaking show on the sexual abuse of children. Her advise was “Tell someone, keep telling someone until it stops.”

  Our newspaper suggests to tell the police if your family does not believe you. We assure you we will expose those responsible for ‘OUR SECRET SHAME’.

  In the Connelly household, Caitlyn had noticed Daniel in deep thought, with a wrinkled brow. Realizing something was bothering him, she said. “Sweetheart, when are you going to tell me what is bothering you?” she asked, putting her arms around him.

  After kissing her and holding her close, he answered, “I have been trying to find a way to say this without upsetting you in any way. I can not help but notice you are restless at night. Yesterday I watched you writing in your journal and your hands were trembling.

  I know your ‘SECRET SHAME’ movement means a lot to you, but you mean a lot to this family. Teach someone else to do what you do, because I want you to slow up.”

  Caitlyn gazed at her husband as tears sprang into her eyes. “Darling, thank you for loving me so You are right, I am overwrought most of the time. Now that you mention it, I will train two people to take over so no one else gets overwhelmed. Give me a month to do the training I will take a smaller role that I can easily do from home,” she promised.