Lives Without Names - Him and Her


He was a policeman, strong, quick, and always in charge,

She was a schoolteacher, mild, shy, and gentle,

He was flawed and she was pure,

He talked to her class one day, and a spark was lit,

She was young and inexperienced,

A 4th grade teacher for 5 years, with a fear of the ways of the world,

He knew what he wanted and how to get it,

He wielded his police authority with a powerful hand,

She did not know that life was not always kind,

Biology dictated behavior and despite differences, both were entwined,

?

Courtship was short, a quick marriage surprised them both,

With his encouragement, her world became him,

When the school year finished, he suggested she stay at home,

Although teaching was her passion, she acquiesced,

Somehow, someway, his nature slowly changed,

She became a possession rather than a lover and a wife,

He began to spend time after work in bars that hosted ladies of the night,

He became quick to take offense, and aggressively sought confrontation,

He took pleasure in physical superiority and the fear he could generate,

And the fear that he could see in the eyes of those around him,?

?

Love was lost, sex no longer required consent,

Her travel outside the house was restricted and required permission,

A bottle became his constant companion,

Failure to instantly comply with commands often invited physical punishment,

She considered leaving the oppression and abuse,

But then it happened, another life entered the equation,

Just a feeling at first, but then a certainty,

With the hope of acceptance and behavioral change,

She informed him of his fatherhood and her plans for the family to be,

He retreated into fear, fear of the future, fear of responsibility, fear of change,

?

He urged her to abort, she declined, he pushed her against the wall,

Her bruises were extensive, she said she fell, she was frightened,

She tried valiantly to love him, the father of her child,

His behavior worsened, he drank, he spent more time in bars,

When he was drunk and at home, she locked herself in the bathroom,

He was often gone all night, staggering home in the morning,

Some nights, to protect her and her child, she locked the bedroom door,

His job as a policeman was in jeopardy, he promised to change,

He did not, his behavior worsened, her fear and confusion increased,

One night he did not come home, at morning she heard him cursing, falling, then silence,

?

She found him on the floor, he could not move or talk, his head at an odd angle,

His mouth open, his eyes alive and pleading,

A stroke she thought, and perhaps a broken neck, both probably lethal without treatment,

She ran to the phone, picked it up, then stopped and thought before dialing 911,

She thought of her future and the future of her child,

She felt the life in her womb, beginning to move, and made a difficult decision,

She picked up her car keys, went to her husband, kneeled by him,

In trembling voice told him she needed to go to the store,

With tears in her eyes, as she knelt by him, she kissed him on the forehead,

Said she would tend to him upon her return, then stood and left the house.

?

Martin Moe

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