Authored: November 16, 2017

She looked me in the eyes
And I saw a fear in those hazel eyes
Loneliness was a fear of hers
She didn't want to be alone
People fear loneliness and death
The fear is palpable.

I stripped back the layer that was loneliness
Understood it for what it was
And I draped it around myself
I saw the fear in so many eyes and actions
Women staying in physically abusive relationships
Men staying with women who abused them emotionally
It was a fear of self
A fear if I could make it alone.

She looked me in the eyes
And I saw the paths she could take
Go back to abuse or take hold of a future alone
She trembled; she wanted me to make it better
There is no fairytale ending I told her.

So, I told her the story of my past
Of someone who loved and had that love abused
Of looking into eyes that were dangerous
I told her that emotional abuse leads to sickness
That physical abuse leads to a loss of life.

I miss the human touch, the intimacy, the good times
But now they are memories
I am changed and I told her change comes from abuse
She looked me in the eyes, and I saw tears form
She had a choice
A crucially foreboding fear....

"I do not want to be alone", she said
I whispered "You deserve better"
And I traced my finger across the bruise
Her partner had placed on her
"You have a choice, you always do"
She looked me in the eyes
And cried....