“Just don’t drive with the baby…”
I looked directly into his eyes as I recited those words. I made sure to speak with clear precision and strength.
He gazed back at me, with complete emptiness in his eyes and a joker grin. He promised he wouldn’t leave his Aunt’s house that evening.
I already knew that deep inside, he wasn’t there. I recognized this face… seen it many times before.
I gave them both a kiss and put on my coat.
After finding my way out and down the stairs, I pushed open the big black door into the wind and started walking back to the car.
I couldn’t find parking close by earlier that afternoon, so I had to go a few blocks away.
I got all the way there before I realized that I had forgotten my keys. So I retraced my steps to return. They buzzed me in and I went back up the 4 flights of stairs.
His Aunt seemed confused as I re-entered the apartment. She informed me that my daughter was already gone; her father decided that he was going to drive them both home.
They had left. He had left with her. He was driving… and he was drunk.
Immediately my heart started pounding. He said he was going to sleep here. He said that he wouldn’t take her in the car. If anything happens to my baby, I swear to god I will never be able to forgive myself. I felt my chest tighten; my face flushed hot with sheer terror and guilt.
Without thinking, I ran to the phone and called the police.
“Yes, his name is XXX and he is driving with our 5 month old baby girl. He is driving a Nissan, plate XXX-XXX. No sir, I don’t know which way he went, but he left here about 8 minutes ago…”
I turned to look at the door, which was now standing wide open. He had returned to get something and saw what I did.
I saw the drunk in his eyes as he staggered over towards me. He grabbed the phone from my hand and threw it across the room.
I started stepping backwards. I knew I would never get away, but it seemed like I could shrink. I got smaller and smaller as I backed into another room.
He would have punched me, but I was crouched on the floor. So he began kicking.
I ducked into a ball on the ground, as his foot slammed into my back over and over and over again… It seemed like forever until someone grabbed him and ripped him off my body.
If she had been killed on the road, I would have never forgiven myself.
That was just a beating I was going to have to take.
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