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Rita married a Jamaican man.
She was not Jamaican, and came
to live with him in Jamaica.
They resided in an enclave, and she
did not know her neighbors, nor did
they want to know her.
The few people she encountered
were off put by her, and so she
went on year to year, thinking that
what she was experiencing was
normal.
She had never lived with a man
before, she had nothing to compare
Herb's treatment of her with, and
because she had no friends, she couldn't
perceive that maybe she was in an
abusive relationship.
She obtained a jobette and met others
and somehow found herself at a woman's
conference, in a lecture on domestic
violence.
In shock, she saw this stranger describing
her life.
It was almost as if there was a hidden
camera in her house.
At the end of the lecture, she made her
way to the speaker, invited her over at
a time Herb would be at work.
The stranger visited one afternoon, and
without talking personally, asked questions.
After the stranger had gone, Rita realised
she was an abused wife and had to get out
of the relationship.
There was no where for her to go.
Except out of Jamaica.
She waited another few years, slowly
withdrawing her affection from Herb
until she saw him as a prisoner would
see a warder.
When their daughter was old enough
to go to University, it was decided to
send her to Canada.
Rita took it upon herself to go with
the daughter and settle her in.
Because she had never given Herb
any reason to doubt her, he had no
problem in this journey.
Once Rita was abroad, she found
reasons why she would not return,
all concerning the daughter, but
really concerning herself.
Rita was able to escape Herb
because by appreciating her situation,
she could retract the binding affection
she had harboured for him in such a
manner that he was totally unsuspecting.
This is, of course, not open to everyone,
but the facts are global;
once she realised her situation, she could
begin to regain 'normal' perceptions, and to
think logically, and to make opportunities to
escape.
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