Dear Blake,
I have been with my abusive husband for almost 30 years. I made several attempts to leave him, which resulted in him stalking me and threatening to seriously harm me and our children. Despite all his threats and abuse, I was forced to allow him to take our children unsupervised. I would end up going back so I could be present when he was around the children.
Our youngest son just moved out and, surprisingly, my husband has calmed down. I am going to leave, and I’m looking for places out of state where he won’t be able to find me. Honestly, I’m terrified. How do I move somewhere new and start over alone?
Signed, Mildred
From Orlando, Florida
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Dear Mildred,
It sounds to me like your husband can be an unpredictable, dangerous man. I think you should view him as your bitter enemy, and you should be proactive and instrumental in his ultimate destruction. Here are some ideas. When he leaves the home for a few hours, load up a U-Haul. If he comes back as you’re pulling off, run over his feet. At that point it will be difficult for him drive after you in his car, because it’s painful to use the gas or brake with swollen toes. Or, look at the movie “The Burning Bed”. I am not discouraging you to do what the battered wife did, unless you have a cheap mattress you don’t mind torching. You said after your youngest moved out, your husband calmed down, so maybe this is partially your son’s fault. If you believe it is, when you skip town, snub him too. My last idea is this. If you really want to relocate to some place where you can’t be found, move to the Appalachian region of West Virginia. There is very little-to-no cell phone service out there, so you don’t have to worry about hillbillies informing your husband of your whereabouts… unless he bribes them with moonshine. I hope this helps.
Blake