Domestic Violence: One Woman's Nightmare

"Let me start by telling you that I never thought it would happen to me but, unlike so many women out there, I decided to do something about it."

Susan R. Murphy describes her experiences of domestic violence, starting with her own background and upbringing, the parental guidance that would influence her views of life and love. She recalls her early dating experiences, how she came to meet the man whom she would later marry and set up home, and where all that would lead. It is a tale that she tells with candor and vividness as the dark storms unravel, turning her family and home environment from one of relative comfort, to one that she had to flee, as aggression turned to actual violence.

Like so many women in her situation, she felt as if she had nowhere to go but in her hour of need, help arrived. She entered a Battered Women's Shelter and commenced a program that would see her get her life back on track. When she left the shelter, upon completion of the program, it was with a mixture of pride and sadness that she was able to observe:

"Out of all the women in the shelter, myself and one other woman were the only ones who left and started new lives. The rest of the women all went back to their abusive partners."

This is a story that is positive and life affirming for the manner in which it shows how experiences like these can be overcome; that the simple act of confronting an adverse situation can of itself become a source of strength.

“I just want women to know that there are places available out there where you can go to in a domestic violence situation, that are safe for you and your children, away from your violent partner. Women, listen to me, you may love your partner, but, please, do not stay and be battered any more. You don’t have to be afraid any longer. There is help on the outside, if you are willing to take that first step."

Susan R. Murphy was born in Columbus, Ohio. She has lived all over the United States but these days resides in a desert community in a place called Salton City, a small town of only 1400 people.

This story, her account of her experiences of domestic violence, was written in 1993. It had been sitting on her shelf for a long time before she decided to publish it. She says that, "for a long time after everything that happened, I blocked much of it from my mind. It was not something I wanted to think about but what happened to me can happen to other women, so I wrote my story for all the women who may go through domestic violence. The trauma I have endured will remain with me for the rest of my life. I am just an ordinary woman who thought that domestic violence could never happen to me, but it did and I thank God that I did something about it and am still alive today to able to talk about it."

Susan has been writing for many years, including poetry and a volume of short stories entitled, The Immortals: thrills, chills, tales of the macabre, which has also been published. Her writings reflect her many and varied interests embracing the genres of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, romance.