BeKindRewrite, Inspiration MondayXI, has again provided us with a feast of prompts. Thank you, Stephanie!
One Man’s Trash
Jenna winced as she ran her fingers over her left jaw, black and blue…again. She touched her left breast. It felt sore, inflamed and swollen! If only she had listened to her friends and family those three long years ago. Instead, here she was, clear across country, strangers all around her, and even worse, with a stranger in her own house, someone she had once been in love with and trusted.
“When did things change?” she wondered out loud. She had taken up talking to herself. It soothed her. She knew when she answered she wouldn’t feel two feet tall and berated. She wouldn’t have to worry about a slap, pinch, kick, punch, or rape.
She reached into her jacket pocket looking for a small piece of paper she had recently found in a bathroom at the mall. It was gone. It didn’t matter. She had memorized the meaning behind the words. She didn’t have to live with abuse. There were other options and choices out there. Her life could be better. She needed only to reach out.
Jenna thought of the picture she had seen recently of an iceberg. It had hit her like a ton of bricks. She had stared at it and studied it for hours. A very small part was visible above water. Beneath, invisible to the eye, a much larger mass was attached, lurking, impending danger, a menace with the ability to take life, to destroy it, and all without knowledge it could happen.
“That is me. I am an iceberg. My visible hurts, my black and blue cheeks and breasts are here for the world to see even though I do my best to hide them. Much worse, though, are my invisible hurts, what no one can see, so much larger, destroying me, my mind, my soul, who I am and even worse, who I can be. Why haven’t I seen these invisible changes?”
She thought of all the advice she had been given. She had ignored them all. She had been in love. Everything would be so wonderful. How embarrassing, how humiliating, she thought, to have been so wrong in the one thing that had felt so right.
Just then, the door flew open. Jenna startled and jumped noticeably.
He walked over to her. She could smell alcohol on his breath. He hadn’t gone to work, again.
“What’s a matter, bitch? You afraid?”
Jenna held her breath knowing it was coming, and it did, sharp and painful, a punch and a kick. Visible! Inside, underneath was all that hurt, agony, torment, dejection. Invisible!
“You deserve it. You are nothing, not even a whore. At least a whore is worth something. Trash, yup, trash, one man’s trash!”
He laughed, spit on the floor near her shoe, looked at her in disgust, and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
Jenna’s eyes brimmed, swimming in tears salted from sorrow and grief. She looked around at this place she didn’t call home, put both hands gently but firmly on her hungry, hurt heart and whispered, “…is another man’s treasure…One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
Her wet eyes softly smiled, even through her pain and sadness. As she reached out and picked up the phone, she knew she was going to be alright!
So raw and emotional. A very accurate portrayal of what so many have experienced. Well written too!
Thank you. Yes, feelings can be very raw, that’s for sure!
I appreciate the compliment and your visit.
This is way better than my take on the prompt. I love it. =]
I read your story, Jinx, and it was wonderful.
Thank you for your nice comments on my story, too.
Another zinger, Char! You are good at this!
Thanks for visiting, Sandy. Yup, another dark story. They just keep coming out. Maybe I will get lighter with time. Ha.
Char, you amaze me each time. Your writing is so visceral. Not only do you capture the raw emotions but you convey them so clearly all while telling a powerful story. Great work!
Thanks, Marita. This story actually took quite a bit out of me to write. Maybe it was all those raw emotions floating around that wiped me out this week. 🙂
[…] Char […]
Phew. Thank god for happy endings.
They don’t always end that way, do they, Kay!
You did a great job on this. Such a sad story, lived by so many.
Thank you Patti. It is sad and so widespread.
I appreciate your visit. Thank you!
[…] Char […]