It’s been twenty-five days since I left Tom and tried to get on with my life, clawing my way back up from the pit that I’ve found myself in over the last few years. On the whole, the last twenty-five days have been blissful. No arguing, stress, mess, or criticism. No abuse. Nothing but me…
Tag: Rosie
List
I decided to make a list tonight of all the reasons I will never get back together with Tom. I went through my diaries, listing everything out, and as I read through everything, more and more memories came back to the surface – things I had never written about but were obviously hurtful enough for…
Unwelcome
Dreaming I am in a fairly big tent; I live there with Tom & the children. It is the morning; I look outside. In the sky, I see a plane. I know that it is going to drop a bomb; I watch it, scared that it will drop over us. Suddenly the bomb drops, falling onto the city just north of us. I am scared that it will drop more, though. I think of all the lives that have been lost under the bomb and feel sad. I go and gather up Annie…
Denial
Tom seems to be in complete denial that our relationship is coming to an end, which doesn’t make a great deal of sense to me, given that he’s shown me almost nothing but hatred for so long. Yesterday, he invited Abi and her family around for a barbecue. He got the paddling pool out for…
Money
Dreaming My Dad has died and left me nothing. I am at his house searching for his money. I know he has left it somewhere. I search everywhere, but I can’t find it. I remember the secret part of the house that no one but me knows about. I am certain he would have put it there. It is at the back of the house and through a door that nobody else goes into. I have been in this secret part before in another dream;…
Whisper
Tom made dinner for everyone tonight, which would be great if only he hadn’t cooked something that only he liked. We all tried to eat it, but Rosie just couldn’t. When I said I’d make her something else, Tom shouted at me to sit down and said she could either eat every single bit of…
Unentitled
Dreaming I am in a music room of a school. I am sitting with a group of people singing a song that is very familiar to me, less so to them. I take the manuscript to the piano and begin to play, but it doesn’t come as easily as it used to. I try for a few minutes and then stop. I am feeling overwhelmed by a cellist and a violinist on my left. I go into the corridor; it is lunchtime. Rosie is in the corridor holding a lit piece of rolled-up paper. She…
Forward
We were supposed to be clearing the garden today, ready for new turf. It’s a big garden with lots of crap dumped in it, so it was a whole day’s work. I went outside with Annie and started to tidy while Tom sat doing nothing except scrolling through Facebook. Eventually, after I’d dug up and…
Testing
Dreaming
Strength
My sisters are all very different, yet all have a similar streak. Control. They all control the people in their lives or their environment. Do I control? My children? No. I’m very easy-going with them. Men. No. They have controlled me. Housework. No. It always feels out of my control. I do control myself, and…
Snow
It snowed really heavily last night and was still snowing this morning when we awoke. The girls stayed off school, Tom and Josh stayed home from work, and we all played out in the snow. My neighbour Sam came around in the afternoon; we all built snowmen in the garden, but then Tom started making…
Reaquainting
There are many things that people might think are the worst things about the kind of relationship I’m in. Maybe they think it’s the shouting and screaming, or they may believe it’s the actual words that get said. They may see it as the manipulation that’s the hardest thing to bear, or the constant worry…
2019
In 2019, I will be 46 years old. Josh, Amelia and Rosie will be adults; Annie will almost be a teenager. I may be a mother-in-law and a grandmother.
Float
Tom came back home from visiting his family today.
How?
Looking back, I can see that I’ve always put everyone else’s needs before my own. I always thought that was what made me a good mum, partner, sister, daughter and friend, but I’m starting to feel like a complete fool.
Breathless
Annie has slept through the night twice since she was born; most nights she’s up at least four times between 11am – 6am. I have always been the one to deal with her; Tom never has, nor has he offered to. She’s now started getting up at 6 am every day, so as well as…
Passed
Recently, I’ve been feeling that life has passed me by and it’s really starting to get me down. In the last couple of years, I’ve gone from being someone who lived life to the full with parties, pubs, clubs and singing lessons. I’ve gone from going out dancing, to karaoke, camping weekends with Susie and…
Due
Izzy and Susie popped around today. When they left, they did something that really upset me. I was standing outside on the doorstep saying goodbye to them when Susie said in a loud voice, “Look at the state of your eyebrows. When did you last have them plucked? They look a right mess.” I was…
Game
Although Tom and I have decided to give this one last try, he has now started making what he calls jokes about me and the older children all moving out. It’s relentless. Every few days, there’s another ‘joke’ about us going back to our old house, or about my other children going to live with…
Shower
I’m moving out sometime in the new year, but I’m not rushing it as I want to ensure I stay in this area for the girls’ school. We both agree it’s inevitable, so why prolong it? We’ve agreed that for now we’re still a couple, but we’ll be living separately; whether we’ll continue as a…
Committed
I still love Tom more than ever, and I still want a relationship with him, but I don’t really want to live with him anymore. He’s noisy; I like quiet. We don’t have the same taste in decor, music, TV programs or anything really. While I know it sounds like we have nothing much to…
Thunder
Christmas Day didn’t quite go the way I hoped, unfortunately. The children woke and opened their presents while Tom sat with a face like thunder, watching them. He spent the rest of the day complaining about what I’d bought for the children, saying they should have only had one small present each, and that the…
Migraine
Rosie has been getting pains in her tummy every 6-8 weeks for about the last year. Last time it happened, I took her to the doctor, who did tests and diagnosed her as having abdominal migraines brought on by stress. Rosie’s symptoms are that she starts with pains in her tummy that are sometimes constant,…
Holiday
We’ve just returned from a visit to Tom’s family, and I hated every minute of it.
Reasons
I’ve been making more of an effort to make friends with people recently. I’ve become really reclusive over the last year or so, staying home most of the time or just spending time with the children or Tom. I thought it would be good for me to interact with others a little more. I’ve made…
Blue
I’ve been interested in photography since I was ten years old. Over the last year, rather than just snapping away with the camera, I’ve been trying to do more with it. When things with Tom are really bad, it’s something to escape to. I can grab the children, go to the park with my camera…
Doubt
Despite what the counsellor said about me being negative, I’m starting to have doubts. I think she was wrong. Maybe I am negative, but Tom isn’t innocent in all of this; in fact, I’m starting to wonder if I might be in a verbally and emotionally abusive and controlling relationship. I’m also wondering if my…
Silenced
Amelia had some friends over to sleep tonight for her birthday. The girls’ bedroom isn’t big enough to sleep everyone, so I decided they could sleep downstairs in the living room. Tom has been in a mood all day; tonight he exploded. He said I had no right to arrange a sleepover in his house…
Overheard
Yesterday, I took the girls out for the afternoon on their bikes. Amelia can ride confidently, but Rosie is still unsure and needs lots of encouragement. Tom refused to come with us or look after Annie as he was tired and wanted a nap before going to the pub in the evening. Today, we met…
News
Tom returned from yet another weekend away yesterday – his eighth in the past six months, on top of a seven-day skiing holiday, countless nights out, and his usual three evenings a week at the pub. This weekend’s trip was to a family wedding. Annie and I were invited, but not my other children. When…
Stoop
Rosie had a birthday party today. She’d invited seven friends for a swim and sleepover. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the pool, Tom announced he wouldn’t be staying to help. Instead, he went off to meet my dad for lunch, leaving me to supervise seven children aged eight to ten – some of whom can’t…
Mother
Tom came home from his skiing holiday yesterday. I went to pick him up at the airport, but when I saw him, my heart sank. I suddenly realised what a lovely stress-free week the children and I had, and how it would all change. He appeared at the airport entrance sun-burned and saying he was…
Manage
It’s Tom’s sixth day of his skiing holiday with his family. A holiday that was too expensive to take me and the children on, but not too expensive for him. I’m exhausted managing everything on my own with all four children, although it has been nice not to have any arguing or name-calling. Being alone…
Trip
Just one month after his last excursion, Tom left for a ten-day skiing holiday this morning. Joining him are his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephews; uncles, aunts, and cousins. His family. We, his partner, daughter, and step-children, weren’t invited. Again.
Crossroads
Dreaming I am walking along Chestnut Avenue, further up from my house, with Ant. He looks up into a tree and spots a bird’s nest; it has whitish fluff coming out of the bottom. Ant goes over to it; I don’t know what he’s going to do; this can’t be part of his job. He removes the…
Behind
Tom went to visit his family today; he’ll be gone for five days. Other than having my family around tomorrow, I don’t really have anything planned for my Tom-free time – other than lots of counting down the hours until he’s home. I miss him already, but I also wish he hadn’t left me and…
Bleeding
Dreaming I am in a house with Clive, Susie and the children. Clive is taking the children somewhere and tells me they’ll be back at 9.15pm. Susie and Clive think this is okay. I am unhappy and tell them there is no way my children are going out alone until that time, and that I’ll be going…
Precious
The girls had an inset day at school, and Josh had no college, so as the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny, we drove to the beach. We spent a couple of hours making sandcastles, paddling, stone-throwing, playing at being sand angels, being buried in the sand, racing along the beach, and getting wet and…
Yesterday
Yesterday was one of those days that I’d just like to be able to forget ever happened, yet I know it’s going to be one of those days that stays etched in my memory forever.
Beg
I am such a fool. I thought Tom was changing; I was wrong – he hasn’t changed at all. I feel sad so much of the time. The health visitor thinks I may have postnatal depression. Tom said, “You’re not depressed; if anyone is depressed around here it’s me, you’re just putting it on.“ Annie…
Arms
Annie has been quite an unsettled baby so far. She wants to be in my arms, feeding or cuddling constantly. I’m barely able to get anything else done without her crying. While I love the bond that we have, I’m struggling with not being able to cook a dinner or spend time with the other…
Waiting
For the third time this week, Tom is at the pub twenty miles away. He left home just before 5pm. He planned on coming back sometime after midnight. Usually, he’ll come home on the last train, stumble through the door, pour himself a glass of wine, maybe a second, before staggering up to bed and…
Weeks
As I’m nearing the end of my pregnancy, I’m feeling emotional, tired and stressed. I have too much time on my hands. I’m looking back over the last few months, and I’m seeing a picture that I don’t like. In the first weeks of pregnancy, when the tiredness was extreme, I mentioned how exhausted I…
Host
It’s just one month until our baby girl is due to arrive. The older children are so excited; they’ve been talking about what they’re going to do with her, who’s going to change her nappy, and how they’re going to play with her. Tom is equally as excited, but today, after he’d taken photographs of…
Supplies
“I’m heading to the solicitors to finalise the house and pick up the keys. Tonight, we’ll go and clean the house, ready to move in tomorrow. Meet me there at 7pm.” I was held up sorting my children out and getting cleaning supplies. “You’re late. Here’s a key. I’m going to leave you to it…