frustration, shock, amazement

Quite an interesting day. Things with Karen aren’t looking so good. I talked to Kyle about it a lot today. He agrees with my position and decision.

Sarah called me around 1:40 this afternoon, sobbing, hysterical. She discovered her boyfriend was truly cheating on her and lying behind her back. I rushed to her work and gave her a ride home. She was a wreck. When we got to her apartment, we sat and talked. She wants a way out, and my friend James and I, among with some others, found a way for her to get out of the apartment, away from her boyfriend, and have a place to stay with friends while being able to make it to and from work. As we were talking, her boyfriend came home and discovered what was happening. He went insane, threatening to kill both of us. He kicked me out of the apartment, taking my phone.

“Can I have my phone back, Man?” I asked. “I’m keeping it.” He added some vulgar words. “Aren’t there some warrants out for your arrest?” He glared at me, wondering what my point was. “If you steal my phone, I’ll have to file a police report to get a new one.” “Take your damn phone,” he said, handing it over.

He kicked me out of the apartment. Sarah was following me. He told her to get back into the apartment, that he was going to “beat you, you fucking bitch.” He threatened me once more: “I’ll fucking kill you if you ever even contact her. It’s taking a lot of self-control not to kill you right now.” He was angry, too: his entire face was throbbing. I kept my cool, though, thankfully. I didn’t end up looking like a pansy. I tried to move in to get to Sarah, but he slammed the door in my face.

I paced back and forth in the lawn of the apartment complex, trying to figure out what to do. I kept hearing his threats against Sarah resonating in the back of my mind, so I called the police. I figured it was the best decision, even though it had the potential to escalate an already dire situation (I couldn’t bear the thought of Sarah being beaten). The police arrived, and they were able to get inside the apartment. Thank God, Sarah was fine. She came out and talked to me, and her boyfriend was enraged that she was talking to me—but the police were there, and he didn’t dare make a scene.

“We have a place for you to stay tonight and for the next couple weeks,” I told her. “You want out. You’ve told us that. And now you have that chance. The police will stay and let you gather your things. You won’t have to worry about your boyfriend hurting you. You’ll have money for groceries, and your boyfriend won’t steal your money and use it on other girls. We’ll get you rides to and from work until you’re able to get your car fixed.”

She decided to stay with her boyfriend.

I called James and told him what happened. Both of us don’t have any idea why Sarah stayed, and both of us are quite upset about it. As Amanda told me, in regards to another situation, “Emotions and desires can cloud our judgments.” Maybe Sarah thinks her boyfriend will change. Maybe she’s afraid of being alone. Who knows? But she had the perfect opportunity to get out, and she didn’t take it. James said, “We can only do so much to help her. But she’s got to be the one to make the final decision.” James and I care about Sarah immensely, and it breaks our hearts to see her in this position.