Today, this is the way I feel. I have a friend, Jackie, who also has mental illness. A few years ago she jumped a bridge, and she survived. She broke a few bones, was in hospital for a while, but survived. I would say that she is that kind of person that comes from a background that helped to get her illness worse. She was married to a soldier who used to hit her quite a lot. Once, being pregnant he hit her right in her stomach! After several years of mistreating, she finally decided to leave him, but because of her mental illness history, he won the kids custody.
Since then, she met Richard, whom she married in August last year. He was born with cerebral palsy, so he is disabled himself. All in all, they make a good couple, but sometimes I get the impression that Jackie is more a servant than a wife to Richard. She called me Thursday night, at about 9pm very upset that she had had an argument with Richard. It seems that he was not in a very good mood and started taking it on Jackie. She was cooking and he asked her why she didn’t cook the potatoes like his mom’s. Then he will not let her use the washing machine, vacuum, but he expects everything to be clean.
I asked her where she was, several times, but she refused to tell me. She didn’t want Richard knowing where she was. I explained that I would not tell him and she could stay the night with me. She refused. She hangs up saying that her daughter was calling her. Then she called me again at 10:20pm, still upset saying that she can’t cope with the situation anymore. I suggest that she needs some sleep and it would be a good idea to go back home and make a decision in the morning. She said she was not going back and that she was going to sleep in the street! I again enquired as to her whereabouts but again, she refused saying that she would be alright. The last thing she said was that she didn’t want to “be here” anymore. I know what that means with people like us!
I received a call at 4am from the police asking if I knew where she was. I had been trying to call her several times, but all the time the phone was switched off. They thanked me for my help and that is all I knew until the next morning. I tried phoning Richard, I tried home and her mobile but there was no answer from anyone. I decided to call the police and it turns out that she was found, but was not home since she was waiting to be seen by a “health professional”. What did that mean? Was she hurt? Had she tried suicide? Was she in hospital? I didn’t have more information and I grew quite upset wondering if there was anything more that I could have done!
At about 9am Richard called me to say that the police had called him at 5am to advise him that they had found her and she was at the police station. They would not release her on her own and he needed to go and pick her up. He told him that he was going to work shortly, and he could not do it!
Is it me, or is that wrong? Why did Richard put his work before his wife? Why did Jackie call me if she really didn’t want my help?
I am quite upset with them both, I am sad to think a husband doesn’t care about his wife and reminded me of my own life a few years back, when Graham put his job before anything else. I can’t help but wonder whether being on my own is the best thing that can happen to someone like me!
I haven’t spoken to Richard or Jackie yet, I am still quite angry and upset with them, so I will wait until my “compassionate” side is back.
No comments:
Post a Comment