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I Fall Down

I fell down many times…

I fall down. I fall down. I fall down.

Stressin’. Depression.

Prescriptions, liquor, pain and bad decisions.

Cryin’, shakin’, my mind is a prison.

Locked inside my head. I’m about to lose my shit.

I fall down. I fall down. I fall down.

I hit rock bottom all alone. I cry so much, I can’t cry no more.

Mixed emotions. I’m feelin’ lost. I got bad dreams and broken thoughts.

I’m breaking down. I’m full of shame. Darkness all around and I’m filled with pain.

Self-possessed. Feeling stressed. My heart been broke. Full of regret.

Calamity damage, loss and pain. I’m so fucked up. Not right in the brain.

I got deep rooted problems, and I can’t find peace.

I can’t hear over demons in my ears. Don’t know who I am when I look in the mirror.

I don’t know who I am anymore. These vices got me feeling low. I think I’m about to lose control. The darkness sometimes feels like home.

I fall down. I fall down. I fall down.

Oh, won’t you help me now?

~Willy Kay

* For the record, I have not used or taken any form of alcohol or drugs. When things were normal, I could drink a few beers with my friends, but not now. I recognize the danger anything that can alter or numb my mind poses. I haven't even taken any of the Valium prescribed to me. I cannot use any of these things as a "crutch". What begins as "Just this once... Today's been a HARD day... Just one pill... One drink...", becomes a full-fledged mind and body addiction to the substances that numb the hurt. I have not, and will not, accept one single opportunity to soothe myself with drugs and/or alcohol. A lot of the songs I post here reference drugs/alcohol. While I absolutely relate to every mention of addiction's struggle, that's from a long ago past of mine. I've grown wiser, and know better than to let that particular demon grab hold of me again.

I think some clarification is needed. There are still many things I just CANNOT speak or write about. Things that would give much needed explanation for these broad clarifications I’m going to attempt to write here. That’s the toughest part of sharing any of it. Without including every why, where, when, how…things appear as only twisted pieces of the truth. The twists only reveal some of the worst parts, without any excuse or explanation for them. Unfortunately, I would be risking our future, if I was to discuss too much of our past. It’s our past revelations that could best create a complete and accurate picture of these why’s, where’s, when’s, and how’s. There will be a time and place for my entire story to be told. It’s just not today. It won’t be tomorrow, either. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us, Adam and I, and our family. The things that happened in May were not the beginning. They were actually the end of a beginning that I hadn’t ever mentioned here.

Well, here goes…

My husband is looking at a MINIMUM of THREE YEARS in PRISON, if he’s convicted of the shit he was charged with. Three fucking years. Adam had never once been in trouble with the law. He’d never been handcuffed, arrested, charged, or convicted of a crime. Because of this situation, we’ve both had no choice but to expose deep dark secrets we’ve kept to ourselves, until this. Secrets that help to protect Adam and provide clarity to the reasoning behind his actions that awful night. Secrets that hurt us both to have to share. Over the past couple of months, even deeper and darker secrets have come to our attention. Ones that both horrify us, as well as break our hearts.

Our babies don’t know but a fraction of what’s been happening, but even the tiny bits and pieces they are aware of are causing them fear and worry and pain. Mikayla knows more, because she’s not only an adult, but she’s intimately aware of most of these secrets and was involved in the evening that started us down this path that feels like hell.

We have also spent well into tens of thousands of dollars on this shit, already. Fear of draining our savings accounts, as well as the very real possibility of my husband ending up in prison, have been another added concern. If Adam is convicted, he would no longer be able to provide for our family. In the midst of this chaos, I’ve been applying and interviewing for jobs. I just recently got hired onto one of the positions I’d applied for. I will be working Monday through Friday, as a loan specialist, beginning this coming Monday. I actually think I’ll enjoy the work I’m doing, but I can’t help the sadness I feel about saying goodbye to my career as “just” a wife and mother. A “homemaker”. I loved that job, most of all. No paid position could ever compete with the joy and satisfaction I’ve gotten in taking care of my home and family. My kids are forced to grow up real fast, now. It feels as if we’ve stolen the innocence they still had left.

Life is not only already a very screwed up kind of different, but there’s only certainty about more changing, all too soon. We aren’t able to predict which ways things will change, either. I have no say in most of what’s to come. I’m a mere passenger, stuck on this ride, on a trip I never bought a ticket to. I’m not sure where we’re going, or when we’ll arrive. Each stop along the way seems to create new worries about where I’m being taken, and add more to my heartache in reminiscing about the place I used to live.

As time has passed, and truths have surfaced, Adam has garnered a lot of support. Even Justin and Jackie have seen it, now. Despite this, I can’t contemplate forgiveness or healing with Jackie, right now. I’m not sure that’s ever going to be possible. I have so much hurt caused by the betrayals of a person I trusted most in this world. Someone who knew better than anybody about the storm that had been brewing, long before it eventually wreaked this havoc on us. All the conversations we’d shared with Justin and Jackie, in Adam and my desperation to find solutions to these problems (secrets we’d kept close about the other person involved in the altercation with Adam, in May) that we seemed unable to solve ourselves. We trusted the things we said would remain between only the four of us. We trusted them to have our backs, at least enough to validate our intention and motivation behind things said and actions taken. While I’ll be first to admit, I screw up sometimes, I wouldn’t ever, not in a million years, want to cause harm to anyone. That’s not who my husband is, either. Adam is a GOOD MAN. He’s not some aggressive bully, who can’t control his temper. I know my husband. I well understand the intent meant in his actions that he’s being prosecuted for. Those only give a grainy snapshot of one brief moment in time, without the context of circumstances leading to it. It’s awful to be judged or condemned based on only that one part of one sentence from this novel that hasn’t yet been read by anyone else. He’s also not a liar. That’s something any and every person who knows him would vouch for. He shares the title for “most honest human” with my dad. Adam is harder on himself than anyone. He holds himself to near impossible standards, and still only judges himself if they’re not met. He’s quick to forgive the mistakes made by others he cares about. He takes responsibility for our mistakes. He blames himself. Whether at work, or at home. Even now, in this mess, his greatest concerns are for the people he’s responsible for.

Knowing my husband might be taken from me and from our children, means I’ve had to step into a very different role, just in case. In case he won’t be able to do all the things he’s always done for us. It’s the little things that get me the most. I can’t sleep, when I’m alone in bed. Nothing and no one can give me the kind of comfort I feel, when he holds me in his strong arms. It hurts that, even though he’s still right here, I can’t quite find that same assurance in his embrace. I’m always aware of this looming cloud hovering over us. It reminds me, it’s in charge. Adam can’t protect me from this. Neither of us has the power to decide what happens, when the time for judgement gets here. When this trip ends, and I finally find out where we’re going to next. Either way, it isn’t “home”. That place doesn’t exist anymore.

Giving and Taking

If I don’t have music playing in the background, I’ll have a podcast I’m listening to. I’ve heard some interesting ones, recently. People talking about “high value men”, and women’s “body counts”. I discovered my husband is in the top 3.25% of American men. Statistically, only 15% of men are taller than 6 feet. If you also want him to be good looking, not obese or ugly, that halves, to 7.5%. If you want him making over $100,000 a year, it halves again. So, he’s 3.25% of men. I’ve always highly valued my man, but I hadn’t ever looked at it like that. According to the “experts” on this podcast, “high value men” cheat. Women shouldn’t expect them to be faithful, because all women are fighting for the top 10% of men. If they’re in that, you can’t expect monogamy. Bullshit! I didn’t marry him when he was making money. We struggled and sacrificed. We have built the life we have, together! Even Adam gives me credit, in his success. If I didn’t take care of our kids, our home, him, then he wouldn’t have been able to devote the same time and energy into his career. He had an old college friend come by, one time. His friend was going on and on about how his wife didn’t ever do anything, because she was a new mom. They had a 4 month old new baby! Adam looked at his friend, and told him “I could never trade places with Eve. She works hard, everyday. It’s not easy to take care of our babies, our home, our finances, and she does an amazing job of it.” Hearing my husband say those words, especially to this friend of his, stuck with me all this time! It means a lot to me, when he appreciates me, too.

Truthfully, he definitely works harder than I do. Just compare our hands. He has rough, calloused hands. Mine are soft and smooth. My day is easier than his, even on the harder days. I texted him, awhile back, and told him about what my morning had entailed. The dog threw up on our bed. Our daughter was sick. She’d been throwing up. There was a lot happening, but I told him I’m here washing our bedding, after having to clean up puke all morning, and thinking, I am so grateful that I can be here, taking care of our baby when she’s sick. Even when I’m doing the dirtiest jobs, I would rather be here, cleaning up puke, than doing Adam’s job! He’d rather be doing what he does, to take care of his family. I’d rather be doing what I do, to take care of my family. We see such value in each other, and the way we each contribute to our family. I think some folks out in “podcast land”, have cynical ideas about men and women. Like men want beauty and sex, and women look at men like wallets. It makes me sad for the people who go through life, with that type of mindset. Relationships aren’t about “what can you give me”. Fulfillment comes from the things I can do for my husband, and vice versa, for him with me. It’s not supposed to be a 50/50 partnership. You both give everything you can. We choose to love each other. You don’t always feel like it. You do it anyway. These people, who only see relationships as a transaction, they’re missing out on something so beautiful.

I couldn’t imagine starting over. The connection Adam and I have built together, is worth more than all the money and sex ever could be. There’s more to life than just money and sex. It makes me sad that there are people who might never know that for themselves.

Tis’ the Season

I had a lot of fun with my kids, yesterday! My first favorite song, when I was a little girl, was “Ghostbusters”. I played it while the kids were getting ready and danced around the kitchen singing it with them. Mj dressed as “Max” from the TV show “Stranger Things”. Our son dressed up as a baseball player. He’s obsessed with baseball, these days.

I swear, it was like a Hallmark channel movie, on our street, last night. This was our first Halloween in our new home. I loved it. Speaking of Hallmark movies…it is now, officially, November. My son asked me this morning, “Mama, do you know what time it is??” I replied, “6:19am?” He goes, “CHRISTMAS TIME!!!” Haha, my kid knows his mama. I absolutely love Christmas. I’m excited to decorate here in our new house this year, too. When I took the kids shopping for their last minute costume supplies, the stores had all the Christmas holiday stuff out. I started singing it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Somehow, my kids aren’t all that embarrassed by me, yet! My son had also found a scarecrow for me, while we were shopping. Our dog had chewed my old one up, last year. He asked me which one I liked and then he threw it in the buggy and assured me, if Dad says anything, He put it in there and I didn’t know a thing about it. I have great kids 😆

Adam was a little less “cold” toward Jackie, last night. He responded to her when she spoke to him. He didn’t look quite as angry or “hard”. Hopefully, time will heal this, too. Other than all that, things have been going great here. I believe in the magic of the Christmas season. I love the way everyone takes the time to be a little more courteous, more giving of themselves, kinder, generous, forgiving. I have faith. It’ll all work out.

Sweet & Sour, Emotional Rollercoaster

We had “breakfast” for supper, last night. I am a decent cook, if I do say so myself, but bacon is Adam’s thing. He started the bacon as soon as he got home, while I worked on everything else. After supper, I cleaned up the kitchen, like always. Then, I made myself some arctic white chocolate hot cocoa and stood in the kitchen while I sipped on it and enjoyed a moment to myself. Adam walked in and smacked my behind. I, playfully, “slapped” his cheek. I would never seriously slap my husband. Then, he spanked me about a half dozen times. When he does that, even playfully, in that rapid fire succession, I about go crazy! I don’t want to tell him, but that actually hurts so much more than a few hard ones with a break, in between!! He wasn’t angry. We were just playing around. He asked me if I learned a lesson? I told him, “don’t do this”, and I “slapped” him, again. Ooof. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. He spanked me another half dozen or so times, as fast and hard as before. I screeched and climbed down so that I was straddling his waist with my legs and my arms around his neck. Adam called me his “little spider monkey” 😆 I didn’t retaliate, this time. My butt had had enough.

I had a nice afternoon hanging out with my little girl. We watched an old 1990’s Halloween movie with the Olsen twins in it. She was able to return to school today, feeling much better! Jackie had come up to bring Mj some cough drops, and I’ve seen her, in passing, a couple times. Besides that, we really haven’t spoken.

I’m really not just trying to be an asshole and hold a grudge, with Jackie. My struggle, is with the things she was willing to say and do while she was drunk and angry. I’ve overindulged, before. I’ve never done something like the things she did. It makes me feel like I can’t trust. This is something that I went through, with my mother, for years. It took enormous strength to finally cut my mother out of my life. I forgave my “mom” so many times, and I believed her every time she swore she was going to change. Allowing her in my life gave her a window into all of my shit. Good, bad, and ugly. My angry, drunk, and high mother would use those things to hurt me. She knew my struggles, my “skeletons in the closet”. Jackie knows literally ALL of me. I can’t believe she is capable of doing the same things she watched my mother do to break me. I love Jackie. I need her! I’m asking myself if I truly know her, anymore? Can I trust anyone?? What is wrong with me, that I find myself in this situation, again, with another person who is so willing to hurt me? I would absolutely never do that to anyone, let alone my loved ones! I can honestly say, I have never done things simply out of spite, just to hurt someone, in my adult life. As a young and dumb teenage girl, I did some cruel things. I won’t deny that. As an adult, I haven’t even been cruel to my worst enemies. I’m not “built” like that. I must be so naive to assume that the people I love would treat me the same. Jackie has been my very best friend for nearly 20 years. She’s done some shitty stuff. Nothing that’s cut me this deeply before, though. I don’t know what to do. She hasn’t even apologized. I refuse to “let it go” and just pretend like it didn’t happen. I won’t do it. None of this is easy or simple. My kids call her “aunt Jackie”. She’s with us for every birthday, every holiday, through the good and the bad. I’m not sure if I can go through what I did with my mother, again. I wonder if, maybe, I’m too reactive, because of my mother. Maybe I’m being too harsh. I just don’t know. I know that, at the very least, I need Jackie to acknowledge what she did, and be sorry.

Adam knows I’m hurting. He’s been incredibly supportive and sweet. I asked him, “what would you do if Miguel got in my face and talked to me like Jackie did to you?” (Miguel is one of Adam’s best friends). He told me, “Oh, I know what I’d do. And I would have no problem cutting him from my life after I kicked his ass, either.” Then, he paused, and he told me he understands that it’s more complicated than that, for me, with Jackie. We’ve been so close for so long. He said he would support me, whatever I decide to do here. I know he’s not kidding about what he’d do if one of his friends did anything to hurt him or his family. Adam doesn’t tolerate bullshit from anybody. He’s kind and gentle and forgiving, with his family. He’s not like that with people who threaten us. I’ve seen a whole new, expert level of angry come out of him, when it comes to protecting his family. If I let this go, with Jackie, am I not protecting my family? Jackie is family, to me. This is so hard. I’m the type of person who, when I commit to something, I mean it. When I make a decision, a life changing difficult one, I know, in my heart, that’s it. I won’t go back on it. I’m loyal. I’m trustworthy. So, what is the loyal thing to do? Stand by my best friend, and forgive, and trust that this won’t happen again? I gave my mother countless chances. Doesn’t Jackie deserve that? I don’t know? Am I stupid if I trust her again? Am I heartless if I never let her back “in”? So many confusing thoughts, all at once. I wish she would apologize. I wish she could see how much she’s hurt me, and care. I hope she does. I need her to.

Freedom Rings on Saturday!

I pray that my greatest achievement in life is to have given my babies a childhood that they don’t ever have to recover from. I know that they’ve already seen things that hurt them. I understand I can’t shelter them from all of the pain life throws at everyone. I just hope to God that, when they look back, I am remembered as their safe place. That home is always a place they can go to for comfort and love.

I shared yesterday’s blog post with Adam last night. He has witnessed much of it, but I’d never really talked much about that part of my childhood. Just a couple of years ago, he was the one calling 911 while I hid upstairs with our kids because my mother was trying to break a window to get inside our house. He’s seen plenty. I know this is why I didn’t write much here for long periods of time. Not only because I wasn’t in a place where I could write about my life. Also because Adam was so busy trying to protect me and do everything he could to help me get through it, he wasn’t holding me accountable very often. I believe it hurts him almost as much as it hurt me because he can’t make it all better. We moved, which helped a ton. My mother has no idea where we live now. It’s only been recently that Adam has begun to hold me more accountable for things. This, I’m sure, is why I push him lately. We have sort of started over after a long “break”. When Adam called me into our bedroom a few days ago, Jackie had taken the kids downstairs. She told me our son was saying “oh, they’re having one of their talks” and made another comment about how Adam was using his dad voice, so he knew mama was in trouble and he felt sorry for me. I thought it was cute. He’s been on the receiving end of plenty of Adam’s “talks” when he’s in trouble as well. It doesn’t bother me if the kids understand that their dad is in charge of everyone, even mama. I used to worry that they might respect me less if they knew Adam could call me into our bedroom and use the “dad voice” on me too. They clearly know that he does, though, and they’re still plenty afraid of their mama!

I have ONE more day until I’m no longer being scrutinized for every single purchase I make!! Adam told me I can go shopping with Jackie on Saturday. Yesterday was her birthday. We already have plans for the places we’re going this weekend. Hobby Lobby, for sure. We’re also going to hit up a few thrift shops so we can hunt for treasures that we can repurpose into beautiful things again. I can’t wait!!!

Summer’s end

We’re leaving tomorrow evening for the Midwest. Adam’s mom lives out in the middle of nowhere in a town smaller than our culdesac. Think oz, as in Wizard of Oz. Small town Kansas. It’s our last trip of summer before our kids start school and the chaos begins again. I have so enjoyed having my kiddos all to myself this summer. I always feel a twinge if sadness when they start back to school because I lose them a little more each year. They have their friends to play with, they ask their teachers what the moon is made of, they don’t need their mama as much. My kids are 8 and 10 years old. I know every parent says it, but I really do have great kids. They’re kind, polite, respectful, helpful, sweet as can be. I get told regularly how well behaved my kids are. Watching them grow is such a bittersweet privilege. I’m blessed to be their mama and it’s amazing seeing the kind of individual people they’re becoming. I sometimes wish I could keep them little just a little longer.

I’m nervous to make this trip with my leg out of commission. A 12 hour car ride is going to be miserable I think. Wish me luck y’all, I’m probably going to need it! The one positive this injury has given me, is that Adam is babying the heck out of me. He just got back home from the store to get me some mint chocolate chip ice cream I was craving. He came home from work and cooked us all supper too. I do miss his playful smacks on my bottom and our typical back and forth with tickles and any excuse to touch each other. He’s afraid to hurt me, so of course he’s not picking on me right now. Last night, he even shaved my legs for me and he painted my toenails! My son keeps asking me “Are you okay mama? Can I get something for you?” And my daughter played with my hair and laid next to me on the couch for hours today. I truly have the best family a girl could ask for ❤️