Page 288 - It Ends with Us

Note from the Author

It is recommende d thi s section be read af ter readi ng the book, as it contai ns
spoilers.

• • •

My ea rlies t memory in life was from the age of two and a ha lf yea rs
old. My bed room didn’t ha ve a door and was covered by a sheet

na iled to the top of the door frame. I rem em ber hea ring my father
yel ling , so I peek ed out from the other side of the sheet just as my
father picked up our tel ev ision and threw it at my mother, kno cking
her down.
She divorced hi m bef ore I turned three. Ever y mem ory bey ond
tha t of my father was a good one. He nev er onc e lost hi s tem per with

me or my sister s, des pite ha ving done so on nu mero us occasions with
my mother.
I knew thei r marri age was an abusive one, but my mothe r nev er
talked about it. To discuss it would ha ve mea nt she was talking ill of
my father and tha t’s somet hi ng she nev er onc e did. She want ed the
rel ations hi p I ha d with hi m to be free of any strain tha t stood bet ween
the two of them. Bec ause of thi s, I ha ve the utmost res pec t for parent s

who don’t inv olve thei r chi ldren in the dissolution of thei r
rel ations hi ps.
I asked my father about the abuse onc e. He was ver y cand id about
thei r relations hi p. He was an alcoho lic during the yea rs he was
marri ed to my mother and he was the firs t to admit he didn’t trea t her
wel l. In fact, he told me he ha d two knu ckles rep laced in hi s ha nd

bec ause he ha d hi t her so ha rd, they broke agains t her skull.
My father reg ret ted the way he trea ted my mother hi s ent ire life.
Mistrea ting her was the worst mistake he ha d ev er made and he said
he would grow old and die still madly in love with her.