This Is Charlie

This is Charlie. A little more than two weeks ago, she became a victim of domestic abuse. I, along with a few other friends, visited her and her fiancé to see their new home in Arkansas. Everything seemed to be going really well for her. What we didn’t know until recently was that she’s has been suffering at the hand of alcohol-related violence.

While we were there, we caught up, shared lots of laughs, and had a few drinks. We noticed that Sawyer, her fiancé, had a little more than everyone else, but decided to not look too far into it because he wasn’t the one who had to make an eight-hour trip back home. Just this morning, I got a call from Charlie and she explained every awful detail of what had transpired that night. I could hear her failed attempts at holding back the tears.

Sawyer had gotten upset because their dog, Pebbles, barked at every passing vehicle. Eventually, he stumbled over to the window and shoved the dog off the ottoman. Of course, Charlie was upset and scolded him for it. He proceeded to throw things at Pebbles and knock her around. As quickly as she could, Charlie locked the dog in the restroom and wouldn’t let Sawyer inside. That’s when he attacked her. She now has a broken ankle, broken pinky, and severe damage to her cornea (not to mention bruises all over her body). After the torture was over, she locked herself in the restroom and cried herself to sleep with little Pebbles.

She hasn’t seen Sawyer since the night of the incident, but he left enough money to pay the mortgage and bills for the remainder of the month. As soon as she recovered, she checked to see if Sawyer was still around. He was gone. She called an ambulance as soon as she could and after going outside, noticed that her car windows had also been busted. He also called to apologize and explained to her that he’s seeking help with his problem. He went on to explain that his drinking hadn’t shown any signs of stopping, drastically affecting his work.

Charlie is a strong woman, thanking God that she, at least, still has her vision, but it’s not possible for her to maintain her financial obligations and have surgery to fix the damage to her cornea. She won’t be able to work again (because she can’t drive or stand for long) until her ankle has healed, which is expected to take several months. In light of everything that’s happened, her savings only amount to enough to support herself for another few months and cover some of the medical costs. While I’m not yet sure of how much she’ll need, I know it won’t be cheap. I’ll be going to get her out of the house over the weekend so she can have the support she desperately needs during this time and so she can figure out what she’ll do about Sawyer. She's currently seeing if a neighbor will sit their house until she returns.

Charlie is a spectacular woman who doesn’t deserve to suffer through this (granted that I feel no one does) and I’m doing everything in my power to help her. If anyone sees this, I pray that you can help her, too.