I was in the kitchen doing my chores, as I did every day, when he walked in. He being the son of my employer. Teddy was a cocky proud boy so up his own backside he seemed to think it was his God-given right to have whatever he wanted and the latest thing he had wanted was me. Teddy had been flirting with me for a few months now, and every time I turned him down. Why hadn't he gotten the hint that I just wanted interested. Today was no different, as far as his attempts to seduce me were concerned. I'd had a difficult day so something inside me snapped when he began his flirtatious comment and I slapped him round the face, telling him to leave me alone. This of course was a terrible idea, and I regretted it immediately. As we had been in the kitchen, Teddy grabbed a knife and slashed the left side of my face, saying coldly "If I can't have you no-one can".
I woke up screaming in a cold sweat. I'd had the same recurring nightmare for a few days now, and it still terrified me, even though the event had been years ago. Someone had sat up in the bed beside me on hearing my screams and had turned the light on. Gideon: my husband and father of my children. Since me met, he'd made me feel safe, and most of all loved. He wrapped his arms round me, pulling me into his chest. "Did you have the nightmare again?" he asked softly, and feeling me nod my head, he pulled me closer in to him. He began stroking my hair, as he knew this calmed me down. Once my breathing had slowed down, he pushed me away slightly, and cupped my face with his hands, so I was looking at him straight in the eye. "You know I love you, and would never let anything hurt you right?" he asked. I nodded again "of course" I replied, and I did.
The door creaked open then, and a small face appeared at the door. "Mummy what's the matter, I heard screaming?" Our eldest daughter Barbara asked. For eight year old, she was very perceptive to the emotions of others, and seemed to have taken it upon her small shoulders to make everyone around her smile. I held out an arm to her, inviting her in for a cuddle. "It's ok sweetie, Mummy had a bad dream, but Daddy has made her feel better" I said, to set her mind to rest. She awkwardly came in, climbed into bed, between us. "What was it about" she said quietly. I knew she wouldn't drop it if we refused to answer, but the truth was too horrendous for an eight year old. After a slight pause, and I had worked out what to say, I answered "Something that happened to Mummy a long time ago, before I met your Daddy" I said, hoping that it would satisfy her curiosity. Thankfully it did, as she curled up and promptly fell asleep.
Once we were sure she wouldn't wake up again, Gideon picked her up and carried her back to bed. When he returned, he sat in bed and looked at me "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently. Did I? On the one hand, talking about my nightmare might help it go away, but on the other hand, I didn't want to re-live the event more than I needed to. It was horrible when it happened the first time, but it was somehow worse being made to relive it. A voice inside me told me that talking about it would give me some closure, and it was this voice I ended up listening to, so I nodded. "It's the same nightmare I keep having. I say nightmare, but it's more of a flashback. It was when Teddy slashed my cheek open. I don't know if I'm remembering it as it happened, or if I'm making it worse in my mind" I said honestly.
Gideon shook his head. "What he did to you was awful, and it's natural for a person's mind to warp a situation. But you mustn't view your scar as something bad. Its proof that you survived a terrible event, meaning that you were stronger than it was, a battle scar if you will. He said that no one would have you, but you have a support of a group of friends that will support you, and you have me. I would rather die than have anything terrible happen to you. Teddy clearly wanted to break you when he placed that knife to your cheek, and what you have to do is prove him wrong. Wear it with pride, like the strong independent woman that you are." Gideon finished his speech by placing a kiss to my temple. He was right of course, and I was grateful that I had listened to the little voice in the back of my mind that had told me to talk. We eventually fell back asleep, and from then on, my nightmare from the kitchen never bothered me again.