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I lashed out at Angela with my fists, punching her in the face, the stomach, her arms. She folded her upper body into a ball, leaning forward, putting her hands over her head and her elbows in front of her face.
“Jesus, Sally! You were out of control. I had no idea that you could be so violent. That kind of behavior is completely unacceptable,” Aunt Christine said. I could tell she was angry, and as I moved toward her, she stepped back. She was also afraid. “I don’t know why I did that, I don’t even know why.” I could feel the heat rising in my face again. “Something about the bear has triggered you, Sally,”
I understood what shame meant. It was one of the emotions I was in touch with.
“Stupid woman” were the words Dad often said when we were watching television.
“I’m not in school. Dad teaches me here.” “Oh, I bet your friends miss you.” “I don’t have any friends. Dad is my best friend.”
“You pushed me, you did that on purpose. You tried to kill my baby!” She was gasping for breath. I didn’t tell her that it was an accident. I hadn’t pushed her at all. But maybe if she was frightened of me, she would leave me alone.
But I realized nothing was funny when you watched it on your own.
“You’re a nutcase, but you’re our nutcase.” She laughed, and I laughed because she was right and it was nice to feel that I belonged to someone.
Why did you tear up those photos, Denise? Denise: They want her. They don’t want me. Tom: Who? Denise: My mammy and daddy. They want that girl back. Tom: That girl is you, Denise. Denise: I don’t know her.
Her mental capacity is severely diminished, and I would estimate her mental age at little more than when she was kidnapped: eleven years old. The contradiction is that she is an extremely overprotective mother.
Mr. and Mrs. Norton are distraught and have repeatedly asked when will we be able to “fix” Denise. They think we can magically restore her to normal and that they will then be able to take her home. They are keen, as are we, that we separate mother and child. They want to see their daughter unencumbered by Mary.
My honest belief is that Denise is so damaged and has been brutalized for so long that any kind of normal life will be extremely unlikely.
Denise has told Jean that Toby is a toy bear. Denise’s parents have confirmed that when Denise was abducted from their garden in 1966, she was in possession of a teddy bear that she called Toby.
Denise’s hair has been cut short to stop her pulling it out, but she still tries, several times a day, and Mary copies her.
If we don’t make a breakthrough with Denise soon, she might break us all.
“Oh my God, you’re just like him. He’ll turn you into a monster too if you don’t escape.”
“He is not. You’re a monster and I hate you!” “You know what? I think I hate you too,” she said. “I’m ashamed of what he has made you. I wish you had never been born.”
“Peter, she’s a nasty bitch and now she has pushed out another nasty bitch. They don’t deserve your consideration. I wish you had a better mother.”
“What about my baby sister?” He took his hands away from my hands. “What about her?” “Would I die if I touched her? Couldn’t she live with us?” “Absolutely not. All women are dangerous.” “Even babies?” He didn’t answer. I said nothing more.
I could glean from his notes that the longer Dad spent with Denise, the less he liked her.
Twenty minutes later, the nurse began to scream. When he entered her room, Denise was already half-dead. She had banged her head repeatedly against the wall with such ferocity that she suffered a brain hemorrhage. She died later that morning in the hospital without regaining consciousness.
God that's brutal. Didn't expect that kind of suicide attempt. I figured she got a hold of something rope-like and had hung her self or maybe something sharp but basically bashing your own brains out like that shows how truly mentally disturbed she had become.
I noticed strange marks on his stomach and shoulders, but when I asked Dad about them, he just shook his head, and I knew that meant they were not to be discussed.
He pulled up his sweater, and there was a scar all the way across his stomach. “She stabbed me.” He reminded me of the bruises and black eyes he would sometimes have in the mornings. He had told me they were a result of his clumsiness, but now he admitted it was Denise who had inflicted his wounds.
He said it was an embarrassment to have a mad wife and a stupid child. They were “our secret.” That was strange. Who could I ever tell?
“Oh God,” she gasped. “He’ll kill me and you don’t even care. You’re not my son, you’re his. All his.”
she expected him to step into Daddy’s shoes… in every way. And he turned on me. He was… aggressive with me, the way that she was aggressive with him.
Eww was she sexually abusing him? No wonder Conor grew up to despise women. And then he continued the cycle of abuse by treating little girls like his "wife".
His jaw was tightening and he was looking keenly out of the window. When we got off the bus, a woman bumped into me. I screamed, and Dad pulled me close to him as the woman said belligerently, “I barely touched him, what’s he so hysterical about?”
“I’m not racist, but Ireland is for Irish people.” “But Abebi and Maduka are Irish. They were born here.” “They’ll never be Irish,” she said. “It’s not good to be racist, Caroline,” I said. “You don’t understand a lot of things, Sally, and this is one of them.” “I understand racism.” “Stop calling me a racist.” “Stop being one.”
But you can’t judge a book by its cover, or a kidnapping rapist by the smile on his face.
I thought it was funny that a vegetarian worked in a meat plant.
I learned a long time ago never to congratulate anyone on a pregnancy until they’re showing me the ultrasound scan.” I laughed voluntarily at that.
the police have found Denise and her brat. There’s a search warrant out for me. They’re looking here in England for an Irishman traveling alone, but it’s only in the Irish newspapers so far.
I don’t think I’m socially deficient. Emotionally, I’m a child. Who says what they think all the time? Children. Who doesn’t consider sex or relationships at all? Children.”
“You seem to be comfortable with your asexuality. Do you now think that’s something to be ashamed of?” I hadn’t thought of that. Asexual. “But, Tina, I did imagine having sex with Harrison Ford, quite a lot.” She smiled. “I think we’ve all done that.