A perfect world:

I met the man of my dreams. We married. We had 2.5 children, they were perfect. He worked hard, 8hrs a day. His dinner was on the table when he came home. He supported the children, he supported me. I didn’t join in in the mens talk. I stayed in the room with the children. I was allowed to go out only with him. I was obedient.

My son cried when I asked if he wanted to sign the cast, he wouldn’t look me in my eyes, he thought I couldn’t see but, I could, the swelling had gone down. It’s too bad I couldn’t explain it, I had disobeyed and, I had been punished.

In a perfect world:

My son would not be sitting at my bedside in cuffs. In a perfect world, I would be baking a cake right now.

In a perfect world:

The man of my dreams would not have been laying in the morgue and my child would not have to deal with the memory of abuse.

In a perfect world:

My son would be playing ball with his father, not being questioned about his death. The perfect world was not ours.