Storytime!

I grew up in a very abusive situation. It's not something I really talk about much-not cuz I'm sensitive or protective about it, it's just not really a beers & chickens wings kinda conversation. Also, it's kinda a wierd environment to be a kid in. My mom's boyfriend from the time I was about 6-13 was this huge Hulk of a dude who was martials arts trained in pressure points, about 6'4 & more aggressive than a horny pitbull.....who pretty much beat the shit outta her every chance he got. He never touched me-he was a woman beater,not a kid-beater.
Anyway, when I was in about grade 5 my mom & I lived in this 4-storey walkup building on Kingston Road,where we shared a bed room. I pretty much shared a bedroom with my mom until I was about 12. What are you gonna do when yr poor?
So, this one night we're driving in her boyfriend's new 1992 Dodge Caravan (his Chevette was totalled in a accident where I broke my collarbone but that's a whole other story.).
He's in the driver's seat, my mom is in the passenger seat & I'm the middle of the 2nd set of seats. There's a 24 case of Black Ice beers in between the two of them on floor that was opened. I wasn't wearing a seatbelt but that was pretty much par for the course-I kinda faded into the background with those 2. I mean, we were basically on high alert for fists in her face so a little old seatbelt on a kid wasn't much of a worry....
So we're driving home from the Monday night bowling league,where I'd pretty much run around the bowling alley on a school night eating Runts from the quarter machine & drinking shitty fountain Cokes,and the tension in the van is thick. All of a sudden I hear it:

"You're getting on my last nerve!"

Thise 6 words were essentially like pulling the pin outta the hand granade moments before you throw it with that guy. And as we're driving along Main St he fucking loses it. He starts punching the beer case on the floor between the 2 of them,smashing full bottles of beer with his fist. The whole time this vitriolic stream of profanities is just unleashing itself from his mouth like a dude with Tourette's. There's beer & glass & blood & spit flying around between the 2 of them. My mom's boyfriend lashes out across the seat and grabs my mom the throat & starts choking her up against the passenger's side window. We are still driving at this point, swerving across into the other lane, running red lights, just going fucking mental until we turn onto Kingston Rd.
I have no idea what to do & just as he is tightening his hold & it looks like my mom is going to pass out I finally react.
I flew into the pile of beer & glass in between thier seats and just latch my mouth on this dude's arm and sink my teeth in until all I taste is blood & flesh & I can't even breathe my mouth is open so wide.....
He lets go of her right as he pulls up in front of our building. As soon as the van stops, I run out & race towards the entrance of our building, my knees cut up from the glass & the blood of this abusive monster smeared across my face.

And I wait.

I wait as my mom calmly opens the van door. I wait as I watch my mom take the soaking wet beer case full of broken glass & carry it over to the dumpster beside our building. I wait as my mom picks every last piece of broken beer bottle from the floor of that fucking van & puts it into the dumpster with its case.
I wait as my mom takes all of the Kleenex out of her purse & sweater sleeves & pockets & wipes all of the blood off this mans hands & wipes all of the spilled beer away from every spot inside that 1992 Dodge Caravan.
And I wait as my mom kisses him good-bye & finally comes to me to let me inside the apartment.
I will never forget watching her do that.
I was angry for a long time with her about it but now I get it. Women always try to tame the beast.
It's retarded but it's the truth.

Anyway, I guess that's my long-winded way of saying that those reports of Rihanna getting back together with that Chris Brown douche aren't surprising to me in the least.