#6 Husband #1

I married Don Harper in December of 1964. We had a small but nice wedding in the conference room of the bank where his dad worked.
We had our first big fight less than a week after we got married. I threw a vase at him and missed. He threw a right curve and threw me across the room.
We had a very nice arrangement from that day on. He told me what to do, and I did it!
If I went shopping with my mother, he had to know the exact time I left and when I would return. He would drive by and make sure I was home every day.
This went on for years. I wasn't in love with him. I just thought it would be more fun than living with my parents at the time. I don't think Don ever loved me either. I was his personal Barbie that didn't have an opinion about anything and always had a smile :)
I finally started wanting a baby because I was lonely and needed someone to love.
This marriage lasted for nearly five years and a lot happened. Most of it was pretty boring crap but there were times I've tried hard to forget. Because of my son, I won't bore you with the gory details.
Don was a very controlling man and used my naivete to keep me from leaving. He drilled it into my head constantly that I had no place to go and no skills to survive. And he was right.
When I finally got up the courage, my uncle flew from Florida to be there for support. I had to leave my baby because I had a shotgun pointed at my head and was afraid he would kill us all.
I hired an attorney who told me not to worry. It took about two months for the divorce to become final. A week before that, Don returned my baby to me.
The end of one battle and beginning of the next: