I rushed home in fear when my daughter called me in a panic to say that her dad was yelling and that she heard voices laughing in our house. I wasn’t ready for what was going on in my bedroom, though.
My day started out like any other. I was working at my desk and trying to find a lost file when a text message rang on my phone. After a quick look, I saw that it was my eight-year-old daughter Ella. It turned out that she had already called me about ten times.
Today’s kids don’t like talking on the phone, so when I called her back, I was already scared.
I quickly looked for my husband Mark’s number, but the call went to voicemail. Great. He wouldn’t do that. We had a kid. Our phones should never have been turned off! In that split second, I chose to call the police as I quickly grabbed my purse and jacket and left the office.
As soon as I called 911, I told them to hurry up because someone was breaking into my house. I sped home in my car while still calling Mark and becoming more worried by the second. I saw that the police still hadn’t made it when I got there.
I had to hurry, though. I thought the worst in the back of my mind. I saw Mark’s tear-stained face and thought about the other voices Ella had mentioned. Something bad must be happening to my husband in there.
I ever wished we had a gun at home for the first time. We didn’t have a baseball bat. Finally, I made up my mind that I would have to face whatever was inside me without any weapons.
I didn’t know what I would see when I kicked the door open. I first heard a man’s loud, sharp scream. Second, I saw his face. Like a balloon deflating, air rushed out of my body.
Ryan, his brother, was having a… let’s call it a «party» with two women.
In my room. In my bed. Not really the kind of family get-together you’d expect.
Mark walked in just on time, with police following closely behind him. The look on his face when he saw his brother was totally priceless. His brother was the baby of the family and loved by all. Until then.
«Ryan?! «What the heck?» Mark spoke out loud.
When he got out of bed, my brother-in-law put on my expensive sheets and shrugged. «I didn’t think anyone would be home. Just having some fun,»
Yes, «fun.» In our bed. With strangers!
You may be wondering why he did that. My brother-in-law is married, so he chose our house as the best place to have affairs with other women. Thanks to the spare key Mark gave him, this had been going on for a while.
This time, though, my daughter came home early from school because she was sick. A nearby teacher was kind enough to drive her home while Mark made plans to take the rest of the day off. It’s clear that the teacher left because she thought our girl would be safe at home. Yes, her home was supposed to be safe.
The police looked around and talked to everyone who was there. I felt so bad about what I did and told them I was sorry for the misunderstanding. After a considerable amount of time, they finally left and I went to Ella’s room, where I found her hugging Mark.
My girl was traumatized. To be honest, so was I.
«So, Dad wasn’t in danger?» she asked, still not sure even though she was holding her dad.
«No, my girl. «Your Uncle Ryan was just being funny,» I told him. «But don’t worry because we won’t be seeing him again any time soon.»
Mark gave me a serious look, and he agreed. We stopped talking to his brother for good, but I did text his wife to warn her. She had the right to know what her husband was doing, after all.
Have you ever stopped talking to a family member after something like this happened?