Reality

  There he stood in the doorway. The man who caused so much pain, and nighmares, in Alice's life. This was the moment in her life she tried to avoid out of pure terror. Yet, somehow he had found her. Catching her off guard, she invited him in.
  As he sat across from her she couldn't believe this was the same man who, years earlier, had caused her so much physical and emotional pain. This was the man she had bad dreams about. In their 2 year marriage he had turned her into a victim of domestic violence, which he insisted she had brought upon herself and that she deserved it. This man made her afraid of love, destoyed her self-confidence, and caused her to suffer from low self-esteem. Becuase of him it took her years before she could be involved in a healthy relationship. Was this the very same man who caused her to spend many hours in therapy?
  He was a mere shell of the man who terrorized her at one time. His good looks had disappeared, replaced by a face that looked like an old catcher's mitt. Along with his youthful good looks also gone were a number of his upper and lower teeth. He looked ten years older than his actual age.
  Alice had divorced him while he was in prison, claiming she had no idea where he was. When it was granted she sent him a copy but made sure to omit her address. Past attempts to divorce him had failed always due to the fact that he would not consent to sign any papers. So she finally filed on her own, claiming to have not seen him in 10 years. A few months after the decree was final she remarried a wonderful, kind, caring man.
  What could he possibly want from her? Why was he here? As the conversation went on it became obvious he just been released from prison. He had no family in the state. He asked her for ride somewhere. Alice had just had dental surgery and was on pain pills so she was in no condition to drive. She told him "No." and why. All he had to his name were whatever belongings he had in a backpack. All Alice could think of was some way to get him out of her house. He truly disgusted her. He said that he got her address from the clerk of courts using the divorce decree's docet number. She couldn't believe she had ever loved or feared this man. He was a shell of his former self.
  Finally he got up to leave. He asked for a hug of which she gave him to him chastly. After he was gone she knew that he would never be a problem to her and her new husband. Alice remembered the day 10 years prior when he had left her for another woman. How heartbroken she was. Today it was all she could do not to thank him. He was her real life "bogey man" and she had been forced that day to face her greatest fear. Life had taken a hard toll on him and he had paid the price. It is said that "The best revenge is living well." How true it was in this case. Within 3 years of this encounter he would die from leukemia.