That was a mistake.
It had only been an hour or so since I’d dropped them off when I got my first message from Corry.
Corry:
It’s bad, Mom. Really bad.
Me:
Bad how?
Corry:
He found out.
Me:
What’s going on? What’s he doing?
Corry:
He’s got Sean in the back bedroom. He’s got a belt, Mom.
My blood ran cold as I read my son’s message. I’d spanked the kids before. That wasn’t the problem. It was Marc taking things too far. I’d been on the other end of his blown temper enough times to know that things could turn bad really fast. It’s one of the reasons why I’d never let Marc spank the kids. He’d get mad and just grab whatever he could get his hands on to spank them with. The last time it had been a shoe cleaning brush with an extra-long, thick handle that had belonged to my grandfather. When Marc had picked it up to hit Corry with it, I stepped between them, refusing to let him even touch Corry with it. That cost me. It cost me dearly, but there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my boys. That had never changed. That need to protect my children at all costs had me messaging Marc.
Me:
Do not spank Sean with that belt, Marc. If you do, I’m calling the police.
He didn’t respond which made my heart race with panic. I wasn’t sure what I should do. I wanted to rush over there and stop him but feared I’d never make it in time. Having no other choice, I called Marc. As soon as he answered, he shouted, “What!”
“Do not spank Sean with that belt, Marc!”
“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do with my boys, Frankie! If I want to spank them, I will!”
“No! You are not to spank the boys! Not now. Not ever! It’s in the court order!”
“You can’t keep me from disciplining my kids! No one can!” he roared. “They lied to me, and now, they’re both going to pay the price for it.”
“And what do you think the judge is going to think about that? You’re almost done with your anger management classes. Clearly, they didn’t help!”
“I wouldn’t have to manage my anger if you hadn’t let them lie to me! This is on you, not me!”
“You’re right. This is my fault, Marc. Don’t take it out on the boys!”
“I will not be lied to, Frankie!”
“I understand that. It won’t happen again. I swear it! Just stop this before you take things too far.”
“These boys need to learn some fucking respect! And so do you! My weekends are my weekends! You do not get to fuck around with my days! Is that understood?”
“Yes, Marc. It’s understood.” I agreed, hoping he would settle down enough to leave the boys alone. “Now, please do not spank Sean with that belt.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he simply hung up the phone, leaving me wondering what the hell he was going to do. I was praying silently to myself as I sent Corry another message.
Me:
I talked to you father. Let me know what happens.
Corry:
He’s so mad.
Corry:
He thinks Sean was the one who lied. I tried to tell him it was me.
Me:
It’s going to be okay, Corry.
Corry:
I should’ve stopped him. It’s my fault. I should’ve done something.
Me:
This isn’t your fault, and you did do something. You messaged me. Everything’s going to be fine.
Corry:
I gotta go. He’s coming.
I spent the next hour having no idea what was going on with Marc and the boys. I was so torn. I desperately wanted to call the police. I thought it was the only way I’d know for sure he wasn’t hurting them like he’d hurt me so many times. Thankfully, after an hour or so, Corry messaged to let me know they were okay. Marc had spanked the boys with the belt. I was about to call the police when Corry assured me that the beating wasn’t too bad, and he hadn’t left any marks on either of them. Once it was all over, Marc sent them to their room for the rest of the night. While I wasn’t happy about any of it, I knew it could’ve been so much worse.
Just thinking about that day had me wanting to smooth things over with Marc as soon as possible. I didn’t want him to lose his temper, so I kept my response short and to the point. “We’re divorced, Marc. And you’re remarried. Who I’m with is none of your business.”
“I don’t give a damn who you’re fucking, Frankie. Never fucking have. Just don’t want you spreading your legs when my boys are around.”
“That’s enough, Marc.”
“I’ll decide when it’s been enough! You keep your garbage away from my boys or you’ll fucking regret it.”
“Don’t threaten me, Marc.”
“Oh, that’s not a threat, baby. That’s a fucking promise,” he growled. “I’ll take those boys so fast your head will spin.”