However, the silence was sometimes more painful to the small girl than the yelling. Her parents would not talk to each other for weeks following such heated arguments.
Being the only kid, she was abandoned in a home where there was a lot of unresolved conflict and the air seemed to be holding its breath.
She later disclosed that one of the most difficult aspects of her early years was that quiet. Although she wasn’t physically abused, the unpredictable nature of everything left a lasting impression.
She saw terrifying incidents that no child should have to become accustomed to, such as her father driving while intoxicated and using menacing words. But eventually, she did.
The Tipping Point That No One Could Ignore
The issue had escalated by the time she was in her early teens. When she was twelve or thirteen, her mother started talking about separation, a notion that seemed nearly unfamiliar. Divorce was uncommon in her parents’ world, where they had been married for twenty-five years.
