I Saw My Neighbor Hit His Wife
What should I have done?
I was in my front garden, hidden by my roses. I was caring for my plants.
It was a peaceful, sunny morning. The birds had been singing, and I’d spotted a tiny butterfly playing in the perennials.
The peace was broken by shouts.
My neighbors across the street were yelling at each other. I paused for a second. I’d never heard them do that before. I glanced in their direction.
I saw him hit her.
I heard the sound of it. I heard her yelp of pain, the beginning of a sob. Then the door slammed as she ran into the house.
He walked to sit on the couch in his garage. He looked at his cell phone.
I was glad he couldn’t see me.
What should I do? I wasn’t sure.
If he had been beating her up, I would have called the police. I’d done that before. No hesitation.
But this was a one-time occurrence. And I didn’t know them.
If I offered to help her, would she accept?
One of my neighbors had recently divorced her husband. He used to beat her. My husband and I didn’t know about it for years. Finally, one day, the dam burst and she showed up crying. We were in shock.
