Without a Voice

Life was difficult for Angela who grew up in ghetto-like poverty in the lush, beautiful land of Guyana. The strict religious, cultural discipline of patriarchs and matriarchs was the unwritten law; they decided children’s choices of partners and were always the ones calling the tune. Angela remembers in vivid terms her childhood and the abuse meted out to her and her mother by their drunken father. She recalls meeting her future husband while he was in the Army and how the relationship turned sour and into a tirade of frequent abuse, mentally and physically by a bully, a liar and a controller. His deviance to get what he wanted knew no limits. Her life after her bitter divorce is one of peace and contentment. In her retirement it has given her the chance to reflect on her continuing struggle against the odds. Her perseverance shines like a beacon. She has emerged a better person as a result.