“Marrying Up” by Diane Cook, a disturbing story with a surprising ending.
“What if someone needs help?” Did I mention he was also a very good-hearted man? He was.
“No one needs help,” I said, feeling like an awful person. “It’s a trap.”
He looked at me like he didn’t know who I had become. I was so ashamed I couldn’t look back, even though I knew I was right.
“Someone needs help,” he said resolutely, shrugging on his robe. I’m told he fought hard, scrappily, but was dragged to his knees, and then dragged down the street. Bits of his torn pajamas blew around the neighborhood for days afterward.
Eventually, I married a man more than twice my size. He terrified me. Making love felt like getting run over. I was pancaked like in cartoons. My ribs crunched if he was on top, and my hips were belted with bruises if he was behind. He twirled me until I puked.
Full Story: Guernica Magazine: “Marrying Up” by Diane Cook