a week after my son left we were enjoying a relaxing night. We had the little people asleep. My oldest daughter and I were enjoying a girly movie. My boys were playing games. Then as we were relaxing we heard a horrible loud banging on my back door. It scared us to death. I went and got my can of mace and sent the children upstairs. I didn't even go close to the door. I stood at the bottom of the stairs with a cell phone in one hand calling the police and the can of mace in the other. They said they would send someone right over. The police came and didn't find anyone.
But in order to knock on my back door first you have to go down an alley. Then you have to go through a gate and through my back yard then up the back porch. Also there is a mud room between the main house and the outside. So that person had to knock very very hard for it to be heard so well in the living room. The police officer said they were going they couldn't find anything wrong and that if I needed them for anything they would come right back over.
Well I called my mom and was scared to death. I knew if I stayed home I would be up all night long and I would never get any sleep. Just waiting for the next knock. So I decided to call the officer and ask to be escourted to the women's shelter. I had already made contact with the SOS organization that ran it and they had offered the home anytime I needed it. I decided tonight was the night.
We gathered the basic essentials and left. We went to the police station then the shelter staff came and escorted us to the shelter. We were given the whole bottom floor in the basement. They provided food, shelter, clothing, toiletries but most of all protection. Everything we needed.
I had already contacted a lawyer after my son had left to start the divorce process and also file a restraining order, I had also ordered a stronger protection order. Essentially I filed that he could not come near me or the children. If he did he would go to jail. Period. No questions asked.
There were several delays and it took about a week before the papers were sent to him. They were sent on a thursday but because of a severe snow storm he did not receive them until tuesday.
I felt so protected while at the shelter. And was so blessed that it was an option for my family for a time. But it was not home. The day I went into the shelter I called my landlord. I explained what had happened and that I did not feel safe. At the suggestion of SOS I requested more deadbolts. 2 peep holes and security lights. He did everything I asked in more. He put the peep holes low enough for my grade school children to look out. He put in motion detector lights. Everything I asked for he gave me. Free of charge at that. After I knew these extra protections were in place and that there was a snowstorm coming in and he would not be served until Monday at the earliest the children and I went home. There was no shame in getting help we desperately needed and I Praise God they were available to me. The night he got the papers there was no way he could drive to my house and harass me.
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