I remember the first time she hit me. It’s almost funny, I had been in a handful of fights from elementary school up through the present day. Fights among boys or men are easy. One man disrespects the other, gets challenged and a fair fight ensues. It was the same when I played football, eleven men line up with a game plan and knock the shit out the other eleven men with a plan to stop you. Tactics and brute force wins. Dealing with a violent woman is different. Her violence cannot be met with violence.

Jenny’s “best” friend came into town one weekend. She seemed nice, a bit homely but I’d noticed by this point that my girlfriend preferred the company of less attractive women. Her name was Mary and we got along fabulously. We soon found out that we had a shared love of epic fantasy, specifically “The Wheel of Time” series by Robert Jordan. By this point I was just happy to talk to someone about a topic that I cared about. Most of Jenny’s friends were stoner townies that were too baked to hold a conversation. I knew the entire time Mary and I chattered away that Jenny was fuming. She knew I loved “The Wheel of Time” and she knew that Mary wasn’t that attractive. No flirting, no innuendo, I was just enjoying a good conversation. I think she was surprised, with most of her friends I kept to myself and gave short answers.

Mary stayed overnight and left early in the morning. I spent a frigid night in bed with my girl. I knew something was wrong because when I tried to hold her she was completely rigid. It was like her entire body was ready to strike. When I asked her what was wrong she would give me a noncommittal answer.

I woke up that morning with a knot of anxiety that I couldn’t find a source for. I had pretty much forgotten about the previous evening. Jenny always slept in, so I had a few precious hours to myself. I had grown to really appreciate those hours since I started my new job. I started coffee and sat down on the couch to play some Final Fantasy XII.

For the sake of context I’d like to remind the reader that I had a receding hairline. I kept my hair somewhat long, past my ears, and while it still looked okay, it wouldn’t be long before I would fall into the comb over stage. I had been playing for about an hour when I heard the bedroom door open. It briefly flashed through my mind that this was odd, it was very early for Jenny to be up and about. I said a good morning over my shoulder and when I didn’t get a response I figured she hadn’t heard me. I went back to playing, all the while hearing the sounds of movement in the kitchen.

After a couple of minutes I heard footsteps from the kitchen towards the living room, I paused the game and turned my head around to say hello. At this moment I felt a hand grab me by the hair and pull, hard. I immediately shot up off the couch, trying to alleviate the pressure on my hair. As I stood, my attacker tightened their grip on my hair and gave a final, violent tug. White hot pain shot through my scalp. I was on my feet by now a turned to face my attacker, it was Jenny. Her body seethed with rage and I saw her eyes, the same alien eyes I had first witnessed the night she locked herself in the bathroom. Whatever this was, It wasn’t Jenny.

“Do you want to fuck Mary?”

I was dazed from the sudden attack and the throbbing pain coming from my scalp. I think I managed to mumble a “What?” before she was on me. With a closed fist she began to pummel me. Her first shot, before I got my hands up, landed solidly across my ear. My eyes closed briefly from the pain and in that moment she hit me directly between the eyes, breaking my glasses.

“Do you want to fuck Mary?”

My hands were up, deflecting blows as I backed away. With one hand she railed at me with her fist, while the other struck me open handed. I could feel her fingernails rake down my forearms, or when she got past my defenses, my neck and face. I continued to backpedal while trying to process why the woman I adored was attempting to maim me. I tripped over the small table by the front door and landed on my back.

Now that I was on the ground, Jenny began kicking me. I kept my arms up to guard my head and curled up into fetal position. Most of her kicks landed on my sides and stomach, but one hit me square in the testicles.

Throughout the entire scene she kept repeating, “Do you want to fuck Mary?” The anger in her eyes and the force of her violence contrasted with her tone of voice. Her words sounded hollow, emotionless. By this point I knew I had to escape, one well-placed kick to my head and I could die. I took a risk and stood up quickly, exposing myself in the process. I pushed her as hard as I could and ran. In hindsight, I should have run out the nearby front door. I wasn’t thinking rationally at this point and was focused purely on escape. I sprinted to the bathroom, locked the door and held myself against it. Not but a second later the door is shaking as Jenny is pounding on it and throwing her body against it.