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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Crappy Friend

9 replies

Smellslikecatspee · 21/02/2012 18:00

I believe my friend (call her Sue) is in a relationship which is heading headlong into being abusive.

She is already taking responsibility for his issues i.e.: he is a gambler, but but but he only loses when he drinks. So if he spends all their money it's her fault for 'letting' him drink too much.
One of the times he did this she was in A/E with her demented Grandmother who had just fallen.

The time before was our first 'girls' night out in over 10 months.
In other words she shouldn't be going out. .

Any other nights I had tried to arrange were derailed by him either a family issue (his family) or him accidently arranging something for the same night. (one/twice bad planning 4/5 times. . . deliberate).

The last time he got pissed she caught him on a gambling site ; he threw the laptop at her (as far as I'm concerned that is a form of physical abuse. I mean I've thrown things at OH slippers/ books on one occasion a wellie, but nothing that could cause serious hurt and never in anger).

From all accounts he didnt 'just' sweep the laptop off the table he closed it and flung it at her so there was thought in it.

But he didn't mean it; she didnt approach him the right way.

The noise of their fight was bad enough for one of the neighbours to call the police, who I have to admit, were very good.
They Sue and wanker live in a verythick walled detached house I admit the neighbours house is very close but there had to be a lot of noise for them to (a) hear it (b) be bad enough to call the police.

I believe that the only reason that I know about this is because the police encouraged her to call someone for support and in a moment of clarify she called us. We of course went straight over. The police couldn't remove him as although the laptop was shattered and she was upset there was no evidence of anything other than an argument.

He; policeman I spoke to, felt that while nothing had happened it was a case of when rather than if.

The wanker had turned on the waterworks the minute the police pulled up outside. they did ask her several times if she wanted him removed from the property, but of course with the tears she fell back in to the habit of feeling sorry for him.
And at 2 points out of his ear/eye sight that I was aware of they asked if there was anything thing else she wanted to report.

We persuaded her to come home with us, while I was grabbing some of her things from the bathroom he had followed me and asked me what I was doing. I very calmly said I was getting stuff so Sue could come home with us. He squared up to me and muttered 'Who the fuck do you think you are?'

Now I'm a big girl and he is a weedy little fucker even with the male/ female strength imbalance I could still give him a hiding.

Not that that is the point, the thing to me that even though he knew that there were 2 police officers who were itching to take him in, he still thought it was ok to try to act verbally aggressively towards me.

I told her this once I'd got her calmed down in my house, trying to impress on her how potential dangerous he was, she took this as proof of how abnormally he was behaving, because apparently he really likes and respects me. . .

I did point out he was meant to love and respect her but thought it was ok to throw a laptop at her.

I really want to shake her and tell her to wake up to look where this is going,
Last time we spoke I was so angry at her to the point of shouting at her that this was an abusive relationship. Her comeback was that women like us don't get abused, she's not a victim and he didn't hit her.

I want to cry. She is so deep in and I'm afraid that I've fucked up and she won't tell me if anything else happens.

At this point there is nothing else I can do is there, I've read enough threads on her to know that until she is ready to acknowledge that this is not healthy nothing I do is going to matter is it?

(Just to add to the cliche all his ex's are nutters. . . they rushed in to living together in another village well away from all her friends and family at his suggestion. He wants them to have a baby, he doesn't see his other children because of his 'mad' ex's. He's a great one for big expensive gestures but she's had to borrow money to pay for petrol to get to work, oh God this is going to at the least end badly isn't it)

OP posts:
Eaglewings · 21/02/2012 18:03

You are right, all you can do is wait and be there when she leaves him

cuttingpicassostoenails · 21/02/2012 22:25

You sound like a good friend. I think all you can do is be there when she needs you and be ready to give what help she feels she can accept.

I think it will end badly, as you fear and I'm sorry that you are upset and worried...BUT...you are a good friend and sooner or later she is going to need you.

cuttingpicassostoenails · 21/02/2012 22:26

PS...I do like your name.

Smellslikecatspee · 21/02/2012 23:46

Thank you sadly as the cats are getting on a bit I do actually smell a bit like cats pee at times.

I'm due to see her tomorrow; tellingly he is away with work till day after.

It?s so frustrating as I can?t see why she is letting herself get pulled in like that, I mean if someone has had a crappy childhood where this behaviour was seen as the norm you can understand that they don?t realise that this is not normal, ya know?

Now I know no-one can really know what happens behind closed doors but her parents appear to be happily married. She?s from a close-knit family and I/we have spent a lot of time with them even going on holiday with them and never seen anything out of the ordinary.

I don?t want to victim blame I just want to understand

I mean she is clever, funny, well educated, popular, very attractive, great job and she settles for this weedy fucker. I mean if he was making her happy it wouldn?t be settling would it, but he isn?t.

This will be the first time since ?the incident? that I have actually laid eyes on her, she?s been ill since. Claiming flu too ill to see anyone etc. which may be true, real flu has ben floating around locally but. Even OH bless him not the most emotionally aware/ observant asked the question that was running through my mind was she really ill or hiding bruises?

God it all sounds so melodramatic, but from lurking around this area of MN I have learnt how insidious these bastards and their behaviour can be.
How you can get so wrapped up in his version of normal that you don't know what way is up.

OP posts:
ThePinkPussycat · 22/02/2012 00:08

Is she perhaps trying to be his rescuer in some way?

Smellslikecatspee · 22/02/2012 06:58

That's the only thing I can think of, that somehow she thinks she can 'fix' him…not going to work is it.

OP posts:
Smellslikecatspee · 15/04/2012 12:12

They're getting married.

I don't know what to do.

The police have been out again, she didn't tell me, the neighbour pulled me to onside in the local and told me he's worried too.

I tried to bring it up, hey i bumped in to your neighbour, her comment was god OH says they're sooo nosy, OH says we shouldnt talk to them, OH says they're stirrers/ trouble makers.

They're actively TTC, as well as the getting married.

He was monitoring what she ate/drank, now I tend to be a bit expansive when I have a few, kind of why have a glass when you can have a bottle type of thing, so occasionally OH will go hang on there, slow down love. But this was you have had one (small) glass of wine you can't have anymore, he was on his 4th, maybe 5th pint. Told her what to order food wise, assumed that once we'd ate that the women would go home, while the men stayed in the pub, I mean hes nearly a caricature he so bad.

Wasn't happy when I laughed at his expectation that we go home and I ordered us another drink. Commented to my OH, 'oh I can see who the boss is in your house' done in that forced fake joking manner. oH who thinks he's a prat, said in a wonderful mild mannered way, said nope we're a partnership, and we're both grown ups were both the boss.

I was so proud of him!

This put him on the back foot he clearly can't figure out my OH.
OH is ex- military, very fit frequently does horrible cross country 20+ mile runs for fun!, is currently training for a triathlon, even when not training rarely drinks more than a pint or two a week.
So to him this is all contradictory ex- mil, fit, training = real man, not drinking to excess, 'allows' his partner to make decisions, enjoys the company of women without trying to get in thier knickers = not real man.

She got very anxious about staying, no no lets go, let's go, it wasn't till my OH said, oh shall we all go, and dickhead got annoyed, and begrudgingly said no I was kidding we'll stay, that she slightly calmed down.

As I mentioned, maybe a bit meanly that he's a weedy little git, he seems to want to be friends with my OH and thinks that , bugger I cant explain it properly, he seems to be trying to do that divide and conquer thing, that is he tries to put me down, but then looks to OH for confirmation/approval, and is confused when OH doesnt agree/approve or activily disagrees. I can't explain this properly, sorry. It's just well odd.

As much as both of us dislike him we both love her, and he feels as I do, that we have to put up with him, maintain contact at all costs, but seriously there is only one other occasion that I have felt the urge to be violent so strongly.
I want to punch his sneery weedy too close together eyes face in, and give her a serious shaking, good 90% of the time I spend around him I am clenching my fists.

I know I can't make her leave him, I know I can't make her see what a shit he is, I know that the more I critize him the more she'll defend him, I know she can't / won't see it till she's ready.

I'm just going to have to vent at OH and on here aren't I.

OP posts:
CogitoErgoSometimes · 15/04/2012 16:02

I eventually broke off contact with a very good friend after she not only married and had a baby with her weedy fucker but, despite having been assaulted when pregnant with DD2 and left him in dramatic fashion (with my help) to a secret location, allowed him to move back in with her.... and forgot to let me know. I wasn't being totally irresponsible as I happened to know said friend (very tall and imposing) could dish out the punches having witnessed her attacking a previous boyfriend without provocation. I didn't need the stress.

As far as I know they're still together.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 15/04/2012 16:15

"looks to OH for confirmation/approval, and is confused when OH doesnt agree/approve or activily disagrees"

Because that's his modus operandi... cocky little bully-boy trying to make himself look the big man by putting others down and thinking another man will automatically back him up. That's how he's controlling your friend and I'm glad your husband is having none of it. If you choose to retain contact, don't put up with it and don't feel you have to be polite to him. If he is rude to your friend e.g. over having a second glass of wine, tell him to back off. She will start to see what a tit she's with and he will know you're onto him.

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