When my partner kicked me out, I was utterly lost. With time, I realised it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
The day my husband threw me out, I couldnt see a way forward. Years later, I understood it was the making of me.
Id married for love, never imagining what lay ahead. After our daughter was born, I gained three stone, and my life turned upside down.
My husband began belittling me, calling me a cow or a pig, refusing to see me as anything more. Hed compare me endlessly to his colleagues wiveshow elegant they were, how put-together, while I, in his words, had let myself go.
His words cut deep. Later, I found out hed been seeing another womana younger oneand he didnt even bother hiding it. Hed call her in front of me, text her openly, while my daughter and I meant nothing to him.
At night, I cried silently, with no one to talk to. Orphaned and alone, my friends had drifted away after the wedding. Sensing he could get away with anything, my husband started raising his hand to me. Our daughters cries set him offhed shout, demanding I silence her, threatening to throw us out.
Ill never forget the day it happened. He came home from work and ordered me out of the flat on the spot. Outside, snow was falling, the night closing in. With just one suitcase and my daughter in my arms, I stood in the courtyard, nowhere to go. He didnt even let us pack properly. As I stood there, stunned, a taxi pulled up. His mistress stepped out, suitcase in hand, and walked right into our home. All I had in my pocket was a few pounds.
My only lifeline was the hospital where Id once worked. By sheer luck, a nurse I knew was on shift. She took us in, and we stayed the night.
The next day, I went to a pawnshop and sold a thin gold chain with a crossmy only keepsake from my motheralong with the earrings my husband had given me before we married, and my wedding ring. I found a tiny room in the suburbs, rented by an elderly womanGranny Edie. She became like family. Thanks to her looking after my daughter, I found work.
With no qualifications, I took a job at a meat-packing plant, then as a nighttime cleaner. Later, a client whose house I cleaned offered me a job as her assistant, with decent pay. Because of her, I went to university, got my degree, and became a solicitor.
Now, my daughter studies at Oxford. Weve got a three-bed flat in London, a car, and take holidays several times a year. My law practice thrives, and I thank fate for kicking me out that day. Without it, Id never have made it.
Recently, my daughter and I were looking for land to build a country house. We found a plot near the Cotswolds. Imagine my surprise when the door openedand there stood my ex-husband, his now rather plump mistress behind him. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, but instead, I just stared. Before me stood a bloated, drunken man, drowning in debt. Thats why they were selling. After an awkward silence, I called my daughter, and we left.
I still visit Granny Edie, bringing cakes and helping where I can. Ill never forget her kindness. And neither will I forget Eleanor, my old employerthe woman who gave me a chance and changed everything.
