Angie

Even in her sixties and carrying some extra pounds, Angie was as cute as the proverbial bug's ear. A tiny woman in her youth, she had been a knockout. Later, she was still very appealing with a ready smile and a quick laugh. Everyone loved her.

Unfortunately, poor Angie was as gullible as she was sweet. Her life had been a series of run-ins with cruel Lotharios who saw her small figure and easy going disposition as an invitation to domination. They pushed her around with words, fists and. sometimes. religion.

Her first husband was an absurdly handsome man, whose beauty, as it often is, was in inverse proportion to his madness. He beat her, humiliated her and was unfaithful to her, but he always returned on his knees, in tears and begging for forgiveness. She was a sucker, but twenty years of that nonsense finally wore her out, so she took off for Florida, leaving him alone in Tennessee. He jumped in his car when he found out and swore he'd drive until he found her and killed her. Luckily, the car broke down and he ran out of murderous energy before he reached the state line.

Her second husband had a birthday within a few days of her first. But, he was so full of wonderful promises in his letters that it didn't seem possible that he could turn out anything like Damon. A clue to her should have been that he sent those letters from prison, but she just didn't see it coming although there were some pretty big road signs along the way.

She ended up in a Texas trailer with him. He didn't hit her, and he didn't play around, but she had to support him and he barely let her out of his sight. She tired of his demands but her rose colored glasses stayed as thick as before, so she never left him.