Dear Michelle,
I would like your help. I was married eight months ago with high hopes and dreams for a happy life.
About a month after our wedding, I realized this was not to be. My husband, “Conrad,” became verbally, physically, and sexually abusive. It was so bad that neighbors had to call the cops. I ended up leaving him for one month. I returned upon the urging of family to try to work things our. We’re both young, so I though maybe we just needed to grow up. However, upon my return the abuse continued. I finally packed my things and left for good last month. Now, he is begging me to come back and my family is pushing me to go back too. I don’t want to go back to him. I don’t trust him.
Please, check out his handwriting and tell me if I am being unreasonable.
Sincerely,
Black and Blue Lady in Chicago, IL
Dear Black and Blue,
Of all the colors in the bridal palette, black and blue have never been my favorite. Let’s take a look at your estranged husband’s handwriting and see what we can tell about him.
Conrad’s handwriting contains two elements that concern me. First, look at his punctuation. He went over his periods again and again, grinding them into the paper. These heavy periods are called “explosive dots,” a sign of a writer who is angry, irritable, and obsessive.
And, do you see Conrad’s horizontal “t” bar in the word “it”? He starts his “t” bar on the right and finishes it on the left. If you look closely, you will see that the cross-bar ends in a sharp stabbing point. People with these “t” bars have piercing tongues. They are critical — the worst kind of critical. When you least expect it, they cut you down with their sharp words.
Conrad’s ground in punctuation and stabbing “t” bars show that he has a great deal of anger and can be hurtful.
If Conrad seriously wants to change, he will have to make a major commitment to bettering himself, go to anger management classes, and work hard in a counseling program. In the meantime, stay away from him. Do not let Conrad or your family push you back into a bad situation.
Next time you write me, I hope the color you pick for your “signature” is “rosy,” reflecting brighter and happier times.