The rain hasn’t stopped since the machines took control, control of my family’s life that is. The machines in question? the security system watching my husband constantly.

Let me start from the beginning.

When I first got married to Antonio, everything was wonderful. He was charming, sexy, and so… perfect. Well, when we met, it wasn’t how I imagined I would meet the man I hoped to spend my life with. I was just getting over a breakup, and he was working at a Chinese place, he was my waiter. What caught his attention of me? He saw me crying over my crab rangoons and miso soup.

 Wonderful way of meeting a spouse! Am I right?

Anyway, he paid for my meal and asked me if I was okay. I started sobbing at the question. he stepped back with the look of “Crap, I screwed up”. I told him I had just gotten broke up with because the guy I had dated had cheated and blamed me for it.

“I’m sure someone as beautiful as you wouldn’t do that. He lost big time” he told me. I noticed the name tag on him.

“Antonio?”

“that’s me” he said with a chuckle. “Oh, and uh, don’t worry about the meal, free of charge” Antonio replied with a wink.

I couldn’t help but smile. He gave me his number too. Fast-forward eight months, we got married. The reception was beautiful. Four months later I’m pregnant, but what happened two months later was a huge surprise.  Antonio got a call from the police and informed him that his brother-in-law had been arrested, and Antonio was the only family that could take in his 12-year-old nephew, but something didn’t seem right, what about Max’s mom, Antonio’s sister Miranda? Where was she in all this, and why couldn’t she take Max? Antonio did some digging and found out Miranda was in an institute and do to all the abuse of her drug addict husband, she was on suicide watch, not to mention she already had mental issues that required medication, and she gave Max up for his safety. Max was battered and bruised when me and Antonio first went to pick him up and it was a long process getting custody of Max.

    It took long enough that I had gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Maggie. Antonio’s brother-in-law was sentenced 10 years in a low security prison for two counts of battery and assault, meaning 20 years total. Plus, an additional 30 years in a facility, which also meant we had got full custody of Max.

    Everything was great. Two beautiful kids, a wonderful husband, and a really comfy and safe home. I was so happy, and living my dream, but a few years down the road, that came crashing down. I noticed Antonio was starting to forget to take Max to basketball practice or simply misplacing things and just kinda making things up as to where they could be, like car keys or even the tv remote. Gradually, it got worse… By this time, Maggie was 5 and Max was 17.  I noticed Antonio acting strange and staying at his new job longer than he said. He was distant and quiet, he came home late one night, and the conversation was far from normal.