The Receipts
I have kept this information to myself, but recent events make it obvious that it needs to live somewhere other than my own memory. I hope that no one ever needs to care about this, but I no longer consider that a reasonable hope. My daughter and I are in danger, and I need to make sure that should the worst happen to me, there is a record that can be used to tell the other side of the story.
I am not going to embellish. Some of these episodes can be verified by external sources, but most happened with no other witnesses, but this is what happened, my own records kept out of concern initially and now out of fear.
I’m not sure what makes the most sense as far as organizing this information, so I’m going to try to write it chronologically, with the newest updates at the bottom.
December 26, 2025
Once Miranda is in bed for the night, I thank Kelly for her efforts in making Christmas more pleasant this year, specifically mentioning being part of the Zoom call with my family on Christmas Eve and getting out some Christmas movies from the library. She pauses, then says "You're welcome". A minute later she starts crying. I tell her that I hadn't meant to make her sad.
December 27, 2025
When I tell Kelly that I'm going to see Nate the next day and would prefer if we have any discussions before I'm heading to see him, she complains that we never talk. When I ask what she wants to talk about, she says she doesn't want to talk, that when she does talk to me I don't make any sense, and that I'm not trustworthy. When I say I am trustworthy, she says the conversation is over.
A few minutes later, she says that we have so much we need to talk about. I again ask for specifics, and she tells me she was just making a comment and didn't want to talk. She later pulls of her ring (not her wedding ring, as she seemingly destroyed or lost that long ago) and throws it at me as hard as she can. She takes a box of tissues, but rejects my offer of a garbage can and tosses the used tissues on the carpet.
I eventually go to bed and try to sleep, but she crawls up on the bed (which she never uses otherwise) to sob loudly and toss more used tissues on the floor. Eventually she leaves without talking about anything. She elects to sleep on the floor that night, and sends me the text message: "I'm sorry for everything you think I've ever done wrong, regardless of whether it was actually wrong or not. I hope you have a good life. You seem to think I'm too defective to just love me."
December 28, 2025
In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in criminal prosecution, civil liability, or both. Additionally, assault is a criminal act in which a person intentionally causes fear of physical harm or offensive contact to another person. — Wikipedia
When it's time to visit my friend, she gets in front of the car to prevent me from leaving the house. I politely ask her to move, but she she insists that I'm going to run her over and it won't hurt anymore than me visiting Nate. When I take out my phone to document her blocking the car, she becomes enraged and runs over to try to wrestle my phone from my hand. My fingers are being crushed and I can hear my phone cracking, so I ask her to let go and tell her that what she is doing is assault.
Kelly is still incensed and calls 911 to get the police's opinion on whether her actions constitute assault. The dispatcher is clearly concerned by this report. When she asks Kelly if I am around, she reports that I am standing there mocking her, even though I am standing quietly, still in shock at her behavior. The dispatcher tells Kelly to go inside the house, leaving me to stand in the freezing temperatures to await the arrival of the police.
The police need to interview Kelly and me. They don't seem eager to intervene, beyond suggesting more counseling. They advise me to leave to give Kelly some time to cool off. Kelly takes this opportunity to send a text message to as many friend and family as she can to get her side of the story out. (Read text message) She tells Miranda that she had to call the police because I said something she didn't like.
To be especially petty, she put a bag of chips under the car tires, presumably so the crunching sound would remind me that she was still agrieved. It was this day when I finally realized that there was no social norm she wouldn't break, no personal boundary she wouldn't violate, and no amount of harm that mattered more to her than making her point.
If the worst should happen to me, please make sure my daughter is safe.