Is Yasmeen slowly starting to accept that she is a victim of Geoff’s abuse?
I think it’s a rollercoaster because even when the words ‘not guilty’ came out of her mouth she was doubting herself because of her history. She has huge self-doubt, and a lot of women in her situation do have that. Because historically, they believe themselves to have made bad decisions in their lives, they have a repetitive strain of abuse. She continually says to Alya, “He’s a complicated man, you don’t understand him.” And the second thing that she says to Alya, which she brings up to her many, many times is, “I did it.” “Whatever he did, I had no right to treat him in the way that I did. I had no right. Whatever he did, I should not have done what I did.”
How does Yasmeen feel after she calls Alya from prison, and Geoff answers the phone?
It’s extraordinary, and again we know she misses him. The sound of his voice calms her in a way. But the way that he speaks sometimes alerts her. So again, she has this dichotomy of feeling – she feels protected when she hears him, and she’s got used to his voice meaning comfort and security. He does say, “Look I still love you,” but he also says, “I’m willing to forgive you”.
Geoff offers to drop the charges if Yasmeen agrees to be his wife again. Is she tempted to agree?
Yes, because she says “I don’t want to go to court, why should my life be made public to everyone?” “Why should I do that?” It’s been in the newspapers, and why should she want that? She just wants to be left alone and to carry on her life in her little community which she’s spent the last few years creating. She doesn’t want to get out of that. But she tells Alya that Geoff’s sorry. So we don’t know what decision she will make.
When Geoff informs the police that he wants to drop the charges, does Yasmeen buy into the idea that he is genuinely sorry?
I think it’s a possibility. We don’t know – because it’s not up to the police to drop the charges, it’s up to the court. So we’re not quite sure what’s going to happen, whether the courts will allow him to drop the charges. Or indeed, Geoff to visit her, because he’s applied for a prison visit. She overhears somebody talking about the fact that he has emailed for a prison visit.
How does she feel when he calls her?
She hears his voice and she doesn’t put the phone down, she listens to him because as I said, she wants to, and he says he’s sorry and he says, “I’m going to get professional help.” That’s what we heard Yasmeen repeatedly say to Alya, “He’s a complicated man, he needs help, if only he’d do it.” And she doesn’t know whether to believe him or not.
Does Lucy encourage her to ring Geoff?
Yes, she has a contraband phone and we’ve already established a relationship with Lucy whereby Yasmeen knows that Lucy has had problems in her own marriage and she’s asked Lucy, “Why do you keep going back”’ and Liucy says to her “I just do.” So, she knows Lucy has experience – not exactly what Yasmeen has experienced but certainly she’s in an abusive relationship of some kind which she keeps going back to. But she says she’s not going to because she’s had enough. So Yasmeen is also looking at another woman and she’s learning from conversations with other women who have been in similar positions to herself and repeatedly so. She is taking that in, so she calls Geoff but he knows what to say. It's “I promise, I’m going to go out there and seek help.”
What does Yasmeen do with that?
She’s thinking about it. It’s a dilemma because she really wants him to change. We don’t know what she’s going to do, as many women do believe it and that’s why these relationships go on and on. And the thing is, if Yasmeen says “I believe you” then that’s it, the charges are dropped and they start living again. But will she?
Glenda Young
Twitter: @Flaming_Nora
Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor
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