Miss Gibson

Susie Gibson knew it was time. Time to cut her ties to a husband who lied about work trips and his actions while he was away. She had decided to get a divorce. Her parents had never approved of Dave, but when she was kicked out of her house at the age of 19, she had no other choice but to start a life with her boyfriend. Susie began her marriage feeling trapped and alone as she was cut off from her own family.
She put up with physical abuse and mental anguish on a routine basis. She put up with the nights when Dave got so angry that he picked up her frail 120-pound body and threw her on the floor, breaking her jaw. She's dealt with embarrassment at company parties when Dave hit on other wives, instead of his own. She stayed with this man for twenty years because her religion told her divorce was wrong, but that changed when she explained her circumstances to her priest.
Things were going to change. Susie had decided to get a divorce from Dave, despite his promise to make her life a "living hell." Anyone who knows Susie knows that when her mind is made up, it cannot be changed. She followed through with the divorce because "I didn't want my kids to think that this was what a healthy relationship looks like." Her humble nature and love for God are what has carried her through the years of court battles thereafter. Even though the court battles have drained Susie of her entire retirement fund, she is satisfied knowing the money was well spent because "the most important thing to me in my life is my kids and making them happy." Dave kept his promise to make Susie's life difficult by accusing her of child abuse, by refusing to pay child support, and by seeking full custody of her kids. Dave may have succeeded with his financial attacks, but Susie's spirits couldn't be higher. Susie is never without a smile on her face. She lives each day counting what she says are her blessings, her three kids.