Would You Call That Love?
Untangling the yarn of an unhealthy relationship
Martha Beck was troubled from the start. By the age of 10, she had a glandular problem that would afflict her for the rest of her life. One of the side effects was a very high sex drive. It also caused her to gain a lot of weight. When schoolmates teased and bullied her over her weight, she ate more for comfort. A vicious cycle was born.
It wasn’t just school that Martha had trouble with. She claimed her brother sexually assaulted her several times. Her mother believed that she caused it and vowed to make life Hell for her. Whenever a suitor showed any interest in the teenager, her mother lobbed insults at both of them until the boy was no longer around.
In 1938, when Martha was 18 years old, she went to nursing school. Still shy after years of abuse from her mother, she didn’t make many friends. While the schoolyard taunts were gone, many of her classmates kept their distance from her for fear of being snapped at.
At 22, Martha graduated at the top of her class. However, because of her weight, job offers didn’t come pouring in. She ended up working with a mortician, dressing the female corpses for their funerals. This was not the life she envisioned for herself.
