'If he raises his hand too quickly… I'm out'
Nerissa talks about what it's like to spend Christmas with her parents, including an abusive father.
Nerissa talks about what it's like to spend Christmas with her parents, including an abusive father
Nerissa Martin's father is an alcoholic and is physically abusive.
Even though she moved out long ago, Nerissa still spends Christmas with her parents. But if her father starts to act in a way that makes Nerissa uncomfortable, she has an escape plan.
"I will either find a room in the house to go to, I'll walk away, I'll take a bus, I'll call an Uber, I'll just leave."
Nerissa talks about how her escape plan makes her feel better about spending time around her father.
This story originally aired on December 17, 2016. It appears in the Out in the Open episode "Holiday Survival Guide".