This was something I wrote in 1997 when I was at one of the lowest points
in my life. I thought I would include it so everyone knows just how low
I felt.
It's Sunday night almost Monday everything feels so abstract and far away.
I almost feel removed, I do feel removed. I feel like I'm being swept up
into a tunnel. Sometimes I find it hard to breath and I wish all the pain
would disappear. The problem is I'm not sure what the pain is. I'm having
a really hard time justifying my very existence. I need to find some purpose
for myself. I wish I knew who I was. I have no clue at this point who I
am. I go thru all the day's and the motions but I'm even pretty good at
putting on my happy face but deep inside I wonder who is this person. Me
what was I like years ago I don't remember. how can I not remember am I
trying not to remember? I hate to sleep and I hate waking even more. I
wake and it's another day filled with shit. I wish I knew where I
was going. I'm on a path like a mission and I feel like I need this mission
but i'm not sure what this mission is. I want the light to come on at the
end of the tunnel. I need to see daylight soon. I wish I could just stay
in bed all day with the covers up over my head and not see the dayight...this
emptiness can drive me crazy. Since my memory is for shit, I tend to dwell
on what I do remember. But what is that what do I remember? Where is the
little girl I see in pictures. she looks so happy. Why do I feel so sad.
How did I get so good at acting that I can fool everyone even myself???????
I wanna scream I need to know the truth about my life. I need to
remember I 'm starting to think about taking things. Like pills not much
but enough to numb but I'm afraid the amount I'll need to numb will be
to much. Numb me from what? Why can't I just get to it what do I
need to be numb to? My body ache's I feel like I've been beat up Gotta
watch it. It's now 4AM and I'm still awake. Trying to be quiet as to not
wake hubby I can't stand to close my eyes because I know what
the darkness holds. I get so scared so I don't sleep then I get so tired
I feel sick. Things pop in and out of my head. Are they real or not? I
wish I knew for certain. I want to throw up just thinking about it. Am
I imaging this or did I really go thru this? How horrible how utterly disgusting
how can I face the day's knowing what was done or was it. I'm still not
sure it even happened. Maybe I read it someplace and I took it to my life.
Butt why why would I ? for attention? God I wish I knew
for sure. The not knowing for me is worse than the knowing. If I was sure
it really did happen I could work on it but not knowing how do I work on
it? .. I really am glad I found Susan but I wonder if even she can free
me from this wall I erected. How can the wall be lifted when I'm not sure
what the wall is. I gotta go to bed. I feel so sick of being sick if only
there was an easy way out. Outa here move on to a better place. Sometimes
I wonder if I would have the courage to just end it all. But what happens
if it follows me into the next life. I want it gone not being my shadow
all my life. So tired eyes hurt but I'm forcing myself to stay awake I
can't take to many more nights like I've been having of late....I'm so
mixed up if only someone would spin me around and point me in the
right direction. Could I have made up this terrible story? How much of
an imagination do I have?
Susan said it's not uncommon
for people who have survived being raped to believe they made it up. She
say's it would be easier if I had made it up. I really do believe I made
some parts of it up. Susan does not believe I made this up. She knows all
the signs of trauma, oh well I guess she could be wrong to. How could I
one day believe this terrible experience really did happen and the next
day believe I made it up. back and forth I go. The human mind is so complex
that you start doubting yourself. I think I always will live with the notion
I made up part of this.
Just reading
this I can see how very far I have come. I never
really believed
I would heal this much, but I have.
I can see
it.
Marlena's
Story
I was born 45 years ago in Nov. in NY.
I don't remember much of my childhood and I suspect it was like most other
kids with the exception of the abuse. I broke my arm when I was maybe
six years old, had some tumors removed from my arm, had my
tonsils out and had many visits with Doctors because I had feet problems.
Like I said most of this I don't even remember, but it was told to
me so much over the years that I kind of remember it. What I
did always remember over the years was being picked up at the Hebrew School
and my mom asking me what happened in there. If the teacher had touched
me or not. I now can remember bits and pieces of what happened and it was
not pleasant. I was raped and sexually abused there on what I believe was
two occasions. I had always remembered mom asking me those questions, and
i remembered it was dark in the classroom. I knew I was the only student
in this classroom. The teacher asked me to play a game which I first
said no because I felt funny. He insisted I play and I said ok.
The abuse happened after that, and
ended with him telling me if I told anyone he
would tell my mom and dad I touched him and I
liked it. So of course I never told. I
was not sent back to that school ever again because I
guess my parents felt something was not right.
I was the only student in a dark class with a
male teacher. Anyway from that point on
I only remember bits and pieces of my childhood
and I yearn to have those years back. Like I
told my therapist since I have so little memory
of my life to begin with, I want all I can get
good or bad. Good for the obvious reasons and
bad cause I learn who I am and why, each time
I remember something new. I went on with
life after the abuse gaining weight, wetting
my bed till I was 12, drugs, Etc.... till I was 19
1/2 When I was raped by a stranger while
on vacation with two friends, We had gone from
NY to Canada in my car. We had problems right
off the bat. My new (I think it was 3 months old)
car died and we had to get it towed. Anyway we
made it to Canada and we were having a
very nice time. After we left Canada we
headed home via upstate NY I’m not sure I remember
if we had planned to stay in Corning or we just
wound up there. Anyway we got a room in a hotel upstate, I don’t
remember checking in so I don’t know how long we planned to stay or for
that matter
how long we did stay. I remember my 2 friends
wanting to go to a show. I did not want to go. My friends took my car and
left for dinner and a show. I don’t recall why but I opted for Dinner
alone and
then maybe a drink in the bar, or a walk. Well
I did go for dinner I ate in the hotel dinning room, I never eat by myself
any more. I hate the feeling of eating by myself. I finished dinner and
left the restaurant I was walking thru the parking lot when I saw the phone
booth and decided to make a call to my friend. I remember being on
the phone and nobody was home. As I hung up the receiver I was aware of
someone being there and heard a voice say “what time do u have?” I glanced
down at my watch without ever turning to see who was there, saw it was
6:01 and the next thing I know I felt a hand around my waist and around
my mouth and I was being pulled into a van. I was handcuffed to grates
in a van and for the next 6 hrs I was violently raped and made to believe
I would die. I was shown body parts which he said he cut off other women.
I was put into a shallow hole like a grave and thats where I thought I
would die. The rest of what happened is a nightmare which I will
share if I need to but the need is not there now.
I dropped out of
school right after that summer of 1974 after
the Rape. I had blocked this rape so well
because I already knew how to do that, since
I had done it since 8. I married a very sweet
man in 1976. Someone whom I knew would be supportive
and non-threatening. I was correct.
I'm now married 22 years and I'm basically happy.
I told him I was raped when we met, but
we never discussed it. I never brought it up
nor did he, neither did the girls I was on vacation
with when it happened in the summer of my 19th
year, no one. As far as the Hebrew School issue went, Mom and Dad never
brought that up. It was forgotten you see, they had asked me that day if
anything happened and I said no!! so that was
it. They must had felt something happened since
I never went back but like I said there was no
mention. Thru the years I have gained and
lost the same 75 pounds numerous times. The weight
is a comfort zone I created for myself.
If someone didn't think I looked good, maybe
I would not get raped again. I know this is bull
but that's how my brain works. Anyway I
have for the last 3 almost 4 years now and with
the help of a great therapist been on this healing
path. I have healed more in the last 8
month's than my whole life. It is not easy but
I feel so much Better. I went thru Bio-Feed
Back to learn to relax. EMDR to desensitize my
self, tried Hypnotherapy, and Regression
therapy, u name it I tried everything.
I wanted to heal so badly. Somehow I managed to make
a list of the things I had come to Realize and
from there I made a brochure, which Susan (my
therapist) is placing it in not only her office
but other therapists, her OBGYN and she has
only begun circulating them.
From there I made a web page and in the last 2
weeks have gone
online trying to help others. The more
time I spend online the more, the more I see that there
are an amazing number of survivors all looking
to help in any way that they can. This is a
really really good thing. Survivors can relate
to each of us on a different level than the
people who have not experienced the horror's
survivors have. I commend each and every
survivor out there trying to help and make a
difference . Each of us can make a difference in
someone's life. It could even be someone we never
met, or don't know but somehow we
touched there lives. See I feel survivors really
have a lot in common, and support for us
basically stinks for most of us. Sure we get
therapists, and we talk once or twice a week but
what about the rest of the time. I walk around
with this shit everyday. Talking to others who
have been abused, is a kind of release
for me, not sure why but just seems to be. I hope to be
able to reach out and make a difference and especially
help young people deal with this
sooner than later. And for us old folks....
LOL LOL it's never too late to heal. Maybe if the
internet had been around 24 years ago when my
abuse happened, maybe things would have
been different. We must use whatever tools we
have at our disposal to get the message out
there. Sexual Abuse has to stop. It's not something
that happened to us and that's it. We live
with this each and every day. As we heal I think
it moves to the back of the brain, but never
do we forget, NEVER. We just learn how to incorporate
it into our daily lives. This is very
difficult and very often we are alone to deal
with this. We don't need to be alone. We don't
have to suffer by ourselves. There is a whole
community of people in the same boat. The
hardest part is the first step. After the first
step it becomes easier. Read someone's web
page and maybe sign the guest book, e-mail someone
from an on line group, join an e-mail list,
and online club and even if you only read post's
and don't answer any, I bet eventually
something will get you and you will post. Even
if you don't post you will see that your not the
only one this has happened to and YES someone
does know how you feel. I am so glad that I
am able to use this computer to go online and
heal. The internet for me has been wonderful. I
have said things to people on here that I have
never said out loud, not even to Susan, not even
to myself. I am really seeing the difference
in myself. In the way I see things and relate to
things. I am certainly making a good start at
healing.... Wow I praised myself, that's a
first.... lol.. Anyway I have decided that
this is getting dealt with in this life because When
I leave this world to go to another. I
won't be taking
Rape and Sexual Abuse along for the ride this
time.
Through the years no body really
talked to me about what happened but I know certain people knew something
happened but I’m not sure if I told them or if one of my friends told them.
Since no body ever talked about it with me I pushed it further and further
into my mind and hopped it never would surface again, WELL WAS I EVER WRONG.
It has a life of it’s own. I did not ask for or wish for it to surface
I guess it was god’s will, or something but I could not control it. I now
wonder this 23 years
later how my life would be different today if
I had not stopped my friends from calling the police.
I often wonder if I hurt the rapist and if he’s
still alive. I would think that instead of sending men to jail for life
for what they did I think they should also have to go through an extensive
program of listening to recovered victims and what it has done to there
lives. I’m not sure in fact I know such a program
would not be of benefit to everyone but some
people would have to get some benefit from
hearing horror stories of how even a 5 minute
rape or act of violence can and is damaging to ones
life just as if it were 6 hours. Of course in
my case I wish it were only 5 minutes but wishing does not
erase the facts and I can say facts at this moment.
I am 100 % sure at this moment that what I
remembered happening did happen maybe not exactly
as I recounted here though. Sure I may
have sequence or even time frames wrong but the
bottom line is it HAPPENED.
Through all this they were
not
successful at breaking me down totally. I am and will continue to get
stronger, healthier and maybe even happier along
the way. I did survive, I feel terrible for those
who died before me and even possibly after me
by the hands of this mad man but I am happy I
was not one of the dead……I think about now
Susan would be saying “Thank you god” and I say
the same thing with a bit added “Thank you god
and thanks for bringing Susan into my life”
I just wonder how I fell through all the cracks
in the sidewalk for all my life. How from
my parents (I’m not putting blame on them), to
teachers, to friends, family you name it EVERYONE
did not see the signs. Was I or am I that good
of an actress or what? Do I need to get on top of a burning building and
yell HELP. Help I NEED HELP apparently I do since nobody noticed anything.
From being overweight, wetting the bed till I
was 12, drug use, adult obesity, mood swings and
worse were the splitting episodes. I hope that
if nothing else comes from these writings, That 1
person adult or child could get it. Get it that
it was not there fault. This is such a big obstacle to get
over. You know on every level that it’s not your
fault but over and over we act
as if it is our fault. I really do find it completely
mind boggling that nobody saw my signs. Or
did they? People are just so busy in there own
lives that I guess it’s almost impossible for
them to notice. But teachers should be trained
to see the warning signs. And therapists my god
I never realized there were bad therapists. I’m
not sure which is worse not going for therapy at all or
getting a bad therapist. When I went to my last
therapist I thought she was ok no maybe I
thought she was good. I made some improvements.
Especially compared to the
previous therapist. Now that I see really what
a good therapist is I realize it’s hard to know a bad
one until you’ve had a good one. I remember some
time after the attack at 19 going to a
man therapist…God what a mistake I remember him
asking me to give him details of whatever
I remembered and I thought he was enjoying the
account but then again I did not remember much.
I think the violence is something thats very
hard to get over..
Amy's
Story
Hi, my name is Amy and
I am a survivor of incest which was done to me by my grandfather and my
uncle. My abuse started when I was 31/2 years old and my parents divorced.
I was sent to live with my grandparents along with my younger sister. My
uncle who is only 6 years older than me was also still living with my grandparents
at the time. He was always
very mean to me when
I was little, always picking on me making me cry. Most of my abuse occured
at night, uncle would come in and pull me out of bed and take me to our
bathroom. I can still remember holding onto the sheets of my bed trying
to pretend I was asleep but knowing that it would not stop him. The abuse
with my grandfather occured mostly
during the summer when
I was out of school and home with him while my grandmother was gone to
work. When I think back on it I can see I was sort of a replacement for
my grandmother during these times. I sort of took on the role of "wife".
I would cook for him and clean house and have sex with him. God, it makes
me sick to my stomach to think of it
now. The abuse continued
until I was 14 and I packed up my things and moved in with my mother. I
thought I had escaped and I was so happy but I was wrong. My uncle would
come over when my mother was not there. He had a kep to the house so even
if I locked the door I could not keep him out. This went on for a another
year until he came over one day
and I told him that I
thought I was pregnate. Thank god I wasn't but the sexual abuse stopped.
But the abuse emotional abuse did not and has not. I am 25 now and I still
see him. My family does not know about the abuse and never will. I can't
cut him off without cutting off the entire family and I can't do that right
now. He takes every opportunity
he has to be mean and
hateful to me. He continues to make passes at me and generally makes my
life a living hell. I don't know how to end this story because it has not
ended for me yet.
Gari's Story
Betrayal
Jumbles and Stumbles
Jumbles:
The first year
of my life….was very nearly the last……………..
In the first year of my life, my real father attempted to kill my mother
and myself three times, I believe all in the first six months, When
I was six months old he took my Mom and I, across country to Louisiana
where all three of us landed in jail for a cross country hot check spree.
When I was three, two traumatic things happened. Both are the only memories
I’ve ever repressed. One repressed memory, came out when I was five, the
other remained a recurring nightmare from age three till I was fifteen,
when I found out it wasn’t just a nightmare, but it really happened…….
OK so I’m not sure of the order these two things happened, just that they
did happen. I was three and just adored my Grandpa… but, he took me up
in the rafter thingie in his garage and there on his steamer trunk, as
he bribed me with a stick of gum, he molested me. This is the memory that
stayed buried till I was five. In fact I’ve only recently allowed myself
to admit that I know who the molester was, you see this will cause the
final break between my Mother and I from age three to fifteen I have
one nightmare, every night of my life!
My Nightmare!
I’m three, and I’m in a motel room with a really tall very angry man, he
is yelling at someone on the phone, and he has this really big knife at
my throat.
He slams down
the phone and throws me out the door into some bushes, now bang bangs are
all around me and my Dad (my lil brothers Dad, but I thought he was my
Dad) and the police are out there beyond the bushes, and there are more
bang bangs going off!
All I remember
of the ending here was the, hold, embrace, hug that my brothers dad gave
me …… I was safe. So when I was fifteen, and my real father tried to come
back into my life….. I found out, that this wasn’t just a scary nightmare,
that it actually happened to me. And my real dad was the man on the phone
There aren’t a lot of memories from here until I was five. I don’t think
its because I’ve repressed, I think its because I was in a safe place.
But from the stories I’ve heard about my behavior i.e. …. Trying to give
my lil brother away…… I may have even tried to harm him. I was acting out…
from the traumas I had suffered, and someone should have seen the signs.
Instead, to this day when this part of my life is told by others in my
birth family, it’s still told as I was a jealous bad little girl. Anyway,
so now I’m five and my mom has remarried again, my step dad is mean
old and ugly, yucky, yucky, yucky! When he first started molesting me,
he triggered a flashback (at age5) I was in the bath tub, and he
was bathing me, and he told me I wasn’t a virgin….Yeesh, does a five year
old even know what a virgin is? But he explained it in such a way that
I flashed to the steamer trunk …. Oh my God, my secret is out! I never
told my step dad about the steamer trunk… but he never let me forget that
I was never a virgin. He used it to reinforce that I had been born “Bad”
I have to keep all these deep dark secrets, so no one finds out that, I
was born “Bad” I was in my preteens, before I stopped wetting the
bed and peeing my pants on the way home from school. step dad used a lot
of mental, brainwashing…. Not to much violence directed at me…. All he
did was in the name of “Love” and what did it matter, I wasn’t even a virgin
anyway. His claim was “he was just making sure I learned how to love a
man… and to make sure I didn’t grow up with the same hang-ups as my Mother.”
He treated me like his mistress, his prostitute… this put me in competition
with my Mom. During those years I learned my lessons well… When it
looked as though my lil brother was in trouble …. I’d use my body to distract
him. I truly was a prostitute now! He was so bold as to molest me, sometimes
while my Mom was right there in the same room. There were so many signs,
I have a hard time believing, my Mom didn’t know! And if she didn’t
know why did she treat me the way she did, as if I were a threat, was I
really born “Bad?” How could she be in the same room, and Not know? How
could she find, ashtrays with tons of butts, in my room, and Not know?
How could she, find out from step dad, (at age 11) that I had a lump in
one of my breast, and Not know? AND NOT KNOW?
This continued
till I was fourteen, when I left home over night, and slugged step dad
as I left. Knocked him backwards across the trunk of his blue ford fairlane
Yea for me! That was the beginning of having to fight him off… the last
time was as he was dying.
When I was eighteen,
I found out that he had also been molesting my lil brother. This is when
I started telling my secrets, twenty-two years ago! And I‘m NOT going to
stop until there is no more abuse! So my brother and I went to our Mom,
and told her….She said (still says) we were lying and why did we want to
hurt her like this……. After all we know all she ever did was try to protect
us from just this…. After all protection for us was the only reason she
even married him, in the first place. And we have always known it was her
only purpose in life to protect us, after all how many times a day did
we here this. ( which is to painful to talk to Mom, cause I can’t cope
with the burden of her guilt, too)
Yeah we know,
so thanx soooo much for this heap of guilt, it’s yours, not mine……..
To this day this
is extremely painful to talk to Mom about the abuse, when talking about
it, my Mom still says IF it really happened. I wonder does she know, this
is exactly how “he” said she’d react
I wonder does
she know?
It did, why in
the world would anyone, lie about this !
Why would anyone
carry the wreckage of this, if it were not
REAL
To be continued……….
©1998, 1999
gari^..^
MAGGIEMAY'S
STORY:
I GREW
UP IN A TENEMENT SLUM ALONG WITH 3 BROTHERS AND AN ALCOHOLIC MOTHER. THE
VERY OLDEST ABUSED ME AND MY BROTHER JUST 1 YR. OLDER THAN ME. GUESS WORD
GOT AROUND THAT WE WERE EASY ACCESS SO SEVERAL UNCLES AND COUSINS JOINED
IN ON THE ABUSE. WE WERE ONLY 4 AND 5 YEARS OLD. WHEN WE TOLD OUR MOM SHE
BEAT US AND TOLD US NEVER TO SAY IT AGAIN TO ANYONE. SHE IDOLIZED THE ABUSIVE
SON, NEEDLESS TO SAY HE DIED A VERY HORRIBLE VIOLENT DEATH, WE NEVER
WONDERED WHY. WE DID CELEBRATE IT THOUGH. I COULD ONLY ASK GOD FOR FORGIVENESS
BECAUSE I NOT ONLY WISHED HIM DEAD I ALSO HELPED THE KILLERS FIND HIM.
HE WAS A DRUGDEALER, KILLER, RUTHLESS SON OF A BITCH. MY MOM BLAMES ME
TO THIS DAY FOR HIS DEATH. THE UNCLES HAVE ALSO PASSED ON, FOR THE EXCEPTION
OF THE COUSIN TO MY MOM. SHE WILL NEVER DISCLOSE HIS ADDRESS TO US. WE
ARE SCARED FOR LIFE. HE TOOK OUR INNOCENCE BUT HE DIDNT BREAK OUR SPIRIT
AND WILL TO LIVE, THO QUITE OFTEN I THOUGHT AND EVEN CONTEMPLATED DEATH.
IVE MADE CHILDREN MY LIFE. TOOK IN 8 FOSTER CHILDREN WHO WERE ABUSED, AND
HAVE 3 OF MY OWN. IVE BEEN HEALING SLOWLY, AND HAVE MADE THE MOST
INCREDIBLE FREINDS ONLINE. IVE EVEN BEEN BLESSED TO MEET 3 OF THEM. THAT
IS MY STORY.
MAGGIEMAY
Jackie's Survival
Story
Hi, my nickname
is "Cherry". My real name is Jackie. I am a 30 year
old survivor.
I am doing this page to help others that have been abused or are going
through it. You are not alone and there is help out there.
My abuse started
when I was five years old. At first it was just fondling then as time went
on things progressed into him having sex with me and forcing me to do things
to him. I honestly don't think he left anything out most of the time he
was rough and uncaring, he didn't care if he hurt me he only wanted to
feel good. I was so scared, I wanted him to stop but he never did. I wanted
someone to help me but how could they help.....no one knew what was going
on......I never told, I couldn't or he would kill my mom. That is what
he held over my head for my silence. This went on for 25 years. I just
could not tell anyone I didn't want to lose my mom I had to protect her.
For 25 years I kept that secret and protected my mom. It was the hardest
thing I have ever had to do, but it was the wrong thing to do....I should
have told that was the only way the abuse was going to stop. I was a little
girl forced to do things as a woman. Now I am a woman and feel like a scared
little girl. I have been a very lonely person all my life, I have never
dated. When I was 20 I met this young man through our parents. We talked
and got to know each other. He was so nice, and I started to have feelings
and he said that he loved me. As time went on we because best friends and
I started to feel ok with his company and we got close but still I never
told him about my secret. Well when I was 22 and he was 25 he asked me
to marry him.......think YES!!!! this is my way out, and I agreed to marry
him. We got married and had a beautiful wedding and I moved out. We lived
a few minutes from mom and my stepdad. At first it all seem to be working
being abuse free, but, then he was at work one day and I was asleep. The
next thing I knew someone was touching me and on top of me. I thought it
was my
husband then I
realized it was my stepdad. I begged him to quit. He told he had to punish
me for leaving him.....he raped me and beat me up. He said I was his and
I would be sorry that I let my husband touch me....I told him he hadn't
and he didn't believe me. That afternoon he made me write a letter to my
mom and my husband, a letter stating I had to go away. He took me to a
cabin and tied me up and raped me everyday. But..........it was true........I
wasn't able to let my husband touch me. After he brought me back
home my husband
told me that he needed and wanted to make love to his wife. I couldn't.
After a month he moved out and we got divorced. I have never been with
a man besides my stepdad. Anyway, I never moved back home but the abuse
and rapes continued. He would take the apartment key my mom had and come
over as he pleased and take me. I lived in fear all my life never telling
a soul but my husband. I don't blame him because he tried to be loving
and understanding and part of me will always love him. But "I can't" be
with anyone. Well this brings me to getting my computer and discovering
the internet and some great people.......people that I felt safe to tell
what I have been hiding all these years. I really talked my head off (their
heads). As time went on I learned about some channels for survivors and
abuse issues. My favorite is called healing-Pyramid......I met one woman
there and was talking to her regularly (BunnyLee), and I met another one
(JavyB) they were great! Then I met the founder of the channel (Will) and
he has to many nicknames to name but they all talked to me for many hours
and finally convinced me I had to tell my secret to stop the abuse. So
on June 8th 1998, I told my mom about everything. She hung up on me......I
never talked to her again.......I thought she hated me........on July 25th
1998, in the middle of the night I got a rude awakening.......my stepdad
killed my mom.........I hate it and 6 months later my stepdad is in prison
and he is still controlling me..... So see you have to tell now don't hide
it!!! I honestly think I will always be alone I regret my mom is gone but
I don't regret telling.....Please get help. By the way, my mom didn't die
hating me like I thought. He was telling her if she had anything to do
with me he would kill me.
So, she was protecting
me.
Karina's
story:
I was born in December of 1978. My parents had been married a little
under 5 months at the time of my birth. My father secretly hated
my mother for getting pregnant with me, this would come out later.
I don't remember anything for the first year of my life for obvious reasons.
My sister was born in March of 1980. I guess, the first real memory
that I have is of my father pinning my mother against the outside door
of our house while my sister and I sat in the car and watched and waited.
I was probably three, then. I remember being beaten black and blue
with belts, boards, vacuum cords, speak wires, shoes and basically any
hard object that my parents deemed fit to use on my sister and I.
I didn't fight back, at least, I don't remember fighting back. My
sister, however fought back with her heart and soul from the very beginning.
My father seemed to enjoy the fight she gave him...whatever that was about.
I started kindergarten when I was 5. I already knew how to read and
I knew all the basic things, so the teacher would let me go down to the
first grade class rooms and listen while the teacher read or while the
other kids shared their writings and what not. I remember one time,
distinctly that my mother became angry with me for spelling the word "hate"
wrong, I was only 5..my god. She gave me an example, I remember,
of what hate was, I still have the scars to prove it. Anyway, I learned,
real quick, to survive in my house I was to keep myself busy and my mouth
shut, I did just that. I remember, though that my sister did not
and she was reprimanded for it, quite often. I, also remember that
there was a neighbor man his name was Carl he was probably well into his
70's by this time, his wife was a lot younger and he had no children living
at home. His wife would baby-sit the neighborhood kids while our
mothers ran errands and went shopping. Most of the neighborhood kids
went to this man's house on, at least on one occasion. My sister,
My best friend, another friend and I were always at this man's house not,
because our parents were always gone, but because his grandchildren were
always there and we played with them at the house. Anyway, this man
touched my friends and I for almost a year before my sister and my best
friend told my best friend's mother. I guess, I was the lucky one,
if you can call it luck, because I wasn't touched as much as they were.
I know from the police reports now and from memory as I write this that
he did hold knives to our throats and drills to our heads. He was
arrested and sent to jail where he died over a decade later. Anyway,
In fourth grade my mother told me something that I still have running through
my head this very day...10 years later. She said that I should've
been an abortion and if she had the chance to do it, again she would've
terminated her pregnancy in a heartbeat, I learn, then that I would never
been good enough for anyone to love or to cherish, so anything said to
me would be all a lie..for my mother, the woman who gave birth to me, didn't
even want me. Well, throughout grade school I was the child that
sat in the back of the room, never said anything, had perfect grades and
when questioned about my bruises I would walk away. In eighth grade
my mother moved my sister and I to a rural county school to take the heat
off of her and my dad(the school system was figuring them out). At
this county school I met a friend and she introduced me to a man from another
county school. This man, Aaron and I began dating shortly, thereafter.
He knew that I had previously been sexually active and he wanted to get
some of the action, too, I guess. On an October night he did just
that..he raped me. In the back of a van, while my friend and her
boyfriend were in the front, they heard me scream that had to have, yet
neither one of them did anything. Well, after that night, I said
nothing for the longest time, I just kept making up "excuses" as to why
I was afraid to be touched or I didn't want to go see Aaron or hang around
my friends anymore. Well, anyway, the following year I met another
man, his name was Mark, he was loud, obnoxious, basically he was totally
outcasted in this small county school, but I took a liking to him.
I was his date to his junior prom..that night he and I got drunk, I don't
really remember that night, so I am not totally sure about what did or
didn't happen. Anyway, he and I stopped talking shortly, thereafter.
Well, I went to the county school for two years..we left, because they
DID figure it out and threatened to call the authorities more than once.
In tenth grade, the year we moved back, I was in all accelerated classes
and I was very quiet. My friends, however began experimenting with
drugs that year..months later I was to follow. By the end of my tenth
grade year I was extremely sexually active, I had many one night stands.
I began dating an abusive man, Jason. He was rich, fairly popular
and on the surface he was very caring and gentle. However, behind
closed doors he was anything, but that. He hit me, but he said that
he loved me afterwards, I actually believed him. Anyway, a close
friend of mine figured out what was going on and beat the hell out of Jason..after
that he never touched me, again. Well, after that relationship I
got further and further into drugs. I was, at that point, smoking
marijuana, snorting cocaine and shooting up heroin and ingesting LSD.
I would sleep with what ever dealer had the most available drugs...just
to get my fix. I didn't care about myself. Well, one night
one of these dealers took advantage of my cravings for the drugs...He raped
me. I barely remember it, I remember it was outside and at a party,
but that's about it. Supposedly a friend witnessed it, but whatever.
Anyway, by this time I was in a shame spiral, so to speak. The summer
came and went, then I started school, again. I was still hooked on
the drugs and I was still promiscuous. The only thing really different
about this year was the fact that I was no longer in accelerated classes,
I didn't care about my education anymore. Things were tense at home..my
dad was never home, my mom was always home and my sister and I were constantly
at each other's throats. My mom would slash my hands and arms with
knives when she got pissed, so I would rather have just been dead, so I
started trying to kill myself, I tried about 100 times, nothing worked.
Well, on August 23, 1996 it finally worked. I overdosed on excedrin.
I don't remember much of anything. I know that my friends called
the ambulance and I know that I got in a fight with a cop. I woke
up in the Intensive Care Unit 3 days later. I was, subsequently taken
to the psych ward...I was released from there 4 days later. I was
tested for drugs, pregnancy and a bunch of chemical disorders. This
is when I was diagnosed as being bipolar. I, then started therapy
and was placed on medication. Oh yeah, during this time my father
became unfaithful to my mother, he said it was, because I put too much
stress on him at home, because of my suicide attempt that he had to find
love elsewhere, so, again the fact that my family was falling apart was
my fault. Anyway, I quit therapy on my eighteenth birthday which
was 4 months later. I was, also in drug rehab at this time and I
graduated from that 5 months after I overdosed and I was clean for almost
a year before I started experimenting, again. Well, on January 1,
1997 I was raped, again this time by a man that was friend's with one of
my other friends. He held me down, kept telling me that he was what
I wanted, I kept screaming NO! He wouldn't listen. No one ever
listened to me. I didn't report it, I didn't even know the man's
name, well real name, that is. Anyway, problems at home were getting
worse and I didn't want to burden anyone, anyway. I was eighteen
at this point, senior in high school. My parents were on the verge
of a divorce. Well, my father left the day of my sister's 17th birthday.
He went to live with his girlfriend and her three children. I started
getting heavy back into drugs. My sister was always staying at her
boyfriend's house and my mother was always at the bar 'til all hours.
I missed 62 days of my senior year. I had no idea what was going
through my head, I still don't. Well, In April of 1997 my dad came
back..back with vengeance. He brutally attacked my mother while my
sister and I slept in our beds. I woke to her screaming and crying
and him swinging his belt. I ran and attempted to save my mother
and I got slammed into the entertainment center. I got up and ran
acrossed the street and three o'clock in the morning to my best friend's
house and begged them to call the police...they did. That night my
father was released into my grandmother's custody and ordered never to
come back to our house. He came back a few weeks later and told my
mother, my sister and I to get out. My mother and My sister left...she
didn't want me with her...no one wanted me. I left for a few days..I
didn't go to school that week. I barely slept, how could I learn?
Then my dad paged me and told me to come to the house and stay with him...I
did just that. Two days later his girlfriend and her three children
moved in. I started baby-sitting her kids a month later, I guess
it was my way of trying to keep peace in the house. I graduated High
School. I didn't participate in the ceremony. Well, anyway...a
few months past and I rekicked my drug habit. I didn't talk to my
mother or my sister 'til 8 months after their initial leaving. I
started dating Mark, again. He and I got engaged. Then I started
college. A month after I started college I got pregnant from a one
night stand. I told Mark and he slapped me acrossed the face.
He was angry and understandably so. Well, I miscarried that baby.
I was devastated...two months later I quit college. A few months
after that Mark called me and wanted to talk, I agreed and went with him..He
raped me, told me it was punishment for cheating on him and getting pregnant.
A few months later I got pushed down a flight of stairs trying to escape
an attack from a stranger. I went to court for that..the guy was
let off. My dad would occasionally still hit me, but I could take
it, I was an adult and he had no hold on me or so I thought, but now that
I think of it..he has a strangulating hold on me and he knows it.
Well, In January of this year Mark came back and raped me, again.
I deserved it, I screwed him over NOW he wants to screw me up. The
next month he attempted to strangle me, a few weeks after that he raped
me, again...this time I got pregnant...now I am currently carrying his
child. I am in therapy, but I do not go regularly and I don't open
up to her, like I should, but I am trying. My father and I still
have a shaky relationship. My mother and I have a strong relationship
and she has a new baby. My sister and I are closer than we ever were
and I have found a few great friends on the Internet.
Manyissues
I was sexually abused by
my father for more than ten years. He also abused me physically and
emotionally for many years. The sexual abuse began when I was 5 years
old. My father would put his finger up inside of me on a regular
basis. Then came the oral sex just a few years later; he would lick
my vaginal area and force me to give him blow jobs. It wasn't that
much longer before the raping began when I was twelve. My father
took me with him on his hunting trips, and in many ways, I took my mom's
place. I cooked, cleaned, and let him screw me whenever he wanted
it. At 16, a teacher became concerned about my well-being after reading
a poem that I had written. She reported me to DFACS and a social
worker came to see me at school. I lied and said that nothing was
wrong, and they believed me! I was disappointed that they believed
me so easily.
I began therapy at
age thirteen because I was severely anorexic. I was offered therapy
or hospitalization, and I chose therapy. The raping continued, but
I didn't tell my T about it until after I left for college Two years
later, I tried to tell my mom about the sexual abuse. She denied
it at first, but then believed me for a year because it seemed like the
explanation for my bizarre behaviors. Mom lived with my dad for nearly
a year before she got the courage to move out. Two months later,
my dad had sweet-talked my mom into believing his version of the story.
My dad convinced my mom that my T had brainwashed me into believing that
the incest took place. This led to my first suicide attempt and in-patient
hospitalization. I was in-patient for three months trying to accept
the fact that my family no longer believed me. They thought I was
crazy; in fact, they still think I'm crazy. But I no longer give
a damn.
Macrec
I don't remember when my abuse stated, as a matter of fact I remember very
little of my childhood. I have pieced some of it together by
going through old pictures and a family tree, but much is still missing.
What I do know is, my abuser was my uncle (on my father's side).
I know that I was being abused around the age of 11, right until and possibly
into my High School years. I use to babysit at his house often and
that is where most of the abuse took place. Some of the abuse also
took place in the swimming pool where I lived. He was damn sneaky
about it. My home life wasn't a piece of cake either. There was a
lot of emotional abuse taking place. I do wonder at times, if I turned
to him because I was not getting the love and attention that I needed at
home. I was basically left to my own and was the "good little girl" that
did what she was told so I wouldn't get in trouble. My sister was
able to get away with not always doing what she was suppose to, so I got
stuck doing it.
My parents got
divorced when I was in High School. They didn't even have the nerve
to tell my sister and I, they actually had my abuser do it. They
should have gotten divorced years before they did. It might have
saved a lot of pain. Everyone was worried about how my sister would
handle the divorce and that meant they pretty much left me to my own to
cope with it. I coped the best I could, but didn't always make the
right choices.
I started to
deal with the abuse in April of 1998. I always knew it happened,
but until then I was able to keep it locked in my mind. It has been a long
hard journey to date and I know that it will be tough for awhile.
I have been battling depression and anxiety and the only place that I feel
safe is at home, alone. Through all this, I have had to make some very
tough decisions in order to be able to take care of myself and help in
my healing. I had to have my daughter go live with her dad and step-mom.
I could not be there for her and she deserved better than that. All
because some Bastard took away my childhood. I have also had
to distance myself from my family of origin. It was one of the best
moves I've ever made. They were never there for me. And if all this
wasn't enough, I have been struggling with the anger. Learning to
get out the anger has to be one of the hardest things going.
This is no way
the end of my story, the journey having just begun. I am unsure if
this story will ever be finished. It seems to me it will take a life
time to heal.
Dorine
IM
43 AND THAT'S QUITE A LONG TIME TO KEEP SOMETHING BOTTLED UP INSIDE U,,AND
NOW IT HAS BEEN RELEASED AND IM FEELING BETTER ABOUT SOME THINGS IN LIFE...
>>
34 here. DID
diagnosis for 6 years. I was sexually abused by first Doc that Dxed me
DID. Have had a hard time trusting another Doctor! I was sexually abused
by my mom and her brothers (4 of them) some were nice about it and some
brutal. No one listened or helped. It felt like the world knew, just wasn't
important enough to them! My mom has tried to kill me, has said she can't
love me, no matter how much she tries because I look like my Bio. Dad,
he molested me also, just died this past Christmas Eve. Just now having
awful memories and nightmares about step father molesting me. I cant help
to think that SEX was all I was wanted for. My MOM taught me to be good,
had to be able to keep your man "she said," She locked me in closets, basement
and bedroom. Now I find myself wanting to be in them a lot, weird!!! I
feel safe and comfortable. I have a house full of teddybears, dolls, toys,
etc., a little embarrassing to admit. My mom stalked me, left house
made harassing phone calls to me, of course no one believed until I put
the phone to their ears and then said, " She's just joking" I don't think
so, I have knife scars from her, my brother does to. He went thru a lot
of the same as me, and he's 18 and just got a way from family.
WOW, cant
believe I told that much. I have others but afraid you will not talk to
me. Things my family did!
Janice`s Story
I was born in June of 1962, to an unwed
mother who was too lost in her own pain to be able to love and nurture
anyone, including me. The first time I remember being abused, and I didn`t
get that memory until I was 30 yrs old, I was 2 years old, my cousin Danny,
who is 17 years older than I, was babysitting me, and the memory I have
is crystal clear, I was laying on an ironing board and he took my diaper
off and raped me, I only remember it happening once, but when I confronted
him with it, he said he did it almost weekly for 8 months. I have no memories
of the other times, unless they were always carried out in the same way.
To this day I believe with all of my heart that there is no way my mom
could not have known, she just chose to ignore it. About 6 months
after it stopped I was hospitalize with spinal meningitis and I was isolated
from everyone, including my mom, for almost 6 weeks. I remember, like it
was yesterday, thinking that they were trying to kill me because of what
Danny did to me, I had a spinal tap everyday the entire time I was there
and that`s how I thought they were going to kill me, I still remember the
pain. I have no memories from 3yrs. until I was 5, and thats when my mom
married a man that hated me more than I ever knew it was possible to hate.
Around that same time we went to visit my Grandfather, and for whatever
reason, my mom wasn`t around so being the pig that he was, my grandfather,
he thought it would be fun to put his fingers up inside me, and when he
got tired of that he used kitchen utensils and tried to see how deep inside
me they would go, I told my mom about it, and her response was to slap
me in the face. I remember thinking, "I`m on my own." How strange a 5 yr
old would think such a thing, but I never told her another thing. That
slap was the first of only two times in my life that I ever remember her
touching me, good or bad... The next two years were spent getting beat
by my stepfather for things like him finding a cookie under my bed, or
walking the same way to my room and making a path in the carpet. Those
two things stand out in my mind because he beat me until I was unconscious.
When I was 7 I had a friend named Kelly and I use to spend the night at
her house a lot, she also had a stepfather, but he was nice or so I thought,
until the day he forced me to perform oral sex on him and then swallow
it. I don`t remember how many times this happened but it was often for
the next 2 yrs. As mean as my stepfather was, I never thought that he had
done anything sexual to me, until I was looking at some old pictures of
me and I came across 4 pictures of me at 6, 8, 9, naked and crying and
I remembered that he use to spray me with the hose and then refuse to let
me in the house unless I took all my clothes off and what a coincidence
he had his camera right there. Also, he use to make me change my clothes
8 or 10 times before he was happy with what I was wearing, and Nancy, that`s
my therapist, tells me that is considered abuse because he was using the
guise of making me "presentable" to look far to closely at my body. This
happened everyday for 11 yrs. The emotional abuse he gave me was by far
the worst, I was scum, stupid, never amount to anything, fat slob, anything
he could think of he would say. We had a cabin in the mountains and we
went there every weekend, it was about three hours from home, and for one
of those hours, we drove on a VERY winding road with severe cliffs next
to the road with no guard rails, and he like to play a little game to see
how scared he could get me, he would reach over and open my door and pretend,
I think, to try to push me out. To this day I am terrified of the mountains.
When I was 11 I got hit by a car and had to be taken to the hospital, nothing
serious, just some stitches, but when I got home I was beaten so bad I
couldn`t get out of bed for 5 days, all because I had cost him $85.00.
I got the message that I wasn`t worth $85.00 and I still feel that way.
I had an Uncle that I adored, he gave me more love than I had ever known,
I felt like I had some worth when I was with him, and I took every chance
I could to be with him, he was setting me up to sexually abuse me, of course
I didn`t know that then, and he started very slow and year by year he was
doing and having me do more and more until at the age of 10 we were having
sex. That continued intermittly until I was 26, and the last time
I almost lost my grip on reality, and for what ever reason he never tried
anything again. When I was about 12, my friend Kelly and I met an old man,
who talked us into letting him have sex with us, and he would give
us money. Can you imagine the guilt I carry with that one, we did that
for about a year and then I think he died.
I have no real memories from 12 to 15 probably
because I was doing a lot of drugs during that time, but when I was 15
I met a nice guy, or so I thought, on his motorcycle and we talked for
a while and he asked me if I wanted a ride, I got on and he didn`t take
me where I wanted to go, instead he took me to a deserted park took me
into the bathroom and raped me, and as messed up as I was, everytime he
would find me I would go where ever he said so he could rape me again,
this went on for 2 months until I got pregnant, and that was the last time
I ever saw him. I have a 20 yr old son who is clueless about all of this,
as was I until about 8 yrs ago. When my stepfather found out I was pregnant,
he kicked me out of the house, and I went to live in a girls home, I don`t
remember my mom ever saying anything to him about kicking me out or anything
else for that matter, but I do remember that when she was angry with me,
and that was often, she would refuse to talk to me, the longest being 3
months and that time i was 11yrs. old. So my son and I lived in the girls
home for 2 1/2 yrs and then my stepfather died and we went home, 3 yrs
later my mom died. For 16 years my mom had a boyfriend that I assume she
would have sex with once a week, and right after her death he assumed that
I should take her place, so every week on the same day at the same place
as he and my mom had, he had sex, and he got off on comparing us while
he was on top of me, this went on for 4 months until I couldn`t get high
enough to block out what was happening to me and I would throw up everytime
I was with him, I guess he couldn`t take that and finally left me alone.
Over the next 5 or 6 years I would let whatever
man was on the outskirts of my life at the time, use me. I have had 3 more
kids along the way and just got married for the first time 1 year ago.
To a man a lot like my stepfather, verbally abusive,
no support about my abuse at all, I think I have made one of the biggest
mistakes of my life, but for the time being I am working on my healing,
I have a wonderful therapist, and I pray everyday that I can climb out
of this prison of walls. Walls that I have built with shame, fear, self
hatred, self abuse, weight, drinking, drugs, feelings of no worth, and
the inability to trust anyone. One day I hope to be on the other side of
all of this, but until then I will keep trying to do whatever it takes
to get there no matter how much it hurts. If there is nothing better than
this, then there is no point in living, so I hold on to the hope that there
is wellness waiting for me after the work is done.
Silenced Angel's
story
The story I am about to tell is not a pretty one. But then any story
of sexual abuse is not pretty. It will be graphic in it's content.
I am telling it to help in my healing. I hope that it helps in yours as
well. If at some point during this story you become overwhelmed,
please stop, take a deep breath and take care of you. Do not read
farther than you can handle. I do not wish to cause you any pain
by telling it. I just want to heal some of the wounds and this is
just one of the ways of healing. I'll start my story how I remember it.
It isn't in chronological order. I'll start where I can always remember.
It will then jump to the part of my life where the child abuse memories
started to come back. I can remember spending a lot of time with
my mother. She would go to her mother's house every day. She
would spend most of the day there until it was time to go pick up the other
kids from school. Then she would head home to cook supper and spend
the rest of the evening with us kids and my father. My grandmother lived
in a little house. Just four rooms. I remember we weren't allowed
in two of the rooms. She had lots of property. We were always
allowed to go outside and play because the house was set back far from
the street and it was on an old country road. She also owned another
house. It was there on her property as well. But I don't ever remember
anybody ever living in it. I don't remember my first years of school.
I still don't remember them to this day. I do remember some of grade
school. I remember that I did not make friends easily. I stayed
to myself most of the time. I refused to have any thing to do with
any of the other kids. I was always by myself. I didn't seem to mind.
I actually excelled in being alone. I poured myself into my school
work. I can remember always doing what I could at school. I
didn't enjoy recess or lunch periods because I did not want to have to
go outside with the kids. I preferred to sit by my self and read
during recess and lunch. I remember going to the hospital early in my childhood.
I didn't know what was wrong with me at the time, but I now know that I
had kidney failure and almost died. I was in the hospital for several
weeks. Then I didn't get to go to school for a couple of months afterward.
I stayed at home with my mother. Visiting at my grandmother's house.
When I was nine years old I was having a lot of problems. I would
have horrible cramps in my abdomen. I didn't know what was wrong.
I would have these almost every month. My mom took me to a doctor.
He asked me a lot of questions. I didn't know the answers to most
of them. I remember leaving there with mom and going to a pharmacy.
I was put on birth control that day. They told me it was because
my body would not start on it's own and that I needed a little nudging.
The nudge worked, but I wasn't allowed to stop taking the birth control.
I remember them talking about scar tissue. They also mentioned surgery
at a later date if needed. When I was only 11 or so I met a friend
of my sisters. He was almost 21. He showed a huge interest
in me. I used to sit up and talk to him all the time. His best
friend lived across the alley from us. Whenever he left there he
would come by and visit my sister. But it was always me that he really
spent any time with. He would have me come sit on his lap and we
would talk and talk. He started telling me that he was falling in
love with me. He wanted to spend more and more time with me.
My dad didn't really like it, but he said as long as we were at the house
nothing could happen. (I will call him K in this story so you can
distinguish who I am talking about.K would come by every night after he
got off work. He didn't even go to visit his friend any longer.
He would come over and stay until dad would tell him it was time to leave.
Then he would sometimes sit outside in his car and tinker with his stereo.
I would get up to go to the bathroom and look outside and notice that he
was still there. All of the family enjoyed skating. I would often
go to the skating rink in town. My mom and dad would take us every
Sunday. During the summer months dad would let us go skating two
to three times a week. K didn't know how to skate, but he wanted
to learn. He soon started going so that he could spend more time
with me. I actually thought that I liked his attention. As I blossomed
into a young teen his attention grew stronger and stronger for me.
I wasn't even thirteen and he told me that he wanted to marry me.
That he wanted me forever and ever. That no one else should ever
have me and that he would have me until the end of my life. I was
actually flattered at the time. Even though my dad didn't really like the
idea, he seemed to allow K's visits. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere
with him unless my older brother went with us. And then it was only
to the skating rink or to a ball game. I got my first job when I
was thirteen!
I was a car hop
at a local restaurant. I used to get a lot of tips. More so
then the other girls. At one point the owner actually thought that
I might have been stealing because of the amount of tips that I got every
day. But he changed his mind was nothing was ever missing and when
he realized sales had actually gone up. At the tender age of thirteen
I seemed to know all about sexuality and I used mine to get large tips.
I didn't know how I knew, but I knew and I used it. One night, shortly
after my birthday I walked down to a friends. She lived in the new
apartments close to the restaurant that I worked at. Not all of them
were finished. They were still under construction at the time.
I was supposed to be home before dark, but she was depressed and I stuck
around longer. It was late when I started walking home. I was
only a few blocked from home when it happened. Someone came up behind
me, grabbed me and pulled me into the wooded area by the apartments.
I was scared to death, but in a different way then normal. He tore
my clothes from me. He forced himself upon me and entered me with
such force I started to scream. He held his hand over my mouth for
a moment and then stuffed something in it so I couldn't make any noise
any longer. He pounded into with such force that I was hurting everywhere.
My back was pounding into the brush and rocks on the ground. I was
hurting every where. I didn't know why this was happening to me.
Then he stopped. I thought it was over, but instead he forced me
to take him in my mouth. He was shoving it so far in that I was choking.
I was starting to vomit, but I couldn't get it out. I thought that
I was going to die. Then I felt him let go inside of me and I knew
that it was over. He threatened to kill me if I screamed or if I
told any one. He told me that he knew that I worked at the restaurant
and that he would come back for me if I called the police. He told
me to just lay there for
30 minutes and then I
could go. I laid there for what seemed like an eternity. I
didn't move. I was barely breathing. I was terrified that he would come
back and kill me. When I finally found the courage to get up I could not
find my clothes. They were gone. I had nothing to wear home.
It was only a few blocks, but I still did not want to run home that way.
I ended running to the pond. I stayed down there for a long time.
I finally found the courage to go home, but I did not go in through the
door. I climbed in through a window. I did not want any one
to wake up and find me like that. The first thing I did was call
K. I told him to come immediately and told him that I was raped.
I went to the bathroom and tried cleaning my self up. I was bloody
on parts of my legs and back, but it was only from the scratches. I knew
from school that I should have bled, but I did not. I didn't understand
what was going on. I showered and showered until the water went cold.
I still did not feel like I was ready to get out, but I knew K would be
there if he wasn't already outside waiting. K had been in such a hurry
to get to me that he wrecked his car. He wasn't mad about that, but
he was evil about what had happened to me. He made me go with him and show
him the spot. He searched the area like he might find the guy still.
He was really crazy. I had never seen him like that before. He kept
talking about what he would do to the guy if he ever found him. He
said nothing like that would ever happen to me again. That he would
never let some one take me like that. A few months late K told me he was
going into the Marine Corps. He asked me to wait for him until he
got back. I wasn't sure what to do. I wasn't really old enough
to think about something like that, but I said yes. I actually thought
that I was special. He said he would write to me every week.
I looked forward to his letters. He talked about how much he loved
me. He talked about how he would take care of me. The tone of his
letters started to change. He started talking about sex in them a
lot. He also wanted me to write to him that way. I found it
hard to do. Something didn't seem right. Then one letter really
changed the way I felt. He said he had met prostitute that looked
a lot like me. He started sleeping with her once a week to think
of me. He said he fantasized that he was with me each time.
He would describe it in deep detail. I finally decided to break it off
with him. I was sixteen years old at the time. I felt all alone,
but I felt it was the right thing to do. I still didn't have many friends.
What friends I did have were males. We were just friends. Nothing
more. But one night one of the guys tried to do something with me.
It pissed me off. I got out of the car and started to walk home.
He kept saying he was sorry. It was just the alcohol. He wouldn't
do it again. Please get back in. But I wouldn't. He kept following
me in his car and wouldn't leave me alone. This guy on a motorcycle
pulled up and asked if I needed help. I said yeah. Make this jerk
leave me alone. He offered me a ride. At first I wouldn't accept.
I just kept walking. But it was a long walk and I finally decided to take
the ride. He was really nice. Took me home and then sat out
front and talked to me half the night. He asked if he could call
or come by sometime soon. I gave him my number. We started
talking all the time and then we started dating. One thing led to
another and I started sleeping with him. It came really easy for
me and I didn't understand how I knew how to respond so well, but I did.
I ended up pregnant. I was really shocked because I was on birth
control. I had been since I was nine. As soon as he found out
he dumped me. My mom and dad started pushing for me to marry K.
They felt he could take care of me. I didn't want to and it wasn't
his kid. I didn't think he would want to. My mom wrote to him
and told him what had happened. He said nothing had changed, that
he still loved me and that he still wanted to marry me. He came home
on leave while I was eight months pregnant. I didn't really want
to marry him, but I was really being pushed into it by mom and dad. I had
a really hard pregnancy and almost lost the baby several times. I
had to lay flat on my back during the whole pregnancy. Was not allowed
to walk. I had to use a wheelchair to go anywhere. I had to
get married in a wheelchair. He left for his new duty station three
days after we got married. He said he would be back for me after
the baby was born. I had the baby 3 weeks later. K came back for
me two months later. He packed all my stuff and moved me away from
every thing and every one I knew. He moved us into a little trailer
court about 15 miles from the base. He let me call home the first night
from a pay phone. He stayed by my side while I made the call.
He didn't let me stay on long. He said it was because of the finances.
There was something about him that really bothered me. He seemed
to have changed since the first time we met. I know that the first
few months with him were somewhat uneventful. He never let me do
much of anything. He wouldn't get a phone in the trailer and I couldn't
understand why. When ever I wanted to call home he was always right
by my side. And then he would not let me stay on long. Then
one day the phone company showed up and installed a phone line in the trailer.
But he would take the phone with him to work every day. He wouldn't
leave it in the trailer when he was gone. When I first got
there I didn't do much of any or got outside. But I finally decided
to meet my neighbors.The first day he came home and found me outside was
the last day I ever went outside by myself again. He beat me really
bad and told me I was a whore. Told me I was probably looking for
another man to get me pregnant again. He left for about and hour
and then came back. He had bought bolt locks from the store.
I was never allowed to leave the trailer again while he was gone.
He had bars put on the windows the very same week. I became a prisoner
in my own home. My life became very confusing for me after this.
My memory eluded me quite often. Sometimes I couldn't even remember
what I had done the day before. I knew that something was not right
about the way my life was going, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong.
There was one thing that stuck out in my head forever. It concerned
K's best friend. When he would write to me before we got married
he would tell me about his best friend that he was stationed with.
He used to tell me that they were so close that they shared everything.
I never really gave it much thought. One day K came home and told
me that his best friend was coming to visit. He was really excited.
He talked about old times and the fun they had. He said he was going
to throw him a party. He told me that I better be on my best behavior
or he would kill me. The first day that his friend arrived I learned what
K meant by sharing everything. I was included in the bargain.
I didn't want to have any thing to do with it, but he beat me until I said
okay. I did what I was told to do. K stood over us and watched
as his best friend had his way with me. He commanded me to act like
I liked it. To say filthy things and to beg for it. I held
back the tears while his friend raped me over and over and over.
I could barely walk the next day and I could barely stay awake to take
care of the baby. That night was K's party. He said five of the guys
from the post were coming with him to party with his best friend.
I had to show all of them a good time he said. If I didn't I would
be sorry. I refused to have anything to do with it. I tried to stand
my ground. He beat me before they ever got there. It didn't
matter. I was got gong to allow that to happen. But he broke my will.
He pulled a loaded gun on me and told me that I had a choice. I could
take care of his friends or I could die. I told him to kill me.
He said that wouldn't be a problem. But what about the baby?
Maybe they could have fun with her. I began puking and crying but
it didn't matter. While I allowed his friends to do what they wanted
with me I had a loaded gun pointed at my head. K was getting excited
and i was afraid that he would pull the trigger by accident. After
one finished then the next would start. Then I had more than one
on me at the same time. I remember that I was too hurt to move after it
was all over. I just laid there. I didn't even have the strength
to cry. I didn't have any more memories of anything from that point on.
What ever happened to me I buried so deep that I could not even remember
what had happened just moments before. I knew nothing of the world around
me. I don't know how I took care of the baby. My life was a
total blank. I will call the next person in my story S. The next
thing I remember was driving to Raliegh-Durham. I remember that I
had to pick up K's friend again. K could not go because he had to
be at base in the middle of the night. He said he needed his sleep.
He said that I would have to drive to get his friend, but he was sending
one of his guys with me to make sure that I didn't do anything stupid.
He said I could stop along the road to take care of his guys on the way
back if they needed, but not to do anything elseI remember coming
home to an empty house. K was supposed to be keeping the baby while
I picked up his friend. But the house was empty when we got back.
I don't know what happened, but a neighbor had the baby. She said
she had her husband break into the house because she had seen K leave but
could hear the baby screaming. She asked if any thing was wrong.
K's friend was with me still and I was afraid to tell the!
truth. Three days
later K told me that he had to pull CQ (Charge of Quarters, you had to
stay on base for 24 hours) again. He could not understand why.
He had just pulled it three days ago. I didn't think about any thing.
I just figured it was the military. I was wrong. S, one of
K's friends, one of the many who had used me had witnessed my husband abusing
our child. He had more rank than K and had arranged the CQ. He said
that what happened to me didn't really affect him. But when he saw
K do what he did to the baby it sickened him and made him reevaluate every
thing that was happening. I had found bruises on the baby and thought
that K had hid her. She was only 8 months at the time. I couldn't
understand how someone could abuse an infant. He broke into the trailer,
helped me to pack what was really needed for the baby and a few things
for me and then took me to base to get the truck. Even though
S did things to me that are unspeakable, I thank him for saving my
baby's life. For getting me away from K. I moved home with
my parents for a couple of months, but then I left there. K was calling
there for me constantly and telling me that he was coming after me.
I gave my baby to my parents and then hid. I was scared to death
of him, but I was really unsure why. I decided to join the Air Force.
I thought that I would be safe there. I didn't think that he would
be able to find me I was so very wrong. I was through with my basic
training. It was my first weekend off post. While walking home
from the shopping center on base, K found me. He had taken leave
and came to find me. He grabbed me, took me to a secluded spot off
base and beat me. He then raped me over and over and over.
He said there was nothing that I could do about it. He was my husband
and he had every right to "make love to me". He beat me again and
raped me again. I was bleeding really bad. I begged him to
stop and take me to the hospital. He sai!
d he would do one better.
He said he would drop me off at the military police station so I could
report it. He laughed because he said they would not even do any
thing about it. He was right. They said we were still married
legally and that they had no jurisdiction in a domestic case. I conceived
that night. I don't know how, but I was pregnant. I miscarried
three months later. I was bleeding profusely and they could barely
stop it. I told them about that night, but they still would not do
anything. They said there was a lot of scar tissue and that I needed
surgery. I consented and that is the last thing I remember. My life
was really messed up. I came home on leave to visit with my family.
It was a happy reunion. I got to see my baby girl. She was
growing by leaps and bounds. I heard that K had finally gotten out
of the Marine Corps. I didn't think a lot about it. I didn't
want to be reminded of the things he had done. Then one night while
I was at the club I saw him. I immediately left. I was terrified.
I wouldn't go anywhere the rest of me leave. The day that I was leaving
he was just down the street from my parents house. He followed me
to the airport. I wouldn't get out of the car until some one came
to escort me in. I boarded the plane and thought it was over.
But then he boarded too. I shook the whole way back to Texas. I was
re stationed to Indiana. I was close enough to home that I would
come home every other weekend. It was about the sixth month at Indiana
that K found me again. He said he wanted me one last time before
our divorce was final. I was hurt so bad that I was put into the
hospital. He gave me vd. He said that I deserved that.
That I was nothing but a whore and a slut. The hospital treated me
for the vd. Then I was sick a lot. I thought that I was pregnant
again. They said I wasn't. But I felt like I was. Then
one day I was rushed to the hospital. I had been pregnant. I had
a tubal pregnancy. There was so much scar tissue the eggs couldn't
get to the uterus. I lost the baby and almost died as well.
They said I would never be able to get pregnant again. There was
so much scar tissue, I had only one tube now and one ovary was now dead.
They sent me home to recover. The physical was healing, but the mental
was deteriorating. I couldn't take life any more and I was on a path of
self destruction. I took a medical discharge from the military and
crawled home. I moved into an apartment by myself. I didn't
want to do much of anything. I got a job to support myself.
Then two jobs. Then I ran into an old friend. He had just been
kicked out by his girl friend. I told him that he could crash at
my house if wanted. I worked nights, he worked days. It wouldn't
be a problem. I'd know him all through school. We barely saw each
other. Only in passing. Then one night I got sent home early.
We were dead. I decided to get drunk. My friend came home drunk.
One thing led to another and once again I was pregnant. I do know
how, but I carried the child full term. I gave birth to a little
boy. We ended up staying together because of our son. Then
I got pregnant again. A little girl. Then again with a little
boy. Even uterus this guy was no good for me I stayed with him because
of the children. He was forever abusing me mentally. He drank
a lot and would slap me around. It didn't seem all that bad.
Then one day he decided to move out. I thought it was the best thing
to ever happen to me. I went back to work. My life was starting to
look better. I went to college and life was actually good.
I had three beautiful children, I was working and going to college.
I didn't care about men. Didn't even want to be bothered with them.
Then it happened. I met the man of my dreams. Literally. I
met him through letters. It started as a friendship during the war.
But it moved into something better than that. He was really good to me
and for me. He was open and honest. We ended up getting married.
Things were really working out for me. Life was good. Then
he got orders to go to Germany. The father of the children did not
want them leaving the states and took me to court for custody. Even
uterus he was never there for them the judge gave him temporary custody
while I moved to Germany with my husband. Then my daughter who I
had given to my parents decided to come live with me again. She came
with me to Germany. I was depressed over losing the kids, but I still
had my daughter. Then she decided she wanted to go back to the states.
I was beginning to get depressed over that as well. Then the first memory
came. It came as a "body memory". I didn't know what it was
at first. I felt this horrible pain in my right breast. It
was like someone just shoved something through it. I could feel a burning
pain like I when I pierced my ears as a teenager. I would not go
away. I was shaking and hurting and scared. I didn't
know what was going on. I was at a military party with my husband
and I told him I wanted to go home. He said okay, said his good byes
and took me home. I couldn't explain what it was or why. Then
two days later it happened again. Only this time it came with the
memory. I then realized what triggered it. While at the party some
of the couples were talking about a woman who had her nipples pierced.
They said she would go to the gym with her tee shirt cut out so it didn't
catch on the nipple ring. Shortly after that conversation, a lady
changing her baby's diaper stuck the baby with a pin. The baby screamed.
That's when the "body memory" came. When it came with the memory
I realized it was from the baby being stuck. When my baby was just
a few months old I had accidently stuck her with a diaper pin while changing
her. K grabbed one of the diaper pins and stabbed it into me.
Then he stabbed it through me and told me I could wear it like that until
I learned not to stick the baby any more. I wore that pin in me until
the day I left him. It healed over and I could put an earring in
there today if I wanted. I cried and cried and cried as I realized
what had happened. I started getting really bad headaches. I couldn't
figure out what was wrong with me. I was going crazy inside.
Then something different would happen. I would be wide awake, but
yet I could see something. Like I was dreaming or watching TV.
Yet it was happening to me. So how could I be seeing it happen? I thought
that I was losing my mind. I was afraid to tell my husband.
I thought he might think that I was crazy. Memories of K's abuse started
flooding into me. Memories of the nights when his friends would do
what they wanted to me. Then the beatings because I let them.
I remembered a time when I heard the baby crying and wanted to go take
care of her. He wouldn't let me. I tried to get up to take
care of her. I remember him tying me splay legged over a saw horse
and let his friends pound into me. They would make me have oral sex
with them. K would would call me names and tell me I was worthless.
He would tell me I was a slut. Only a slut would have allowed someone to
do what I allowed them to do that day I got raped. He used bondage
on me all the time. He started using different things on me.
He would let the guys force things in me. One time he raped me with
a loaded pistol. The site tore into me and I bled really bad from
it. He just rubbed the blood in my face. Then he became fascinated
with peeing on me. He would make me swallow it sometimes. Sometimes
he would wipe feces on me. I would be left like that all night long.
In the morning he would let me shower, but I could not get the smell of
it off of me. Another night the baby was trying to nurse. I
was sore from being beaten. I could barely nurse her and she seemed
to be really stressed. I was trying to make a bottle for her.
She was screaming by this time. K got mad at me. He started
slapping me around. The bottle over heated and I was trying to cool
it down. I thought I had it cool enough, but I didn't. The
baby screamed. I quickly tried to quiet her. But it was too
late. K said he would punish me for it later. After the baby
was asleep, K re warmed her bottle. He heated it up really hot and
then made me lay down. He tied me to the bed and then started trusting
the hot bottle in and out of me. I was screaming because it was a
glass bottle and it was burning me inside. He stuffed something in
my mouth and just kept raping me with my baby's bottle. Then he beat
me until I passed out. When I woke up I was still tied to the bed.
He had strapped the bottle inside of me. He was gone.
The baby was gone. I didn't know where they were or when he would
be back. After that night he started raping me with a baseball bat.
He would make me suck him while he raped me with the bat. He would
dress me up like a tramp and then take me out in his truck. He would
pull up beside truckers on the interstate and he would turn on the cab
lights. He would make me masturbate in front of the truckers.
Then he would make me use objects on myself. He would pull over at
the truck stops to see if the truckers would stop. Some time they
would and he would let them have sex with me. He would masturbate
in my face while the truckers had sex with me. It started happening more
and more often. Every week he would take me out and have me do things
with truckers. One night he took me to a strip bar. He made
slip dollar bills in the g strings of the female dancers. What I
feared was going to happen did. He watched while I had sex with another
female. If I didn't act like I would enjoy it, then he would beat
me up after wards. His abuse continued for several months I started
having body memories again. I could smell rope at first. Then
could feel the pain of rope burns. At first I could only feel in
on my arms and my legs. Then I started feeling in on my neck and
back. I could smell the oil in the rope it was so real. As
the memories came I would huddle in a corner of the room and scream and
scream and scream. I was falling to pieces inside. I couldn't
believe what was happening to me. I felt the pain all over again.
I could watch it like I was watching a TV screen. I could feel it
like it was happening all over again. The last memory I had before I finally
sought help from a doctor was of my little girl. While I was tied
over a saw horse being abused by one of his friends, K started doing things
to my little girl. He was rubbing her in her privates. Then
he started to rub himself on her. He would rub himself on her lips
and then on her privates. I watched in horror as he put his finger
in her first. Just one. Then he put another inside her. He
laid her on the floor right in front of me and told me that she was going
to grow up to be a slut just like me. He said that he would teach
her how to be a better slut then her mother. I watched in horror
as he started sliding another finger in her and then another. He
was making her scream and I couldn't do anything about it. He was masturbating
near her face and I started screaming at him to stop. He put her closer
to my face so I could really see. Then he asked me if I wanted to
watch him while he gave our baby what all women want. She was barely
eighth months old. It was at that time that S walked into the trailer.
K had three of his fingers inside of our baby. He had his penis close
to her mouth. She was screaming. I was screaming. S walked
over to K and hit him right in the mouth as hard as he could. They
started fighting. The guy that had been there for awhile got up and
left. Somehow I got kicked in the head and knocked out. I woke
up in a hospital room. S drove me there and said that we were out
four wheeling and that I hit my head on the window after a hard turn and
drop. They believed it.I don't remember how long I spent in the hospital.But
they finally released me after several nights. It was two days later that
I drove to Raliegh-Durham. Then just three days later S rescued me.
With all the memories coming back my life was pure hell. I started
seeing a doctor 2 times a week. I was plummeting into a deep depression.
They were talking about admitting me to the hospital. They were afraid
that I was becoming suicidal. Through out all of it my husband stood
by my side. He was there for me when I needed him and he would back
away when I felt like I needed my space. I thought the worst of the
memories were over. But it was only the beginning. One morning I
got up and started my household chores. I had a feeling of foreboding
hanging over me all morning. I didn't know what was wrong with me,
but I was major upset most of the day. I started getting a really
bad headache. I knew that I was not going to get it to go away on
its own so I went to the hospital. They gave me a shot of demeral
and a shot of visteril and sent me home. As the medication started
to work on me my mind started to fade away from me. I started dreaming,
but the dreams were strange and unreal. When I woke up the next day
I had foggy memories, but nothing that I could comprehend. My sister
happened to call that day and we talked. I don't know what brought the
conversation up, but she asked me out of the clear blue if I was a victim
of incest. I laughed and said no. She said she just wondered.
Then we talked of other things. But that question opened up aPandora'ss
box for me. All day long I had memories of the dreams the night before.
I couldn't place the house that I was in or where I was. It was very
strange for me. The next morning I got up and started working in the garden.
I worked in it most of the day. Later in the afternoon I walked down
to the store that was just a few blocks away. I was actually feeling
very good. Later that evening my husband and I took a drive.
I don't even remember where it was. When we returned there was an
abandoned puppy in our fenced in yard. It even had a food dish and
a leash still attached to it's collar. Something frightened me, but
I didn't know what it was. All night I was nervous about something,
but could not place it. The next morning I started having flash
backs of the incest. I remember my uncle taking me down to see the
puppies. Letting me pet them. Then he would take me to show
me his "special puppy". I started remembering how he would pick me
up and give me real tight hugs. How he would pull me close to him
when I was just a little girl. I remembered sitting on his lap and
feeling him bounce me up and down on his knee. I would feel him bounce
me up and down more on his lap. And then he would hold me there real
tight. I could feel him squirm a little underneath me. I didn't
know what he was doing, but I would just sit there in his lap. Eventually
the memories flooded through me. I started remembering him fondling
me. Touching me under my panties. He would rub me and ask me
if I liked it. The first time and told him no. He told me that
I was being bad and that my mother would be mad at me for being a bad little
girl. He told me to say yes, to say it felt good. I would tell
him it did, but I didn't like it. At first he would just touch me
under the panties and rub me down there. He sometimes would kiss
me on my chest and on my belly button. Then one day he went farther
with me. He put his fingers between my legs and started to spread
me open. I started to cry. He told me that I shouldn't cry.
He said that I should be happy that my uncle loved me that much to make
me feel good. He told me to tell him thank you. When he started
to push deeper inside of me I started to cry again. He told me he
would quit, but he was going right down to tell my mother that I was being
bad. He said that he was going to watch her spank me. I didn't
want that. He said my mom wouldn't love me any more if she knew that
I was being disrespectful. I laid there and let him do what he wanted
to me. After a while he unzipped his pants and made me touch him.
He said it was just like the little puppies I liked to pet. He told
me that I could pet that for awhile. I didn't like the feel of it
and started to pull away. He held my hand real tight and helped me
to pet him the way he wanted petted. Then he pulled my face closed
to him and I felt something wet in my face. He rubbed it off with
his fingers and then told me to lick his fingers. He said that was
a special kiss just from him. He told me I couldn't tell anybody
because they would be jealous that I got his special attention. He
said I couldn't tell my mom or dad because I had been disrespectful and
they would not love me any more. If I kept it a secret,
then they would still love me and I could still be his favorite niece.
With each time that I spent with my uncle he would become rougher with
his touch. He started pulling himself out right away instead of waiting.
He would rub himself on my face and my chest. He would rub it through
the curls in my hair. Sometimes he would lay me on my stomach and
rub him self between my butt. I could feel the wetness afterwards.
Then he would just wipe it off and make me lick his hand. One
day he took me in the big house. He showed me a hole in the wall.
He said that if I ever told what he was doing to me that he would stick
me in that hole and he would nail a board over it. No one would ever
be able to find me. Then that day he took me upstairs in the attic
and laid me down on a stinky old mattress. He removed me clothes
and laid them on the floor. He started like he always started, but
then he changed. He used three fingers on me. I could feel him
moving me and stretching me. I was hurting and I started to cry.
He shoved himself in my mouth and held it there until I couldn't breathe.
Then he pulled it out. He said crying was a sign of weakness. That
my daddy didn't like weakness. He said my daddy was a strong man and wouldn't
want a little girl who was weak. He said my daddy really wanted boys,
but if he had to have little girls then they needed to be strong.
He said he was going to make me strong. He said every time I cried
he would put his puppy back in my mouth and I could suck on it just like
a little baby. Then he started forcing himself inside me. I
felt like my body was ripping open. I was all wet and I thought that
he had caused it. I thought that he was going to stop, but he didn't.
He lifted me up, sat up and sat me on his lap. He pushed into me
again and he lifted me up and down. I could feel the wetness and
started crying. He pulled me off of him and threw me down on the
mattress again. When he went to stick it in my mouth I saw blood
on him. I started to scream but couldn't. Then he was inside
of me and he was pushing himself in and out of me so hard that I was choking.
I could taste the blood and it was making me sick. Then I felt him
let loose of something in my mouth. I didn't know what it was and
I would not swallow it. When he pulled out I spit it out. He
slapped me and told me to never to it again. He said that he was
going straight down to tell my mom. I starting crying to not tell.
He said that I had to make him feel better then. He said that I was acting
just like a little baby and therefore I could suck on him just like a baby.
I didn't know what to do. He put it in my mouth and told me to suck
on it. I tried, but I didn't do what he wanted. He stopped,
got his belt and started spanking me. He asked me if I was going
to behave. I said yes and that I would be good. Then he put
himself in my mouth again. He told me when the time comes that I
better not spit it out again. He said that a good little girl would
want all of his special ice cream. Every time after that he would
force me to suck on him. Sometimes he would put his fingers in me.
Sometimes he would put them between my cheeks and rub my anus. Then
one day he started licking me down there. I just laid there frozen
in fear. He would bite me and it would hurt. Then he started
licking on my anus. He then started rubbing his penis between my
legs and then between my butt cheeks. I felt the wetness and thought
it was over. But instead he rubbed it on my anus and then he put
one of his fingers inside of it. I wanted to scream, but couldn't.
Instead I just laughed and laughed. He didn't like that and he forced
another one inside of me. I couldn't cry any more so I just laughed.
If I didn't cry I thought I wouldn't have to suck on him. He pushed
and pushed into me and I could hear his breathing going really fast.
Then he pulled them out and put his penis between me and forced himself
into me. I couldn't scream. I tried but I couldn't. I hurt too much.
I felt like I had to go to the bathroom and I tried to push away, but he
just held himself inside of me and he shook and shook and shook.
I could feel him grab a hold of me and shove me towards him. He shook
for the longest time and then it was over. Then he passed out on
top of me. I was squished beneath the weight of him. I could
smell the stench of beer on his breath. His breath was hot and he
was breathing in my face as he slept on top of me. I laid there for
a long time trying to be still. Then I started to try and push him
away, but I couldn't. He was to heavy. He was drooling on me as he
slept. After a long time I started to cry. I had tried to hold
it in, but I started to cry. I don't know how long I cried, but it
seems like forever. Then he woke up. I tried to stop myself,
but I couldn't. He said he was going to tell my dad. I tried
to stop crying, but I couldn't. I tried really hard. I quit
making the crying sounds, but the tears still came. He called me
a little baby. A disrespectful little baby. He told me to go
ahead and suck it like a baby. It was soft and yucky feeling.
It was dirty. I could see feces on it and some blood, but he made
me lick it any way. I started throwing up because it tasted horrible.
I couldn't stop wrenching. He grabbed me by my throat and started
choking me. He threw me down on the floor and then he picked me up
again. He started to call me names that I didn't understand.
I couldn't quit puking and crying. He grabbed me and started forcing
himself into me again. He told me if I quit crying he would take
me back to grandma's. I started to calm down. He said he was
sorry for choking me. He said he didn't mean to hurt me. He
said that he would make me feel better. He started kissing me and
rubbing on me. Then he took me downstairs and ran a bath. He
cleaned me up as best as he could. My hair was a mess and I didn't
like it. Then he said he would let me go pet the puppies if I was
a good girl for him. I shook my head that I would. He helped
me get dressed and then we went to see the puppies. While I was petting
the puppies he picked up some of the puppy poop and rubbed in on my face
and then rubbed it on my dress. Then he took the puppy away and threw
me in the dirt. He said to get up. That we were going to walk back
to grandma's. While we were walking I felt him push me in the rocks.
I scraped my knees and my hands really bad. He shoved me into the
ground and he said that I was to tell mom that I fell in the puppy cage.
If I didn't then he would tell my dad that I was a crybaby. When
we got there mom came running to me. I told her the puppies knocked
me down. She took me home and cleaned me up. I didn't get to see
my uncle the next couple of times that I was over there. I didn't
get to go see the puppies either. But I didn't want to see them either.
Then I saw my uncle coming one day. I started running to the little
house be he caught up to me. He said he would be nice to me.
That I would get to see the puppies. Just the puppies. That he wouldn't
make me touch his. So I went with him. But he lied to me.
While I was petting the puppies he started rubbing on me and then he started
rubbing his penis in my hair. He rubbed it all over me. He put it
close to my mouth, but he didn't make me suck on it. I didn't cry.
I just sat there and petted the puppies. Then he took the puppy away,
pulled my pants down and started rubbing himself in and out of my legs.
He took my hand and put my hand on it and made me rub it up and down.
I just sat there and let him do it. Then he put himself close to
me and let himself get wet on my lips. I still just sat there.
I didn't move or cry. Then he gave me the puppy and let me play with
it again. Sometime later he took me back to my mom's. For the
next few times all he did was rub on me. And wet on my. Then
one day he took me to the big house again. I started screaming when I saw
where he was taking me. He put me in the hole and told me that I
fit in there real well. Then he took me out. He said we were
going down to the basement to get the board and the hammer. He said
that he thought I told my mommy. I said I didn't but he didn't believe
me. He took be to the basement. He handed me the hammer and
told me to carry it upstairs while he carried the board. He put me
back in the hole and he laid the board up against the wall. He was
digging in his pockets and then I saw him holding a couple of nails.
I promised him over and over that I would never tell anybody. I told
him that I would be a good girl. I said I would never cry and he
could make me strong. He held the board over the hole and started
to nail me in. I kept begging him to stop. He asked me if I would
ever tell my mom or my dad. I told him no. He asked if I wanted
him to treat me like a good girl. At first I said no, but he started hammering
again. So I said yes. Then he asked me if I would do anything thing
that he told me to do. I told him I would be good. I would
let him. He pulled the board down and helped me out of the hole.
Then we went upstairs to the attic. He raped me in front and then
in back. When he was finished he spread my legs apart and started rubbing
me. He asked me if I liked it and I told him yes. He placed
his fingers inside of me and rubbed me inside while he kissed on my tummy.
He said to talk to him. Tell him that it feels good. I didn't
know what he meant. He stopped what he was doing, picked up the hammer
and handed it to me and said come on then. So I told him I liked
it. He asked me what I felt like, but I didn't know. He said,
tell me you like it. Tell me to rub you hard down there. Tell
me to stick my fingers in you and pound them into you. Call me daddy
and tell me it feels good. I talked to him and told him I liked
it. I told him it felt good. He asked me if I wanted his fingers
in my ass. I said yes. He spit on them and then rubbed the
spit on me. Then he put them in me. He rubbed them in and out
and he rubbed me in front with his thumb. Then I licked his fingers
for him. It tasted horrible. Then he was licking me down there.
He was licking me all over and I couldn't lay still. I didn't know
what my body was doing. He said it's because I liked it. He
said that my body like what he was doing and to tell him so. He started
sticking his tongue in my anus and then back to the front of me.
He would move his tongue around. Then I felt his fingers again. They
were moving in and out while he was licking me. I started shaking
and I couldn't stop shaking. I thought that I was sick or something.
Then he quit. He took my hand and put it between my legs. He
had me feel around. He made me rub on myself while he watched.
Then he put my fingers on a spot of me that was sticking out some. He said
it was called a love bump. He told me to rub my love bump back and
forth. I did what he said. He made me do it back and forth. And then
he took himself in his hand while I touched myself. He said that it's okay
to do that to myself if I liked it. He said that my mommy did it to herself
and that my daddy probably helped her do it to. He said that I could
do that to myself all the time if I wanted. I don't know how long me uncle
did this to me, but I remember it happening a lot. He would wink
at me and give me a special smile and I knew that I was to go to the big
house. I would always go. Sometimes I would see him in the
yard with a hammer in his hand and then I would just go to the big house.
I always went and then I would go play with the puppies afterwards.
One day I saw my uncle taking the puppies to the big house. I didn't
know what he was going to do with them. I went down to see. He told
me he was sticking them in the hole because they were bad. They were like
I used to be. Whiny babies he said. He said they whined too
much. I didn't want the puppy to go in the hole. He told me
that puppies had love bumps too. He asked me if I knew that.
I said no. He told me he would show me where their love bumps were. He
put my hand between the legs of one of the puppies and moved it around.
He asked me if I could feel it yet. I said no. He moved my
hand around a little until I found the puppies love bump. Then he
told me to play with it like I play with mine. I did. But the
puppies bump starting sticking out. It wasn't like mine and I thought
I hurt it. But he told me that puppies just liked it more and to
keep doing it. He watched me pet the puppies love bump and then he
took him self out and started to play with it. Then he told me to
put the puppy down and to lick on him. I did. After a while
he took my clothes off of me and he rubbed the puppies nose on me.
It was cold and wet and I didn't like it. Then he rubbed something
on me down there and the puppy started licking me. When the puppy
would stop he would rub it on me again and then the puppy would lick me
again. I don't know what he kept putting on me. He just kept
putting it on me and then the puppy would lick me. The he stuffed
something inside of me. I could feel it, but I couldn't see what
it was. I just laid there and then he put his fingers in my
anus and started rubbing me inside. I could feel something inside
of me while he rubbed me in my behind. Then he rubbed something on
me again and the puppy came back over. Then he rolled me over and
rubbed in on my anus. He held my butt apart and the puppy licked
and licked. Then I felt him slide something inside of my anus.
The puppy was trying to lick what ever it was. It wouldn't stop.
Then he put himself in my mouth and told me to suck on it. I said
I wasn't being a baby, but he said the puppies were and it was my fault.
He said I had to teach the puppies how to be strong. So I sucked
on him until I felt his wetness. And then he let me go play with
the puppy. The next time I saw him he brought the puppy, but he also brought
the big dog to. He let the dog lick on me and then he lifted me up
and rubbed me on the dog. The big dog was trying to do to me what
my uncle had done before. His love bump was sticking out like the
puppies had stuck out. My uncle let the big dog keep rubbing on me.
Then he put himself inside of me and pushed in and out real hard.
He was pushing harder than he normally did. It was hurting more than
before. All of his weight was on top of me and I couldn't breathe.
Then I felt his grab my bottom and moved me closer. He put his fingers
in my anus while he was inside of me. He was panting. He told
me to say yes daddy. I just kept saying it. He said to say
hurt me daddy cause I'm bad. And I would say that too. When
I would quit talking he would yell at me to say it again. So I did.
I started laughing and he got mad at me. I wouldn't cry any more.
I would just laugh. He pulled out of me and stuck it in my anus.
Then he told me to say I want to suck it daddy. But I didn't.
He slapped me and said to say it and so I did. He said to say it
like I really wanted to. Say it like I said it to my mommy when I
wanted her to buy me something. He said to beg him like I begged
my mommy. So I did. I said it over and over and over.
And then he pulled it out and shoved it in mouth so hard it hurt me in
my throat. I couldn't breathe. I was gagging. I could feel
my throat contracting trying to vomit. But he held my head in place
and wouldn't let loose. He just tried to push it in deeper and deeper.
And then he shook and shook and shook and then I could feel him oozing
down my throat and I couldn't swallow it because he was so far in.
Then he let go. I took a deep breath and starting choking and coughing.
And then I just laughed. Laughed, laughed, laughed. The tears were
right behind my eyes, but I could only laugh. That was the last time that
my uncle touched me. I didn't see him for a long time. My mom
said that he had to go to the doctor's because he got sick. She said
that when he was better he would get to come home. I don't know how
long it had been, but one day when we went to grandma's the big house was
torn down. It was gone. Grandma had one of my other uncles
come over and put some rocks where the house used to sit. Then one
day there was this big shiny thing in the rocks. My mom told me it
was a clock. That the sun told it the time. I know now it was a sundial.
Shortly after that she got rid of the dogs and the puppies too. She
sold them all. They were too hard for her to take care of them she
said. She said that my uncle used to take care of them, but he was
too sick to take care of them and so she got rid of them. When I look back
on my life I am saddened. My mind can rationalize why I did some
of the things I did. But my heart is another matter. I have
always tried to understand why I was so different. I couldn't understand
how I knew things the other children didn't. During a session in
sex education I busted out laughing. The teacher said it was inappropriate
and sent me to the office. I didn't think it was funny. I didn't
know why I laughed. But I laughed and laughed. My attitude on sex
was different than most. And SEX was love. Or was love SEX?
Either way it was different then it should be I am sure. How I reacted
to it was different as well. My thoughts and views were very different
than most people I knew. I felt like I was a freak when ever the
topic of sex came up. I had this belief that I was here to pleasure men.
It didn't matter if I enjoyed it as long as they did. I didn't care
how many times they hurt me. That was okay. That was love.
Or was it sex. If you didn't hurt me in some way then you didn't really
love me. YOU were abnormal. There was something wrong with
YOU. All you had to do was tell me what to do and I was right there
doing it. It didn't matter if it was degrading. That was my
position in life. Use me. Hurt me. That was love. I know that
I dressed differently. Mostly for shock value I think. Or for
attention. I'm not sure which one. It didn't matter. I know
that I turned eyes quite often. I couldn't hear, but I could see
the whispers about me. That was okay. That is what my life was about.
My circle of friends were different to. I chose them for a reason.
Because then I would fit in. I didn't seem to be the freak anymore.
They were bigger freaks then me and it lessoned my disgust in myself.
I could look at the lot of them and think, you aren't so bad. But
it was all a charade. I was bad. I was the cry baby.
The whiny bratty child who only laughed. I laughed at pain.
I laughed at sickness. I laughed at discipline. I laughed at
death. I laughed. I laughed. I laugh. Go hurt yourself and watch
me laugh. I don't have tears. I only have laughter. Weakness.
It's just a sign of weakness and I could not be weak. I could not
be a child. What do you say to the police officers right after you have
been brutally raped. You don't. You just laugh. Or tell them
it's okay. That's my destiny in life. With another laugh of
course. That's what I live for. Didn't they know that. Another
laugh. What's wrong with YOU? That's what we're here for isn't it.
To take care of men like you. And oh was I proud of what I could do.
What I knew. How well I could do it. The best. And it
didn't matter what it was. I could do it. And I could make
you think that I enjoyed it. I could make you think that you were
the best. I could beg you if I needed to. I could talk dirty
if I needed to. I could do and be whatever it was that you wanted
me to be. All you had to do was say so. But it wasn't life.
It was hell. My own living hell. Created for me by disgusting
uncle who turned me into a sick person just like himself. By an abusive
husband who trained me to do what was best for men. No matter what
costs. I was just a toy to inflict your desires onto. Take
me how you wanted me. Make me do what you enjoyed. Who cared. Certainly
I didn't. All I could do was laugh.
Mysti's Story
On August 2, 1997, I was raped by someone who was supposed to be my best
friend. DAVID H********* was my best friend for 8 years, and I trusted
him wholeheartedly. There was nothing different about the day that
he beat and raped me. I didn't do or say anything different, i guess
he just picked out that day. I'd really like to talk to some other
survivors (Because we are
survivors, we are
NOT victims. Victims do not get to come home) There
isn't really anyone
else I can talk to about this.
Mysti..................
Gypsy
My stepfather began
abusing me when I was 11 years old. His marriage to my mother was beginning
to sour, so when she took my sisters out to dance classes he began abusing
me. It started off with just tickling. You know playing around. But soon
he was walking in on me in the shower and he would undress and get in with
me. He would fondle my body and make me perform oral sex. We never had
vaginal sex. I think maybe he was a fraid that I would become pregnant.
I started menynstrating and developing at avery early age. I didn't know
what to do. I was so ashamed, because he kept saying that I wanted it otherwise
I wouldn't do it. Finally when I got the courage to demand he stop(3 years
later) I thought it was all over. Then one day whilst on summer holidays,
my mother came up and told me they were getting a divorce. I was very happy.
my older sister was acting strange, but she had always been difficult,
it didn't occur to me anything was wrong. Then about 6 months later, in
a very intense arguement my sister told us she had been raped by my father
7 months beforehand. I felt sickened to the stomach. It was only 3 weeks
after I had told him to leave me alone. So he had gone after my sister.
I couldn't tell mum she was devastated by what had happened to my sister.
It never went to court because mum didn't think that my sister could take
it. So my stepfather has visiting rights to me and my younger sister. I
have never told anyone and my stepfather just pretends it never happened.
But I have confided in a close friend and he has been my saviour as such.
I am 16 years old and only now beginning to be a normal teenager.
But I am a survivor. And someday when I know I have the strength I will
stand up to my stepfather.
Stephen
I have been struggerling
with my own demons time and time again for many years. I have a loving
family and had a gradmother that doted on me as a child, that isn't the
problem. The problems started when I was mis diagnosed as retarded
and was sent to the childs burns clinic in the UK. I know I was pinned
down there. I have seen a boy thrown up in the air and his head hit
the concreate. A female sat on my shoulders, a man came in and said
do you need any help, well I don't think she did as I was 7 years of age
and very vunerable.
I know that there was
a woman there who I was particulary frightened of, but I don't know why
as painfull memories have been blotted from my mind soaking up the truth
of my torment. I can remember her standing over me, towering over
me with a strange grin on her face. My Mother had adopted a girl at the
time as well, and she had been abused, although nobody told my mom that,
she took it upon herself to abuse me, she used to sit on me and masterbate
me. It was only recently that I got the courage to tell people.
I finally got the help I wanted, or so I thought!
All the Psychologist
went on about was bounderies and relating to people, the real issues have
been masked, the real torment still remains. I would love to join
you group.
Steve
COMMENTS: I want to
know about other survivors of female sexual abuse, as I seem to keep banging
my head up against a brick wall. It seems all ears are closed when
it comes to this subject.
Kelly
I am twenty-eight
years old now, though currently I feel like a kid.
I am really just in the beginning stages of really dealing with all of
this right now, though I have known some time that I was molested.
There are a lot of words I don't like. "Safe, survivor" those key
words I guess I will hear forever. They are important words, mind you,
but one that keeps reminding me that what I think normal is, I probably
won't get to be that.
I'm still trying to piece together everything which is difficult, but this
is what I know so far. My mother was unplanned child. My grandparents
were 21 and 45, when they married. My mother claims she nearly did
not survive for a year because my grandmother starved her, or something
like that. Then my grandparents got a divorce, so my mother was sent
to live with her grandparents. They were a poor family in England.
Well, apparently my grandmother remarried and had a son, but my mother
was never invited to live with them. When I think of her family,
the word "desolate" comes to mind. I try not to think of them.
She met my father when he was in the A.F. and they married in '65, but
had problems from the start. They were separated, and remained that
way until my uncle died in '70. My mother and father were individually
invited to his funeral, which they attended, and voila...I was conceived.
So, I shattered my mother's plans, I guess of returning to England.
When I was born, she had nervous breakdowns, and my father kept calling
my aunt to help take care of me. I only know one thing from my aunt
that happened, and that is my mother kept getting angry with me for crying,
and when Aunt Bobbie finally came, she saw I was crying because my shoes
were too small for my feet. I can only imagine what the rest of my
life was like then. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure
out your child's foot can't go into a shoe.
My sister was born in 1973, and I don't know what happened. My best
assumption is that she recreated her own life and abandoned me. Not
physically, just emotionally. I don't know when she started to molest
me, but I had to pretty young, since my memories of her touching me go
back pretty far. I also think she allowed me to be repeatedly abused
by a neighbor starting when I was two. That ended when I was five I guess,
but even back then I was finding ways to injure myself. My sister,
though two years younger, physically injured me from the time she was old
enough to do so. If I fought back, I was punished. I wasn't
spanked, just berated and sent to my room. Eventually I did not fight
back, and I find myself in that pattern of behavior today. I feel
as if I have no control over anything.
All I can say to describe my life, is that I was born, and then left.
Most people who write about sexual abuse seemed as if they were beaten,
too, but in my life when I look back, I just see a black expanse.
Nothing at all. Except screaming, because I was screamed at about
once a week for an hour or so. Right now, I feel kind of numb and can't
really remember my thoughts or I would describe more, but for now, I will
leave this post as it is.
katiebear
I was raped and sexually
abused by a former friend of my dad's. He is 22 years older than
I am. I was 13 when it started and 26 when I finally told him to
get out of my life and stay out. I see a priest once a month for spiritual
counseling, because that is important to me. I am healing.
I have many, many more good days than bad. I still do not feel completetly
good about myself, and have occasional flashbacks that are awful, since
they are at the core of what happened. He was sexually sadistic,
and it still scares me. I have been seeing a shrink for 4 years now,
and am taking daily medication. I had counseling for about 4 years
in my 20's, and had more for about a year when I started seeing a shrink.
I currently have begun to see a psychologist for EMDR treatments, which
if you haven't done it, they have relieved so much anger and rage.
I want other women (and men!) to know they are not alone. I KNOW
what you are going through at all stages. May God bless you and keep
you until we meet again...
Nadine
I am a survivor
of incest, my father abused me from age 5 to age 12. My younger brother
witnessed many accounts of the sexual abuse. He was physically abused
in other ways. Not only hit and thrown against walls but emotionally and
verbally assaulted. I am 32 years old now and am happy to say that
Ive come a long way in my healing. Years of therapy
helped me stand
up and press charges against my Father. He didnt spend long in jail, but
finally his world was affected and aware of what he did. My brother has
yet to stand up to him, he was always so afraid of him. Just recently my
father phoned me to apologize! After 12 years
he had enough guts
to be a Man and admit his illness. He says therapy has helped open his
eyes. I am still unsure of my feelings, but I do know my brother is suffering
deeply, waiting for the same validation. I hate what has happened to us,
and I will no longer be a victim.
I survived!! Now
I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful boys. Thats my story, and
some good news for fellow survivors, who struggle
with feeling normal...
It does happen!
Nadine
Kaz
This story may get
graphic in spots. I am writting this to help put things in order.
When I was 20 years
old I became friends with a guy named F 4 years older than me. I
really didn't like him but I was at a low point in my life. I was
almost raped at 15 by my step father. He is still my step father
and I have forgiven him. Anyway when I was 20 I had heard about this
guy. I was feeling like I had no reason to go on living and he acted
like a friend. I was hanging out with him and another guy one night.
We all decided to go home. Since this guy and I lived on the same
road we took the other guy home first. We didn't go home. We
went to his parents house in a different town. We started making
out and it got out of hand. I said no but he didn't stop. He
pulled my pants down and forced himself into me. I continued to say
no. When it was over he told me that no one would believe me if I
told and that if I liked the way my life was going than I would just shut
up about it. The next day he was with another girl. Stupid
me, who should have known better after the rape, couldn't take this.
I pestered him. If I wasn't so down on myself it may have been different.
I don't know. For some reason I had to have this guy. Okay
so maybe I needed real help. We started going out and my life just
got worse. I was drinking all the time. I couldn't stand to
be around my family. I had no friends unless they were his.
I wasn't allowed to do anything unless he said so. I lived with my
grandmother. He would come in at night and tell me to get ready for
bed but to make sure I didn't have underwear on. He would tell me
to go to sleep and then he would force me to take it up the butt.
He knew I wouldn't scream or fight because my grandmother was in the other
room.
My only bright spot
in the whole thing was H my now husband. He was my friend through
the whole thing and didn't try to tell me what to do. He was married
at the time that I lost it for the first time. I broke up with the
jerk. I was talking to H and in came F' sister and her boyfriend.
They gave me this sob story about how upset he was. So I went back.
I spent over 2 years with F. I finally had enough when he started
cheating on me right in front of me. I knew I was better than that.
I totally lost it and gained my life back. There is a lot more he
did to me but I have dealt with it and it is no longer an issue in my life.
I married H and we have a son together. He has a daughter from his
1st marriage that lives with us. I still have problems in the bedroom
but they are getting less and less. If this story helps someone I
am glad I wrote it.
HANA
Well, this is a big step for me as I have never
really done this before. I have never talked to anyone in dept
about my past. I even find it hard to say the word "abuse".
But I guess that is what it is and from all I have read and
heard, this is something you have to talk about to heal. And
I desperately want to heal from the past events of my life and the effects
those events have had on me. I'm not sure how to start
this, should I go into details about the abuse? Do I try to
figure out my feelings about what happened? Because, well, as far
as feelings go, I burried those very deep many many years ago and
have no idea how to drag them back out again. That is one of the
many things I will have to work on. The abuse started, I think,
around the age of 8 and continued up to at least until i was
21. I was abused by a few of my cousins, 9 or 10 of them,
all male. Also by my best friends father. I was abused
by a close friend of the family. In fact, I can barely remember when
I wasn't being abused. This is my story or
at least the parts I remember of it as most of the memories haven't
resurfaced as yet. I recall a fall day as I was walking home
from school. I think I was 8 or in 3rd grade at the time.
My cousin was in his garage/woodshop. There was a box under
the workbench and as I walked into the room I heard a faint "meow".
I walked over to the box and picked up the cutest yellow fur ball.
My cousin knelt down beside me took the kitten and placed it back into
the the box. He took my hand and placed it "there" and told me he
had something else he wanted me to pet. Bare in mind that I
have grown up in a small town there everyone knows everyone
else and they all know everyone else's business. However,
I don't recall the word sex ever being mentioned and I know it was never
mentioned at home. Anyway, he put my hand there and one thing lead
to another. He put my face there after he removed his pants.
I still gag to this day even if I put a toothpick in my mouth.
He pushed me to the floor and tied my hands with some cords that
were hanging from the wall. Then he raped me. I had no idea what
was happening, I only know it hurt. I don't remember
if I tried to fight him off or if I was too scared to move.I don't remember
walking home from there. I do remember him telling me that I couldn't
tell anyone what happened. And I never did. However,
I don't he kept the secret, because it wasn't very long until his
brother started do things to me too. I was out riding my bike
one summer day, probably the next summer. He asked me if I
would like to go to the farm with him to feed the animals. As I had
repressed the events from before and I really love nimals and being on
the farm, I readily agreed to go. We were in the hayloft throwing
hay down to the cows and all the sudden he grabs a handful of hay
and stuffs it down my shorts. And so the game began.
When we were tired of throwing hay at each other, he pretended to
start to remove the hay from my hair and from inside my shirt and
shorts. He pulled my shorts down and he pushed me back onto
the hay and lay down beside me putting his heavy legs on top of mine.
He started touching me and kissing me and licking my breasts.
I was confused, he was so gentle, unlike his brother. He told me
that God made us to do this as his finger entered me. God did
that ? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Then he
said actually, God made boys and girls differently so they could do other
things. And that was the way we were suppose to show each other how
much we loved each other. So he loved me....right there in the hay
when I was maybe 10 years old. He continued to follow me everywhere
I went for the next few years. He was there everytime I turned
around. I thought I had a secret hiding place, but he followed me
there also. Everytime he wanted to do something, and everytime, he
did what he wanted. He made sure I knew that I could
not hide from him and that I could do nothing to stop him.
I believed him. He always got what he wanted. When I
was 17 I moved in with my best friend and her parents. Her father started
molesting me soon afterward. He took me right there in the basement.
He took me in the car. The worst part about being molested
by him, was that he was crippled on his right side. I
think I should have been able to stop him, and feel like I
deserved what I got, because I didn't stop him, and I was an adult
at this time, well, almost anyway. One evening we were in the
basement and his wife came down stairs and caught him rubbing my back,
something he really liked to do before "it" happened. She kindly
asked me to leave and she turned and walked away. The
hardest part about that situation is when she became ill with cancer about
5 years later, she called and asked me to come and help take care of her.
That was the hardest thing I have ever done. To walk into her
home, knowing what had happened and feeling all the shame for it, to have
to look her in the eye and she never mentioned it, never asked for
confirmation or denial of what happened. I think she knew, I think
she asked me to leave for my own sake, before things had gone too far.
I like to think that anyway. Maybe she knew things had already gone
too far, but it was never spoken of. I'm not sure if writing this out has
done me any good. I don't really feel anything now that
it is written. Like I said, I have buried my feelings very deep and
have not been able to reclaim them. I have gone to therapy off and on,
but never long enough to do any good. I have no
support system except chat rooms I have
found on the net, which I am very thankful for
and have made some good loyal friends here. But it isn't like
they can reach out and hold you or give you a hug when you need one,
and believe me, I could use one every once in a while. I do have 3 teenagers
at home, they are very supportive and they know that I was abused
and are very patient with me when I go to one of my chat rooms, most
the time anyway. They give me hugs when I need them, and I love them
very much. I probably wouldn't still be here on this earth right
now if it weren't for them. They were my only reason to live and
even that didn't stop me from making the attempt a few times. Thank
goodness I wasn't successful. Well this is some parts of my story.
I am sure there will be more someday. I just never know when.
Another part of this that I hate is the flashbacks, the memories
that are totally new, they really throw me for a loop. It really
messes with my head for days at a time. But I know I will get through this
somehow, someday. And I hope that anyone who has been through this
has a good support system. I think that would be the most helpful thing
to have in time of crisis. I also would like to wish you all a
speedy recovery and pray that the things of the past would fade away
and not be a consideration for the future generation. However,
I know this is unrealistic but that is my wish.
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