The Thing

I have debated on whether to share details about my childhood. I feel like most of the details should be kept private but that I definitely need to share this story. I feel like if I don’t share this story than you will be missing out on a BIG part of who I am. This might be a hard story for me tell for many reasons, the biggest reason is I have avoided going into details about this event at all cost! Sure I’ve mentioned it here and there but I have never discussed in detail what happened with even my husband.
It was the summer before I was to start the 7th grade and I had this great idea that I would go to my mom’s and we could get to know each other. Turns out that was not going to happen. I was at my uncle house visiting with my cousin, when my mom called and said she wanted me to come back to her house. There was this guy she knew who was having a family reunion, there would be a lot of the kids and she thought it would be good for me to go. I protested and told her I wanted to stay with my cousin. Anyways, I ended up back at my mom’s house. Where I found out she was not going with me and I told her again that I didn’t want to go. The guy came picked me and off we went.
He drove for a while, I think the final place was somewhere like Roane. We stopped at a Taco Bell on the way there. I remember he ate a Mexican Pizza. It took me years to be able to eat a Mexican Pizza with out thinking of him. It was late when we finally arrived, to my surprise it was tiny trailer in the middle of nowhere and there was no one there. The man told me everyone would be arriving the following day. We went in to the house I don’t remember how long it took but eventually he got me into the bedroom. He lured me in there by telling me that’s where the radio was. The man ended up sexually assaulting me, I will spare y’all the details. Just know it wasn’t as gruesome as it could have been. I think God spared me. After that the man took me back to my mom’s and he left. Again, God spared me because how many victims get to live?? I knocked on my mom’s door and she didn’t answer. My grandma lived down the street so I walked to her house and I went to bed. When I woke up I went back to my mom’s house locked myself in the bathroom and refused to talk to anyone until my cousin got there. Once my cousin got there I told them what happened. We went to the police and started the whole process. Come to find out my mom didn’t even know the guy he was the friend of one my aunt’s.
I went back home and I tried hard to forget that it ever happened. Probably the first time in my life I never told my dad something. I finally confessed it to my sister in law. I don’t remember if she told my dad or if the police contacted my dad but the cat was finally out of the bag. That felt like the biggest weight was lifted off me and I didn’t feel so alone anymore. There is so much more to this story but that’s for the next blog.
God was so good to me through this whole situation!! I couldn’t see it back then but when I look back on it I can see his hands of love written all over it!!