Molestation, rape victim has overcome
“My father was molesting me. It wasn’t rape. It was more inappropriate touching. He also was verbally abusive. I just had to get out of there. So when I was about 19, I left my parents’ house and moved in with one of my sisters.
“Then one day at a bus stop, I got held up at gunpoint and was attacked. I ran back home, and they never found out who did it.
“A few years later when I was 24, I was in my own home getting ready for work. My son was about 14 months old. And this guy breaks into my house and rapes me. I was an art major in college, so I was able to draw a composite. He tried coming back to my house a couple of days later to grab my trash, probably to go through it looking for my name. My husband at the time saw the license plate, which helped track down the guy.
“We went to court with several other rape victims. Some of the ladies just were not able to stand up and speak. But I did. They gave the guy something like 27 years. He served about nine. Then he got out and did it again. A coworker’s daughter was one of the victims the second time around. So I went back to court with her and a few other victims. This time, he got a couple of life sentences. So he’s gone.
“But through the years, because of everything that happened to me, I found that I was living this life of constantly watching over my shoulder. You become hyper-aware of your surroundings at all times. I even bought and carried a gun. That is so not like me. I’m not a pistol-packing mama.
“But I’ve always been a strong individual. So even though I went through all of these things in my life, I’ve been able to discuss them with friends and family. And instead of feeling shame, I felt empowered.
“Of course, you should be aware of what’s out there and that these kinds of things can happen. But there is a way to overcome those obstacles. I am living proof of that.”
Related:
