Chapter 5

“Well, now that you know about me being molested by my brother,” she began, “it feels like a big weight has lifted off me. I’ve never told anyone else about that happening to me and I can’t thank you enough for not being judgmental about it. And now I’m asking you to be that same way when I tell you about a part of that situation that ... that in some ways was even worse.”

She needed to use a Kleenex again, so it took a while before she could continue, but once she did all I could do was sit there too stunned to do anything except listen.

“About six months after Kent started ... coming to my bed, my mother came into my room right after I got home from school and said she needed to talk to me. We sat on the edge of the bed and she put her arm around my shoulders, and then she said, ‘Sweetheart, I know what Kent’s been doing to you, and if I could do anything to stop it, I would, but I just can’t. I can’t do anything about it, except to make sure you don’t get pregnant.’

“She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small, plastic package as she told me, ‘These are birth-control pills I want you to use. I got them from our doctor, and she says they’re what you need when you’re as young as you are. The instructions are on the piece of paper folded up in the dispenser, so be sure you read everything and do what it says.’

“I could tell she was ready to leave at that point, so I hurried up and asked her something that I wanted to say to her ever the first night Kent molested me. I said, “Mom, can’t you do anything to make him stop? Please make him stay away from me!’

“Her answer was, ‘No, Sweetheart, I can’t do anything about it, because your father won’t let me. I’m sure you have no way in hell of knowing he put a camera thing in the light fixture above your bed, and we’ve been watching you and Kent right from the first. Just seeing you guys like that has made both of us feel like teenagers again, and things have never been better between your father and me than they are now. And ... and what I’m afraid of is that if your brother stops coming in here every night ... well, it’ll make your father lose interest in me, and ... and I couldn’t stand for that to happen.’

“She then tried to rationalize the situation by telling me, ‘And you know ... well, Kent will be leaving for Idaho to attend a firefighter school as soon as he graduates this year ... so ... so that should put an end to what he’s been doing to you. Can you put up with it for that long, Sweetheart? Please try, Jenny. It would mean so much to your father and me, and surely ... surely just a few months more won’t be too long, will it? Can you do that for us, Sweetheart? Please?’”