The Homecoming: Countdown to Armageddon: Book 5 by Darrell Maloney
Authors: Darrell Maloney
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nice house and bought a second car for my mom and she finally got a chance to experience a comfortable life, free of debt. My well-being simply took a back seat to that.”
Scott swallowed hard. He was no expert at counseling, or talking about difficult subjects. But he’d grown to love this child as his own. And he sensed that she needed to talk, to expose an old wound that still hadn’t completely healed. So he’d encourage her to go on as long as she wanted.
“I’m so sorry, honey. Did the abuse start right away?”
“No. For the first few months he played the role of the hero, rescuing us from our dire situation. He showered us both with lots of things, and lots of attention. He took us to fancy restaurants and on little weekend vacations. He gave us gifts for no reason. He tried to win our affection with the almighty dollar.
“Then, after a few months, I think he finally got the sense that he had us on the hook. He started talking marriage with my mom, and she swooned. She thought it was so cool that she was going to be the wife of a successful businessman, and would get to be the socialite she’d always wanted to be. I think at that time she either hadn’t realized he wasn’t really after her. Or, she turned a blind eye to it because she didn’t want to go back to a life of struggling.
“And he was good at it. Hiding his activities, that is. He was careful to do it when she was away for awhile, and always swore me to secrecy. He hinted that it was my fault, and even told me that a time or two. He said that the way I looked at him or brushed past him made him respond in certain ways, and that I had somehow instigated everything.
“I was young and confused, and didn’t understand what he meant. But he never elaborated other than to blame me. And he kept reminding me that if I told my mom things would go back to the way they were before.”
“But you eventually told her?”
“No. Not outright. Not until the day I discovered that she already knew about it.”
“I’m still listening, if you want to talk about it.”
“It was a few months after he first started molesting me. He always did it behind closed doors, or when she was away. I assumed he was hiding it from her as well as the rest of the world. I thought about the various ways to tell her about what he was doing, and I tried to imagine her reaction to the news. I wasn’t sure whether she’d scream, or attack him, or kick him out of the house, or call the police.
“He was out drinking with his friends the night I told her. I chose the most gentle words I could find, because I just knew what I had to say was going to destroy her.
“But as I spoke, the reaction I saw on her face wasn’t one of anger or pain. It was one of guilt.
“As we got more and more into the conversation, it became increasingly obvious that she’d known about it for quite some time.”
Sara stopped for a few moments to compose herself. Scott held her hand.
“Take your time, honey. I know this is difficult for you.”
She suddenly laughed a hideous laugh.
“Difficult? No, this isn’t difficult at all. Difficult was looking into my mother’s eyes and realizing that she’d been letting this evil man paw all over my body for months, and knowing she didn’t love me enough to stop it.
“Difficult was finding out that my own mother didn’t care that I’d lost my virginity to a man thirty years my senior, who didn’t love me in the slightest. And who I despised and hated with every fiber of my being.
“Difficult was knowing that the one person in the world I could count on to protect me… the one who’d always been there for me… had sold me for material things.”
“What did she say? Did she try to justify her behavior?”
“She said that maybe I should try to
Scott swallowed hard. He was no expert at counseling, or talking about difficult subjects. But he’d grown to love this child as his own. And he sensed that she needed to talk, to expose an old wound that still hadn’t completely healed. So he’d encourage her to go on as long as she wanted.
“I’m so sorry, honey. Did the abuse start right away?”
“No. For the first few months he played the role of the hero, rescuing us from our dire situation. He showered us both with lots of things, and lots of attention. He took us to fancy restaurants and on little weekend vacations. He gave us gifts for no reason. He tried to win our affection with the almighty dollar.
“Then, after a few months, I think he finally got the sense that he had us on the hook. He started talking marriage with my mom, and she swooned. She thought it was so cool that she was going to be the wife of a successful businessman, and would get to be the socialite she’d always wanted to be. I think at that time she either hadn’t realized he wasn’t really after her. Or, she turned a blind eye to it because she didn’t want to go back to a life of struggling.
“And he was good at it. Hiding his activities, that is. He was careful to do it when she was away for awhile, and always swore me to secrecy. He hinted that it was my fault, and even told me that a time or two. He said that the way I looked at him or brushed past him made him respond in certain ways, and that I had somehow instigated everything.
“I was young and confused, and didn’t understand what he meant. But he never elaborated other than to blame me. And he kept reminding me that if I told my mom things would go back to the way they were before.”
“But you eventually told her?”
“No. Not outright. Not until the day I discovered that she already knew about it.”
“I’m still listening, if you want to talk about it.”
“It was a few months after he first started molesting me. He always did it behind closed doors, or when she was away. I assumed he was hiding it from her as well as the rest of the world. I thought about the various ways to tell her about what he was doing, and I tried to imagine her reaction to the news. I wasn’t sure whether she’d scream, or attack him, or kick him out of the house, or call the police.
“He was out drinking with his friends the night I told her. I chose the most gentle words I could find, because I just knew what I had to say was going to destroy her.
“But as I spoke, the reaction I saw on her face wasn’t one of anger or pain. It was one of guilt.
“As we got more and more into the conversation, it became increasingly obvious that she’d known about it for quite some time.”
Sara stopped for a few moments to compose herself. Scott held her hand.
“Take your time, honey. I know this is difficult for you.”
She suddenly laughed a hideous laugh.
“Difficult? No, this isn’t difficult at all. Difficult was looking into my mother’s eyes and realizing that she’d been letting this evil man paw all over my body for months, and knowing she didn’t love me enough to stop it.
“Difficult was finding out that my own mother didn’t care that I’d lost my virginity to a man thirty years my senior, who didn’t love me in the slightest. And who I despised and hated with every fiber of my being.
“Difficult was knowing that the one person in the world I could count on to protect me… the one who’d always been there for me… had sold me for material things.”
“What did she say? Did she try to justify her behavior?”
“She said that maybe I should try to
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