Some hard issues to share

“I was friends with benefits with this one guy who was a friend of our mutual friend who’d introduced a number of years ago at church. We’d hung out a few times until the one time I was over at his house; we had a few drinks and eventually had sex. It was a continual thing after that. When he left to go to Iraq, I was free to have sex with whom I wanted; which was no one. When he came back, he was only having sex with me.

I was on the verge of ending the friends with benefits that night but I didn’t have a chance. I let myself into his house and went straight up to his room. I didn’t find him, there was a buddy of his there as well. I was ambushed as I tried to leave. I was raped and beaten by both of them that night. They left my face alone. They said that the only reason why they left my face alone was because it was my only beauty.

 They left a few minutes after that. Sometime later, I managed to get dressed and go to the police. I explained what happened. I was escorted to the hospital by the police but thankfully I was able to drive myself there.

I was escorted inside a private room where a nurse and a doctor performed the rape kit and checked me over. I had bruises all over my arms and ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a few cracked ribs. They put my shoulder back into place and wrapped up my ribcage. I was given the emergency contraceptive pill just be safe as well as treatment for any STIs that I may have contracted.

The police came back in to question me and I explained everything. I, again, gave the name of the friend with benefits but was unable to give the name of his buddy. They went to run a background check and they noticed that he was a Marine and just came back from Afghanistan a few weeks before.

They told me that they refused to arrest someone from the military because of bondage sex. I said that it was NOT bondage sex because I wasn’t into that and it was rape; just ask the doctor and the nurse. The police didn’t believe me. The following Monday, I went to the local prosecutor’s office to explain the situation. He didn’t believe me. I kept going back and forth between the police and the prosecutor’s office. They didn’t do anything because they accused me of lying and that an upstanding Marine wouldn’t do such a thing.

After going back and forth for close to a year, I gave up going back and forth. That’s when I decided that I wanted to work for the PD. I’d finally get justice for myself as well as other victims of rape. Once I went through the academy and hired by the PD, I went back to the hospital to see the doctor and the nurse that examined me and collected the rape kit. They still had it. I asked one of my buddies in the PD to process “Jane Doe’s” rape exam. He got the ok and when the results came back, the lab confirmed  that it was the former friend with benefits.

The prosecutor back home and took up the case and it went to trial. I went every day in my dress uniform; he could see me. On the day I was scheduled to  testify, the judge announced that the guy was murdered in jail as he was waiting to be transported to the courthouse,” I said.

“Oh, baby girl. I have nothing to say but I’m sorry that you went through that and I’m glad that you’re okay!” Vince aid. “How did you overcome everything?”

“I’m a fighter and don’t give up easily,” I replied. “I need to go to bed. I have to get up in 2 hours for work; I desperately need the sleep.”
I slid back into bed and Vince wrapped me in his arms; his own way of protecting me. I was grateful that I married him. I knew he was shocked and hurt with the rape and the beating but I knew he’d accept it and move on.

About 45 minutes later, I woke myself up by screaming. I scared the shit out of my poor husband.

“Babe, are you ok?” Vince asked

“Of sorts,” I hoarsely replied. “I had a nightmare of the rape.”

“Oh, honey!” Vince said.

I shrugged my shoulders as I got out of bed. I put on my robe, went into the kitchen to start the coffee and then headed on over to the bathroom to take a shower. I knew that I showered only a few hours ago but I felt dirty after having the nightmare. I just stood in the water for a good 30 minutes before I started washing my hair and the rest of my body. I scrubbed and scrubbed until my body was pink. I toweled off, put my robe back on, brushed my hair and teeth and headed back into the kitchen for the coffee. I filled my travel mug of coffee, adding sugar and creamer, then proceeded to get ready for work.

“Babe, I’m  going to work. I’m not sure when I’ll be back,” I said, Vince nodded his head to acknowledge me. I grabbed my stuff and headed for my bike.

As soon as I got to the office and closed the door behind me, I sighed. I sat down in one of the big comfy couches and closed my eyes for what felt like a few minutes. A light knocking on the door wakened me.

“Come in,” I said. The door opened and it was Kat.

“Your husband called. He asked me to check in on you. You ok, boss lady?” she asked.

“Grab a seat; I won’t bite,” I said nodding to the section of the couch next to me.

“Thanks!” she said, chuckling.

“Last night, after leaving, Vince surprised me with two tickets and two back stage passes for Maroon 5. We had an amazing time. As we got ready for bed, I let something slip from my past and he asked about it. I told him and 45 minutes after falling asleep, I woke the both of us from a dead sleep from me screaming; remembering the past. I got up and got ready to come here,” I replied.

“Oh my God,” Kat exclaimed. “Now I recognize you! You were in the paper about the Marine and his buddy raping and beating you. I heard he died in jail. The bastard deserved it after doing what he did to you!”

“Oh, Kat! I appreciate you being in my corner but after seeing a good therapist, I’m good…..except for when I talk about it and get terrible nightmares afterwards. I tend to shut people down after they ask me what happened. My poor husband!” I said

“From what I know about him, you know, from when he called? He sounds like a good man; like he’s so in love with you! Hell, I would be too if I were him!” Kat said.

“He is a very good man. We have a long history together. I was 14 when we first met; he was 33,” I said.

“How did you meet him,” Kat asked.

“I was a freshman in high school and he was a teacher at the high school. The first week there, I was desperately lost and not paying attention to where I was going, I literally smacked right into him, nearly causing the both of us to fall. He caught himself and then steadied me. I looked up at him and was ready to apologize but my jaw just dropped to the floor. He said that it was a pleasure to meet me and hoped I’d be in his class the next year. I asked how he knew me and he said that my brother announced the previous year that I’d be at the high school. I thanked him for steadying me and I went on my way. The school year went by so slow; I just wanted to be a sophomore so I could be in his class. The rest of the year I looked for him but when I saw him, I was too scared to say anything to him.

Thankfully, the school year ended and the summer went by fast. The first day that I was in his class, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going AGAIN and collided into him; it was like he was ready for it. He caught me before I tumbled to the floor He jokingly asked if I were to continue to fall at his feet. I chuckled and responded with: “Something like that!”. After class he asked me to stay and I did. I was a nervous wreck but he didn’t seem to notice. He just wanted to know how my summer was.

During my sophomore, junior and senior years, I was his student. Those years went by SO fast. Not a single one of my friends knew I was interested in Vince,” I said.

“What happened next?” she asked.

“When I was 22, I was running an errand for my parents. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking and I literally bumped into him again - can you tell that this is a theme for he and I? – and we got to talking. He asked for my number and I gave it to him. A few hours later, he’d called me. My hands were wet from doing the dishes and my mother picked up my cell phone. She was shocked to hear that Vince was calling because she remembered that he was my brother and my teacher. She almost hung up but didn’t. She walked into the other room with him on the phone, I was so embarrassed….Mom was questioning him. After a few minutes, she came back and handed my phone back to me.

I apologized for having Mom answer and he said it was fine; he understood that a good Italian mother questions any guy who wants to date her daughter, especially if he was 19 years her daughter’s senior. Anyways, we dated for a year but we broke up……Vince was scared that I’d say no if he proposed. I didn’t see him for a good 9 years. I had heard that his brother died unexpectedly so I went to the memorial service and funeral. The day after the funeral, I moved into his sister in law’s house at her request. She was having a hard time with the kids so I helped her out for 3 months. It was a little tense when Vince came over.

After the three months were over, I moved back here and was barely able to save my job with the PD. A friend of mine reached out to me a few weeks later to ask if I wanted to join him at the local high school football game; it was between our high school and our rival high school. I said I’d go with him. During half time, Vince and I spoke for a bit and I stormed off. I met him at his house after the game. I stormed out of his apartment after being in a disagreement. The following day, he asked if he could come over and I said sure. We were married that weekend” I said.