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Why Couldn't She Hear Him?
My grandmother had taken me out for the day, mainly to the mall. In her car, she told me that while my parents were away, she had wanted me to stay at her house.
Now, her husband has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He never remembered who I was. He tended to say many inappropriate things about me. He might've found random reasons to touch me, whether it was a pat on the shoulder, or more daring, he would rub my lower back.
I must say, I'm not a developed 'girl' (I don't identify as either gender). I don't have those big breasts everyone craves, nor the Kardashian's bottom. If I were to say anything about my body, it would be that I am muscular.
Anyway, she told me she decided against it because her husband doesn't sleep much anymore. He just roams around the house. I said nothing but nodded. I never planned on staying with her. It was too much of an uncomfortable thought.
After we were done at the mall, she took me back to her house. Back to where her husband was. On the way, she told me that he took a picture of me, my school picture, and keeps it in his office. She said he always commented on how I was pretty. 'The prettiest girl he'd ever seen."
We got to her house, he met us in the garage. The first thing he said when he saw me was, "Oh, how beautiful you are." I thought nothing of it, at first. Just him being polite.
He kept doing it.
He spoke heavily about my appearance. Constantly calling me beautiful, gorgeous, and pretty. By then, I was extremely uncomfortable but still said nothing.
Then he got touchy. Very. He would touch my face, hug me for a little too long, and rub my lower back, almost to my bottom. Saying that I was uncomfortable at this point would be an understatement. At one moment, he touched me, and I moved away, he got closer and touched again. I moved away. He did it again. He wouldn't stop until I left the room.
My grandmother was looking for something. A gift for me. I sat on the couch. Her husband, my grandfather, began to make small talk. Simple things. He asked me how old I was. I told him, "fourteen". My grandmother heard everything he said. Replied for me even.
She was maybe 5 feet away.
He stood up, walked in front of me, and said, "You are one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen." He got quiet for a moment before resuming, "I like you. I want you to have my baby."
He said it. And she didn't hear it. She said nothing. I looked at him and firmly told him no. He didn't listen. He told me, "Well, if you don't want it that way we can do it another way. Maybe for fun?"
She still didn't hear. I told him no again. He sighed and walked away.
That wasn't the end of it. He kept sneaking touches and kept commenting on my appearance. Then I left.
If I'm honest, I never want to see him again. My partner knows what happened. My parents don't. How do you tell your father that his dad implied he wanted to have sex with you? That you got sexually harassed by someone who you're supposed to trust?
I'm scared. I've never been more scared of family before. He might try something.
And don't any of you dare try and say I was asking for it. I was wearing an oversized t-shirt and baggy jeans, my hair was still mussed from sleep. I have never asked for it, I will never ask for it. Neither have any of the men, women, and anyone between asked for it. Rape and sexual harassment is practically a punishment that none of us deserves.
What scares me the most, is that my grandmother heard none of it.
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I've been scared of this my whole life. And it's happening. I thought I could trust family.