I need help, please. I have been holding a secret for a very long time and I know what I should do but I am not prepared for the turmoil it is sure to cause.
I am the middle child of a well off family in an area that has an upper class and a lower class. There is no middle class. My brothers and sisters and I are expected to do the best we can at everything we do. I know not all people are built for this type of pressure and I believe my senior brother is the perfect example of this.
Late last year, when most University students were preparing to go back to their studies, I heard a noise in the room next to me. I got out of my bed and went to see what was happening. I saw my brother in the room on top of the housekeeper's daughter having intercourse. His hands were covering her mouth and she was struggling to break free from him. My heart was beating out of my chest and my eyes were fixed on this horrendous act. I could not believe that my perfect brother could do such a thing. I watched until he was through with her. He then threw her to the ground and whispered something in her ear. I ran back to my room and pulled the covers over my head and tried to sleep.
The next day I noticed the housekeeper's daughter acting differently. I went to her and asked if she was ok. She tried to convince me that she was fine but I wouldn't allow her to lie to me. I asked her repeatedly until she was overcome with emotion and she cried and fell into my arms. She confessed that my brother was doing this to her for over a year. She told me that she had become pregnant and he gave her money for the abortion. I could not believe my ears. The love I had for my brother was replaced with hate and disgust and I wanted him to pay for what he did.
I am so afraid of the shame that will be cast on my family and the hate my brother will have for me.
As a woman, I know what I should do, but as a member of this family, I know I should not speak of such things.
Please help. My mind cannot rest.
Signed,
Family Disgrace
Hello? I can tell how you really view the situation by the way you wrote this: "I saw my brother in the room on top of the housekeeper's daughter having intercourse. His hands were covering her mouth and she was struggling to break free from him."
ReplyDeleteNO YOU DIDN'T. WHAT YOU SAW WAS YOUR BROTHER RAPING A WOMAN. You did nothing to intervene and you've done nothing to make it better. Oh, yes, you consoled her afterwards.
You are more afraid of the hate that your brother will have for you? That is what is keeping you from reporting your brother to the authorities??? Your brother, the one who has been abusing this woman for over a year??
You know why your mind cannot rest? Because every day that passes, you are just as guilty as he for harboring a criminal. You see the commission of the crime of rape and do nothing. What kind of help you really asking for? Help on how to live with a loud and guilty conscience? Please GTFOH.
PS, the real family disgrace is YOU!
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