innocence and betrayal

[patty]

A new morning has come but it doesn't make any difference...
Why? Why -- of all the people.

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Lito, unlike other children, does not play. Before classes, his classmates run and laugh. They were just kids. But Lito is unlike any other kid. They asked him so many times to join him. Yet, he does not want to.

Today, is another day of which he will experience the agony he once experienced.
He ran as fast as he could to go home. He ran through the field that was filled with tall uncut grass and through the rocky road that leads to 'home.'
But as he panted, he made a disappointed look upon seeing only his older brother.
"Tay and Nay already left. They couldn't wait for you. They might be late for the last trip."
"Pshaw."
"Dinner is at Uncle Manny. I've got many things to do. You know, he'll be your guardian... That's for a week 'cause Tay needs so many requirements before getting the visa. They'd be back on the Monday."

Uncle Manny, the younger brother of their mother, is just their neighbor and lives alone.
Lito knocked on the door. Uncle Manny, a dark, tall and thin man who looked troubled and looked like he was unable to get some sleep, opened the door.
"Lito. Come in. Come in. Why the face? Ack. I... I just finished up on things. But this is fine. Come on in."

After dinner, Lito came back to the house to get a candle and some matches. Then, he went to their backyard, lit up the candle and sat. He tried to locate something beneath the old scraps of his father and began honing a metal. He sharpened it but he was unable to obtain focus... unable to focus and unable to recognize it was already late.

What was happening to Lito?

This didn't just last a week. It lasted not even until he graduated elementary...
He was to carry the bizzare look until high school.

Yeah, high school. He tried really hard... tried so hard to be normal. But he had a crush... A crush? He could never approach her. He could never even imagine to do so. She was so... so... everything that is... likable. But how about Lito? Lito... Lito was never rightful to even approach her.

Again, Lito went to Uncle Manny's and again, he went home and sharpened his metal. It was already shiny and sharp.

One day though, the whole barrio was strucked in horror. Lito, such a kind and gentle boy he was, is now dead.

>> the most painful betrayal is taking advantage of innocence. <<

[neyx]

So sad... the way you write it made me feel what hidden pain is like.

[revabust]

Hi Patty,

Well,"Innocence and Betrayal" is a great introduction to the topic of sexual abuse. Incest itself is often even more difficult to talk about than other forms of sexual abuse because of the nature between the aggressor and the victim. With incest, a child's trust is betrayed and his or her innocence compromised. The perpetrator is drawn to the child because of that innocence. With innocence lost and trust betrayed, a person often grows up having skipped childhood.

Dr. Forward gives some good ideas to help victims of incest. However, I do not agree with her advice that one must confront their perpetrator once they become stronger adults. As a mental health therapist myself, I've seen many ways that a person can heal without the confrontation. However, there are those who feel they'd really heal if they confronted their abuser. As long as they're emotionally strong enough, then I would recommend that approach. Other than this difference in viewpoint, Dr. Forward is one of the best in the area of sexual abuse and I recommend her cassette.

Thanks

[sam_wel]

awwww