Jessica said she understood and told him how she felt about the whole thing. She even told him about how she believes that her mother does not love her. Everything had changed since they moved to a new city and her mother no longer asked her how she felt or how she was coping at school. Jay told her that she must try to talk to her mother when she came home from work that day.
Later, when her mother arrived home, she asked to speak to her. She told her mother what happened, even explaining that she did not believe it was her stepfathers fault. “He wasn’t thinking straight,” she said. Her mother believed that she had made him miss sex and forced him into it, but she didn’t know how she had done it. But she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Overhearing Jessica’s conversation with her mother, her stepfather began to cry. He confessed to the family his past.
“Years ago, I raped a 17 years old girl as she was coming home from school. She was still virgin at that time. My friend made me do it. He said that if I didn’t, he would tell the world about what my father did to my sister. I don’t know what he was thinking. Maybe he just loved to watch people have sex. I know this because he always watched a lot of porn.”
Jessica’s mom answered, “What did your father do to your sister?”
“He used to sexually abuse her. He would beat up my mother, and forbid me to go to school. I had to then go to school on the weekends in order to keep up with my fellow classmates. There was a teacher who was willing to teach me on the weekend. One day my sister decided to commit suicide. She killed herself with poison. I found her lying on the floor when I came home from school one Saturday afternoon. We buried her. A week later, my mother was so heartbroken that she had a heart attack and died. The pain and sadness was so bad; I wanted to kill myself too. I wanted to hang myself, but my teacher saved me from my death and stayed with me until I graduated. My teacher always told me that I had a special purpose. It was why I was still alive. There was something calling to me, drawing me to it. I spent my life trying to find that purpose.
“When I saw you at the shop with Jessica, I felt like my sister was with me again. I felt love again. I knew you were my destiny, the right one for me. When I saw you, I knew that she was my child because you are the one that I raped when I was younger and got away with it. You fell pregnant with my child. I am sorry that I have ruined your life. I know that life was not easy for you. It has been tough. That is why I did what I did. I was confused, and did not know what I was thinking. I should have just told you the truth,” he said.
“But how did Sharon know all of this?” Jessica asked.
“She knew because her father told her. Her father used to be my friend. She got her cold heart from her father. She never liked you. She wanted you to be like her. She has done so many terrible things in life; you don’t even want to know how many. On the day you found me naked in your room, she had left me like that. I think she drugged me, just to make sure that I was ready. I never wanted to rape you. I needed to tell you what happened, but I couldn’t because you ran off. Sharon wanted you to be like her all along. I know that you wouldn’t want me like that Jessica. You don’t have to tell me that; I understand. I have already packed my luggage. I’ll go now.”
As Jessica’s father was saying his goodbyes, Jay and Mary knocked on the door. Jessica let them in, but told her stepfather to stay. She told him that she understood what he had done and that he was not at fault.
After that day her mother, Sara and her stepfather, Sean went on a vacation, just to cool off. Jay and Jessica got back together. Mary and Jessica became even closer than they had been before. Everyone was happy. And as for Sharon and her father, they were cast off. Sharon lost all of her once close friends. It was a pity, but at the same time…not really.
***
Tell us what you think: Would you forgive Jessica’s stepfather? What about Sharon?
