Chapter 78-1
Sibling Rivalry
Part 2
It didn’t bother Mom knowing I
slept naked sometimes. She just gave me a loving pat on my bottom, which always
made me grin and left me to wake the rest of the house for breakfast. My father
wasn’t home, but his bed looked slept in which was more than fine with me. It
didn’t matter to Mom if I dressed for breakfast or not, but I did it anyway for
my sister's sake slipping on a new pair of boxers and a pair of new running
shorts. Deciding to wear a shirt or not, choosing a tank top instead and laced
my sneakers. Even this much my father would consider me indecent and immoral,
but it was my choices and no one else’s.
After our talk last night, I wanted to grab the bull by the horns and have a
nice long talk with Officer Kenly and Bishop Earl. I was told I could find both
of them at church house going over the details for the father and sons outing
after speaking with Officer’s Kenly wife on the phone. Mom said she would drop
me off and either I could walk home afterward or get a ride from either of them
or simply wait for her to come back, and Aaron and I would go to the pool for
the afternoon and possibly a movie that I wanted to see.
I knew she didn’t want me anywhere near my father, but it was my choice and I
told her I was more than capable of protecting myself. Besides I was in good
hands when it came to having Officer Kenly nearby. My sisters greeted me with
sour faces the second I sat down at the table. The first words out Susan’s
mouth were. “Look, it does wear clothing.”
Having them both mock me as I simply smiled and said. “Yes, even hillbillies
wear clothing when it suits them, and today it suites me,” having them stick
their tongues out at me. You got to hate annoying little sisters. Aaron to
thought it was strange being the only boy at the table wearing boxers. I asked
if he wanted to go with me and we could play a little basketball. Having him
quickly run down the stairs and dress in similar clothing as me and grab his
basketball.
Mom was on the phone getting some those details on where to find the books on
family nudism and planning our next skinny dipping party which would include my
foster mother and my foster sisters. I knew my sisters weren’t going to like
it, but I hoped with documented proof and some… one on one time with my mother
and grandma. That it will make it so wasn’t a big deal anymore.
Somehow I had my doubts, the same doubts that I had with the three bad boys and
their friends. Personally, I don’t know what the problem is we are all boys and
I don’t see them as sex objects. I questioned if maybe they might be gay; just
thinking about it makes me shiver. Why did I have to think that they are
looking at the rest of us boys as sex objects? Gross.
Like usual my father was out mowing the lawn, it always gave me bad memories
when I see the church building, always having to dig inside the well to find
that inner peace. Neither of us said anything until we were in earshot of each
other, I could see and feel the hate he had for Aaron and I… hearing him say.
“Oh look, the immoral freak’s are here,” giving a hate full snarl.
For once
couldn’t he say? “Hi boys, glad to see you, would you like to play ball with me
after I finish the front lawn?”
Not going to happen in this lifetime. I told Aaron to start without me, that I
shouldn’t be long. I just needed to speak with Bishop Earl and Officer Kenly
about the father and sons camp out. Mom said if my father gave him any trouble
to just run down to the Bishop office and Officer Kenly would take care of it.
Unlike me, Mom trusted my father enough not to touch Aaron, but what she didn’t
know was each night like me Aaron secures his room so he can’t get in. I would
like to say when he's not angry, but my fathers always angry. I don’t know
which is worst? Not knowing when the monster comes out or knowing the monster
is always out when it comes to my foster parents and my father?
The side door was open so there was no needed to walk the long hallway and face
all those ghosts that haunt me. I hated this church house because it always
reminds me of what had taken place here. Even the gym didn’t have pleasant
memories, but those I could deal with. Well, I hoped I could deal with them. I
had come along ways facing my fears when came to PTSD and night terrors, but it
still didn’t mean that I didn’t have them.
The door was open and I waited to be invited in. I closed the door which
indicated I wanted to keep what I said privately. I had contemplated to forget
the whole thing, but after talking with my mother the night before, I knew she
was right.
I took a seat asked if they had a minute, I had something I needed to talk
about with both of them. I didn’t beat around the bush because I trusted them,
and I knew I could talk about anything not feel uncomfortable about it, well I
was feeling a little unease. Officer Kenly asked the first question regarding
if it was a sexual issue. I simply said, “it could be, but so far it isn’t.”
Neither did it answer his question I said. “It had to do with my foster
brothers Shawn, Arthur, and Danny regarding said topic, but it had a lot more
to do with my Bishop, Bishop Crawford.” From experience, I knew Bishops don’t
like other Bishop talking about their problems, but I was desperate, and like I
said I trusted them both.
They quickly took a seat and waited for me to begin, letting me know I had both
their attention and wouldn’t laugh. Unless it was a bad joke, but I knew or I
hoped it was a bad joke and have them tell me I had nothing to worry about. In
some way’s I opened the door or the can of worms or letting the skeletons out
of the closet.
I cringed when I gave Bishop Earl permission to tell Officer Kenly about was
taking place at the Rothwell home and the dark secret that was hiding down in
the basement. I didn’t know at the time about the turntable, I can guarantee if
I did I wouldn’t be going back after the home visit ended. In some ways, I wish
I did and in others, I wish I never experienced, but fate is just plain cruel.
After a brief explanation and a few embarrassing questions we were all on the
same page. I had both asked them not to tell anyone, for the fact it could
endanger my life. I knew Officer Kenly didn’t like the idea, but he expressed
his opinion regarding it, and I accepted it giving the same promises that I had
given to Bishop Earl and my mother.
I knew sooner or later that dark secret will come out in the open regardless if
they doing there best to keep contained behind closed door. Knowing first hand
that a secret like that is un-containable forever, and I also knew when that
happened I was going to be in big trouble.
Even if Brother Sake’s didn’t hear it from me, I knew my younger foster
brothers Jared and Jason would mostly be the ones bring that dark secret to
life and I knew when that happened all hell was going to break loose. Even them
I had made a pack that if it happened again not to hesitate, but bring it to
brother Sakes or our old Bishop, Bishop Lanwall. You could say I was shoring up
the dam before it breaks, also praying that it wasn’t going to happen.
I didn’t like breaking a promise, but I Aunty M had taught me that when someone
says this is a secret, making you promise to keep between you and your abuser
it a promise that should never be kept.
At the time I thought she was talking about my parents when they physically
abused me and wanted to keep doing it behind closed doors, but the proof was in
the pudding when teachers and or people notice the injuries happening way too
often. That dark secret has found a way out into the light.
Grandma too had told me promise like that should never be kept, when it can
feaster and hurt you or other people you love, but still hurt to know I was
breaking a sacred trust with my foster parents, but Aunty M and my Grandmother
are right, even my mother agrees that promise like this should never be kept
and deep down I knew Jeff and perhaps God would be disappointed in me if kept
it knowing others like me and kids like my brother Aaron and my two younger
foster brothers could be in danger of it happening to them. No one should be
living in torment by an abuser and their so-called promises.
Afterward, I brought up the problems that seemed to be happening in my homeward
with Bishop Crawford. I knew Bishop Earl seemed uneasy about it, but he trusted
me to tell him the truth no matter what it was or how embarrassing it was. I
could see the light pulsating behind those eyes, it reminded me how at first
when I meet him and the effect it had on me, but I had come along ways since
then so today they made me feel at peace.
Unlike the feeling I get with Bishop Crawford that makes me feel so dirty I
wanted to take a long hot shower and scrub clean with a coarse brush. It was
times like these that I really missed Jeff, wondering if he would be proud of
me or disappointed in me for talking bad about another “man of God” and the way
I am disrespecting him by doing so.
Officer Kenly and Bishop Earl agreed to do some looking in on it and see if
there is a reason to be concerned. To them and me, it sounded a lot like drug
trafficking when came to sealed packages and large amounts of money changing
hands. That and potential kids sex ring could explain a lot of why the three
bad boys and their friends were made to look like they were given such a free
pass which clearly sent red flags up.
I was asked how many times I had been asked to join this so-called club and if
it was still was going on. I stated clearly that I believed it was, even more
so after watching the boys attitude when came to our closes family skinning
dipping.
Telling them they could be easily embarrassed about being easily aroused, but
the question was why and how after so many times running, laps or doing chores
or joining us in a family activity would affect them in such a way. Even more
so for Arthur and Shawn practically raised in this carefree lifestyle and when
it came to Danny and the kids like him and me that enter the Rothwell home they
should be desensitized within the first few months considering how often they
had been exposed to nearly every day said something was going on to hold back
the processes that should be made it not a big deal, which only confirmed our
suspicions.
I told the truth regarding how I felt about it stating to me it at first it was
hard to get over having to explain how my parents believed what I was doing was
immoral yet when I returned back to my foster parents they had to re-convince
me I was doing nothing wrong and would have to fight me out of my Eskimo suit,
and that had taken several years to get beyond it with.
The help of my grandmother and my foster parents opening up addressing my
sexuality to what really was immoral and what was not and having detailed
discussion regarding life and sex and how my body was changing made a big
difference in my life. Unlike parents that refuse to talk about it on any level
giving the excuses that we should wait until we are older, but that day never
comes. If wasn’t for my grandmother and my foster parents I would have grown up
thinking there was something wrong with me and not understand my feelings
regarding girls or how I was changing.
I explained when I was placed in the Rothwell home it was easier to get over
being embarrassed and not feel ashamed of my body that it soon became a
beautiful experience and I was no longer ashamed or embarrassed about it. I
don’t feel the same way as my father regarding it and now my mother as well as
my brother has embraced the idea and now after all these years because of it we
now have open relationship that came to sharing openly to any subject even more
so regarding sexuality; something that my father and sisters don’t have, even
more so for the three bad boys.
Bishop Earl knew the Rothwell’s and our carefree lifestyle, and I could see it
bothered him knowing that these three bad boys, apparently thought it was a big
deal or they too would been immune by simply seeing a naked woman even more so
considering they were their mother and sister, but it also brought out the
possibility that they had homosexual desires.
What he didn’t say it was perfectly natural for boys and girls to “experiment.”
In fact, it worried both Bishop Earl and Officer Kenly that Bishop Crawford
felt differently or he too would have stepped in and stopped it instead of
supporting the idea that what they were doing was ok. But I didn’t have the
proof to back it up, for right now it was hearsay, and only suspicion nothing
more. Even though I had told them they had tried it with me, but were
unsuccessful, could have only meant they were giving me a hard time.
I hate to say it but they were right. I had told them that younger boys and
Arthur had been preyed upon and I had told them that my foster parents knew
about it, but have taken measures to not discusses it, to the point of severe
punishment if any of us mention it to anyone. Plus the fact I had told the
younger boys if it happened again to contact Brother Sakes or old Bishop,
Bishop Lanwall. Bishop Earl had spoken to both of them on several occasions and
most likely had them on speed dial.
Officer Kenly said he would make some calls and be discreet as much as
possible, but wanted me to tell him if anything happens to me while I am in the
Rothwell’s care, and I better tell him and not wait for him to find out about
it later; I greed with handshake sealing the deal. He thanked me for being
honest about it but wished I would have mentioned the other thing a lot sooner.
I knew he was right, but if I could change the past, I wouldn’t be here I would
have stayed with the Downing’s. Then again would things been better for my
brother if I had or would my mother do a complete one-eighty when came to her
attitude towards me and my brother if I had gone with them? Oh how I wish Jeff
was here help me, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t tell me. He was always
frustrating when it comes to that.