When I read of Mrs. Sandusky's testimony I was reminded of an incident that occurred many years ago. Note: there is little triggering in this story, I hope. The story is below the orange thing.
When we were all 18, my college roommate (whom I'll call Leslie) spent the weekend with another friend (whom I'll call Mary) and Mary's family.
Mary was the youngest of five children. An older brother had committed suicide when he was in his teens. I knew Mary's parents slightly and didn't like them. There was nothing I could put my finger on, except that they seemed rather closed and self-righteous, and I felt they didn't always act in Mary's best interest.
On the first evening of her visit, Leslie was in the living room reading. Mary and Mary's mother had retired to their bedrooms. The father was out "on business." Mary's father returned home, saw Leslie alone, and literally pounced on her. Leslie was a healthy self-confident young woman, and she pulled away. Then there was a chase all over the house. Leslie was yelling, "Wake up! Wake up!" and actually pounding on Mary's parent's bedroom door.
Finally, Leslie managed to slip into Mary's room and push a heavy chest of drawers against the door. At that time Mary was taking some medication that resulted in heavy sleep. After Leslie was sure the door was sufficiently blocked, she went to bed and slept fitfully.
Next morning, as Leslie related to me, she wondered how Mary's father would face her at the breakfast table. No problem. To Leslie's astonishment, Mary's father behaved just as he always did in the presence of his wife. No embarrassment, no nothing. Finally, Leslie said to Mary's mother, "Didn't you hear me shouting and pounding on your door last night?"
Mary's mother seemed offended at the question. "I didn't hear a thing," she said.
Shortly thereafter Mary confided that her parents believed Leslie to be "a little bit crazy." I replied, "Leslie is sane. It is your parents who are nuts."
I more or less kept up with Mary for three more years until moving out of town. Whenever Mary got a job and appeared to be moving toward independence, her parents insisted that she quit so she could accompany them on a "family vacation." I lost track of her later.
6:29 PM PT: I would like to publish this diary to Tree Climbers, but I don't know how to do it.