Thank you for what…. Making my life hell! (62/73)

After my Mother returned home we had dinner and cake. The next day we were having my birthday party. I wish I could say that I was excited for the party but I wasn’t. It was harder to pretend when there was many people around and right now, I was raw with emotion. I decided to go to bed early, as I was exhausted from the day. Before I did, I hugged my Mother good night and she asked me if I had a good birthday. I choked back a lump in my throat as I said yes I did. She then told me to say good night and thank you to Jack before going to bed. He was in their bedroom watching a movie. I really did not want to go into that room to say anything to him, Never mind saying thank you. Thank you for what…. Making my life hell and ruining my birthday. This was so wrong. However, I forced myself to knock on the door and request to enter. Jack told me to come in. I stayed at the end of the bed as I said good night and thank you for the birthday gifts. He responded by saying you’re welcome. Before I left the bedroom, he informed me that he would be in later that night to see me. I felt like someone sucker punched me as I heard him say it. He never left me alone.

Jack did come into wake me later the evening around four am. Over the course of the next couple of days before I was to go to my Father’s, Jack would rape me six more times. Not giving so much as a moment’s piece to think, to breathe, to be left untouched. I felt like a prisoner in my own home for that forty-eight hour span. Jack would seize every opportunity and quiet moment to drag away in secrete to abuse me. He would wake me up each night when the house was quiet and drag me into the basement to please him.

By the time my Father arrived to pick me up, I was exhausted and traumatized. I could not wait to leave the house with him. To go to a place where I would not have to endure this madness. A wave of relief came over me as I saw him walking up the driveway to my front door. It was time to go. My Father, Lawerence, Vicki and I were packing up the motor home and heading out across the BC coast for ten days. Once we arrived in Morinville, I helped to stock up the motor home and pack up the boat. Unfortunately, Dot was not coming with us. She had not been feeling well and needed to stay behind in the hospital for treatment. However, she wanted us to go. Actually, she insisted on it. We all reluctantly agreed to go on the trip but promised we would be back in ten days. We had all planned to go to see Stampede Wrestling at the Morinville Arena in fourteen days. We had corner ringside seats. I hoped Dot would be feeling better and out of the hospital by then. Therefore, we could all go together.

My Father enjoyed being on the road. The four of us camped our way across the Okanogan that summer. Stopping at different resorts along the way. Some of them along the lakes and others up in the mountains surrounded by some of the most beautiful sites Mother Nature has to offer. Trees of all sizes, birds, bugs, animal and flora as far as the eye could see. My favorite was on a hillside of a mountain. The campsites were located up in the hills. At the base was a convenience store, and arcade, a bait shop and the lake. The park was full of families enjoying the lake and grounds. We spent four days there that summer. Basking in the sun light from the back of the boat by day. Water skiing and tubing on the crystal blue waters. When you looked down it the water, it looked as if the lake had no bottom. At least not one you could see.

At night, the forests would light up with mystery from the glow and crackle of the fire. We would sit around roasting hot dogs and marshmallows after a long day in the sun. Our time on the road flew by rather quickly. We were soon going to be heading back home. My Father had been speaking on the phone with Dot and she was still in the hospital. It did not look like that she was going to be released in time for the show at the arena. Therefore, he asked Lawerence, Vicki and myself if we wanted to go back to Morinville and see the show or if we wanted to stay camping in BC for a few days longer. We all were torn with the decision but eventually we settled on going home to see the show.