The walk in February

This one's a sound that will never go away. Every second counts...I can't afford to be idle now because her voice comes back to hunt me..."when my father died I did everything to survive, I even sold oranges. I sold oranges to the point that I got raped"..."oh God, no"...that was all I could think as I watched her from the corner of my eyes wipe the tears that poured from her own eyes. I couldn't even look at her...God, this chill enveloped me. I was shocked to my bones.

It's been ten years since someone close to me told me about being sexually abused. The monster of a man had tricked her into bringing something to his room, something he had intentionally thrown down the stairs himself. That journey up the stairs was one that changed her life forever! After he had satisfied his evil drive, he told her that if she told her father he would kill her father and then kill her...she never told anyone until many years later. They lived at the army barrack and he was a senior officer to her dad, she didn't want to get her dad killed so she shut her mouth...she was just eight! Couldn't he have dated one of the many mature ladies that lived in the barrack?

Now this... Oh God! All she was seeking was a chance to feed, a chance to live, and the monster took from her instead of giving to her. The monster stole from her. He drove a dagger through her heart and left a mark that will never go away.

...I just walked on...mute. It was like I got stabbed in my heart too. The pain was so real that it left me dumb. Then I felt this rush of shame...she has been my dear friend for almost 4years now and I never saw it. It was there all along in our little conversations but I wasn't paying attention. But why this one? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why?! This one's a sweetheart, why would anyone think to hurt her?

Years have gone by since the sad incident but the pain I saw in her face today was fresh. She must have relieved the moments of her helplessness in that instant. I gotta say something to her, she looks up to me. But what do I say? Where do I begin? Oh God! That is one walk I will never forget.