Hi everyone. Part 2 of the story Splintered is finally here. If you have not yet read part 1, I suggest you read it before reading part 2.  You can read it here.

As usual your feedback will be appreciated.

Splintered part 2

By  Anjello Vassell

Having examined Lily, Doctor Harris told Tina that she was definitely molested but only suffered superficial vaginal bruising.  Both Lily’s account of the incident and her examination indicates that there was no penile penetration. Tina, though angry that her child was violated, breathed a sigh of relief. She knew it could have been so much worse.

Doctor Harris informed Tina that she should expect a visit from the police, as she would be reporting the fact that Lily was molested since she has a legal obligation to do so. She also recommended a child psychologist and advised Tina to take Lily to see her, so that any psychological issues she has as a result of her ordeal can be dealt with now rather than later.

They managed to get home before the evening peak hour traffic. Tina was drained, both mentally and physically. She had bought jerk chicken with rice and peas and festivals and also red peas soup from Island Grill, knowing she had no energy to cook. She gave Lily a small plate of jerked chicken, rice and peas and a festival, along with some lemonade. She left Lily with Zora and headed for the guest room.

Tina knocked on the door to the guest room, when Dan opened she glanced at his face. It was all swollen, his left eye was barely open. “See what your son did to me?” Dan asked. “He was kind,” Tina replied.

“What are you talking about?” Dan asked.

“Don’t play dumb with me, just get out of my house.”

“Your house? This is my brother’s house too.”

“Oh! You really want to refer to Michael as your brother after what you did? You despicable bastard. Pack your things and get the hell out tonight.”

“And go where?” Dan asked.

“To hell maybe, I couldn’t care less.”

She slammed the door and was about to head upstairs when there was a knock on the front door. She peeped through the window and saw a police car parked at the gate and two police officers at the door.

Tina let them in, there was a male and a female. She explained what had happened. They said they needed to take statements from everyone. The male officer said he wanted to speak with Dan first, actually, he wanted to ensure he didn’t get out of the house. The female officer started with Lily, she was very gentle with her as she tried to get the details of the incident.

After all the statements were taken, the male officer took out a pair of handcuffs and placed them on Dan.  “What about what he did to me?” Dan muttered, looking at Paul. The officers ignored him.

 

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Michael was beside himself with excitement, he was finally going home. He simply could not wait to see his family. When the plane touched down at Norman Manley International Airport, Michael was among the first to disembark as he was seated in the front. He walked briskly and was also among the first to clear immigrations and customs.

He raced outside and immediately spotted Tina, she was even more beautiful than he remembered, his heart skipped a beat. But as he got closer to her he realized something was wrong. Tina would normally race to meet him with a big, bright smile on her face and all three children would be there as well. She was moving slowly towards him, seemed to be struggling to smile and only Lily was with her.

Michael hugged Tina and Lily tightly and kissed them both.  His suspicion that something was wrong was confirmed when he saw tears welling up in Tina’s eyes. Tina honey, what’s wrong? “Mommy is sad coz…” Lily began, but Tina put a hand over her mouth. “I will explain when we get home,” she told Michael as tears spilt from her eyes. “But where are Paul and Zora”? Michael asked. “I will explain everything when we get home,” Tina repeated.

Michael drove home, the ride from the airport to Mona Heights took about half an hour. Tina and Michael were both preoccupied with their thoughts.

As Michael drove he pondered what could be so bad that it had Tina so frazzled. His thoughts were constantly interrupted by Lily, who questioned him about his stay in Florida, his trip home and what he brought for her. He tried his best to answer her questions. Tina contemplated how she would disclose to Michael the events of the past couple of weeks that had devastated their family. Furthermore, she was petrified about how he might react.

Zora had gone to the house to welcome her father, instead of going to the airport with Tina. When she heard the car pull up she went outside. When Michael saw her his face lit up, he parked the car, jumped out and embraced her. “Welcome home dad,” she said.

Inside the house, Tina offered Michael the ackee and saltfish with fried dumplings and fried ripe plantain that she had made for his homecoming. It was his favourite dish, but Michael shook his head “No, sit down Tina and tell me what is going on. By the way, where is Paul, and Ben for that matter?”

“Oh! Exclaimed Zora, I see she hasn’t told you.”

“Why are you referring to your mother as…?”

Bam! Tina stood up and slapped Zora hard across the face. “Have some respect missy, no matter what happens, I am still your mother.”

Zora was stunned, she reached up and touched her face. Michael turned to Tina, “What was that? We have never slapped our children.”

Zora collected herself, got up, picked up her handbag and walked out. Tina, now realizing that she had only further alienated her daughter, tried to go after her but Michael stopped her. She called after her, “I’m sorry Zora, I’m sorry.” Zora did not look back.

“So that’s it then, you and Zora are bickering at each other? But why?”

“No, that’s only a part of it, there’s much more.”

“Ok, Tina spit it out, what is going on?”

Tina sighed heavily and blurted out, “Dan tried to rape Zora, I didn’t believe her, and then he molested Lily.”

“What? Who tried to rape Zora and molested Lily? You said Dan, you mean…no..no, oh God…noooo,” Michael groaned as he had a flashback, a memory that made him sick in the stomach.

When Dan was twenty-one and he was eighteen, Marjorie Davis, a fifteen-year-old girl in their community had accused Dan of raping her. Her parents reported the case to the police, Dan was questioned and he insisted that Marjorie was lying. Marjorie’s parents eventually withdrew the case. The story around the community was that Dan’s well-to-do parents paid Marjorie’s parents ‘hush money’ to withdraw the case. Michael had asked Dan to swear to him he didn’t do it and he swore he was innocent. Michael had totally forgotten about the incident after all it was over twenty years ago.

When Michael told Tina she looked at him incredulously, “You didn’t think it necessary to share that information with me, even though Dan has always been around our children.”

“I didn’t even remember about it, he was my brother, I believed him, plus that happened several years before we met,” Michael responded. “By the way, where is Paul?” he asked.

“In his room I guess, he’s probably sleeping. He hasn’t been himself since these incidents with your brother. It must be very difficult to swallow, overnight Dan went from being his beloved uncle to a pedophile that he had to beat the hell out of in defence of his sisters,” Tina replied.

“That bastard is lucky he’s in police custody. If I catch him I’ll rip him in two with my bare hands,” Michael retorted. He left Tina to go and see Paul.

Michael was surprised at Paul’s appearance. Gone was the happy-go-lucky, carefree lad he had left six months ago. He seemed stressed and he had lost quite a few pounds. Michael was now even more enraged.  How could his family have fallen apart in such a short time? How could his brother do this? At that moment Michael hated Dan more than he thought he was capable of hating anyone.

Dan was convicted of two counts of sexual assault and was sentenced to fifteen years. This came largely on the strength of Zora’s testimony which she insisted on giving, even though her parents tried to persuade her not to because they wanted to protect her. She was very determined to nail Dan and prevent him from hurting another child. Lily did not testify but her report of the incident which she gave to the police constable, was used in the trial.

Michael and his family were glad Dan was convicted but felt that fifteen years was not nearly enough. Michael’s parents, on the other hand, felt that the incident could have been dealt with within the family, there was no need to involve the police because Dan is family. They claimed Dan was humiliated in public and treated like a common rapist. Michael was quick to point out that Dan was a common rapist and deserved the treatment he got.

The relationship between Michael and his parents has never been the same. His parents resented him and his family, especially Zora for her passionate testimony. Michael and his family regretted the impasse but not their actions.

It’s been two years since this unfortunate episode, even though to the Lamont family it seems like yesterday. To everyone except Lily that is.

Lily seems to have forgotten about the incident. She is doing well in school and she has several friends.  She seems like a normal eight-year-old. Her parents thank God that it appears she did not suffer any psychological damage.

Paul has regained his weight and is more like the old Paul, even though he often wonders if there was anything he could have done that would have saved his sisters from the trauma they experienced. He is moving on with his life though. He got a scholarship and is in the second year of medical school at the University of the West Indies at Mona. His parents are very proud of his achievements so far.

Zora still lives with her aunt, even though Sue has been encouraging her to try to forgive her mom. She tells Sue that she feels disconnected from her mom. She says she cannot get past the fact that she did not believe her when she told her that Dan tried to rape her and on top of that she slapped her. She does not know if her feelings will change over time but for now, that’s how it is.

Zora maintains close ties with the rest of her family. She and her dad communicate daily and see each other at least once per week. She and Paul are very close, they link up quite often and most times they include Lily. They swear they will always be there for each other and Lily no matter what.

Zora is doing exceptionally well in school. She is now in lower sixth form, preparing for CAPE examinations. She wants to get a scholarship like Paul but she wants to study law. She wants to become a criminal lawyer and work for the prosecution so she can help to put away people like Dan. She knows she won’t make much money but the thought of putting away those bastards will give her a sense of fulfilment.

Tina is distressed that Zora has shut her out of her life. She misses her daughter terribly. She only finds out what is going on in her life from Paul or her sister, thankfully their relationship has improved. Whenever she tries to talk with Zora she is aloof and makes it clear that she has no desire to speak with her. Tina has resolved to keep trying, she knows she is to be blamed for the situation.

Michael and Tina have constantly blamed themselves and each other for what happened. They often snapped at each other for the simplest things. Tina blamed Michael because it was his brother that caused her family to fall apart and, she felt none of this would have happened had Michael told her that Dan was once accused of rape. She blamed herself for not believing Zora.

Michael also blamed himself for not telling Tina that Dan was accused of rape,  honestly, he didn’t even remember. He blamed Tina for not believing Zora. What kind of mother does not believe her teenage daughter if she says someone attempted to rape her, regardless of who that person is?

They have tried counselling and even went on a romantic getaway to revive their marriage, but nothing helped.  Both hated being so unhappy and seeing each other sad, especially when they reflected on how happy they used to be.

Sadly, they have decided to call it quits. It will not be a bitter divorce.   Their family lawyer will handle the details. They have made the most important decisions themselves: Tina and Lily will continue to live in the family house, Michael will move out. He will have access to Lily whenever he wants. They will both continue to support the children financially and otherwise and will still be there for each other.

They have both wondered whether things would have been different had Michael not gone to work in Windsor, Canada. Guess they’ll never know.