Personal Narrative: Dating

When I was 15 I started “dating” my youth leaders son. At first everything seemed like it was going really well. He was nice to me and told me I was pretty and that was something I rarely heard outside of compliments from my parents. After a few months things started to get change. He started to get very controlling and he wanted to know where I was and who I was with. It wouldn’t take long before he would apologize and say it was only because he loved me so much. At 15, I didn’t know what love was so I didn’t know that what we had was not love. One night after church we were in the parking lot and I apparently said something he didn’t like because before I knew what was going on he had slapped me across the face. My grandpa was in the parking

He finished and then he called the same uncle that had picked me up. They took me home and both of them told me that it was no one’s business what had happened at that house. I was so terrified that I just nodded and got out of the truck. My parents, my brother, and I moved the following morning. I didn’t tell anyone what had happened. I just wanted to forget it. I wasn’t a pretty girl before any of this happened and I felt even uglier after it was all over. I convinced myself that it didn’t matter because I would never have to see him again. Things got a little better until I had a pain in my side while I was playing basketball with my brother. It hurt so bad that I couldn’t move. My dad put me in the car and my mom took me to the hospital. The doctor did some tests and told us that I had a cyst that had ruptured and that caused the pain. Then he said that I was two weeks pregnant. I couldn’t believe it. When he left the room my mom stood in front of me. She was so angry. She drew back to slap me but stopped when the door to my room opened. My father stood in the doorway. He asked what was going on. My mom screamed at me to tell him what the doctor had just

My mom was flipping out. My dad calmly sat beside me and said we would get through this. I did get through it but it was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. I had a very good friend who I trusted enough to tell her what had happened. She told me it was not my fault. I don’t know exactly how I got through all of it. No one believed me when I explained what had happened. My own mom to this day doesn’t believe me. I am a spiritual person so when all of this happened I really began to pray. I never went to therapy for it though it would have been a good ideal. I had to deal with this on my own. After my daughter was born things got better. My parents absolutely adore her. My sisters and brothers love her. There are days that it still affects me. Sometimes I still have nightmares. I freak when things touch my throat. It still hurts knowing that people that should believe me don’t. What helps me now is how good my daughter is doing. She is beautiful and smart. She is more than I could have hoped for. She knows the truth and she believes me. She helped me to cope with what happened. I now get to help others that go through this. I talk to girls who have been abused (mentally, physically, and