When I was in elementary school around 4th-5th grade is when it started. I had a piano teacher that would come over to our house and he'd teach me how to play piano twice a week after school. My mom would always be in the house with us but after she got more comfortable with him, she'd leave to the store sometimes. I had this piano teacher for the majority of elementary school up until I almost graduated middle school. Sometimes he'd try to kiss me when I wasn't looking. Or he'd sit on the piano bench with me and put his arm around his waist. I was too scared to say or do anything about it so I just kept dodging his kisses and kinda shimmied away from him being too close to me. I was old enough to know it was wrong but young enough to not know what to do... One time I had friends over after school to go swimming but it was piano day and my mom forced me to take these piano lessons with everyone in the backyard playing in the pool. I was already in my bathing suit and had already been in the pool so I had a towel around myself while I practiced. He made sure my mom was occupied before he started forcing himself onto me.. Honestly it was all a blur, lots of trying to push him off of me and hushed "shhhhh".. I was assaulted and I didn't know how to react. I'm 24 now and I haven't told anyone but my one closest friend. Not even my parents know.. It pains me to know that he went off and became the piano teacher to a lot of other kids. And that he possibly did the same to them. I beat myself up for not saying anything...

I been thinking real hard about even relaying these awful things about the person that I have admired the most, the person I have respected and revered my whole life but that now, has completely backstabbed me in the worst way possible. A few years ago, a scandal broke in my political family involving my mother. As you can imagine, it nearly broke my marriage and tore my husband’s family apart. My sister in law found my father in law and my mom talking on social media. The worst part of it, when I was confronted, I was accused of knowing about the whole affair and made it looked like I was an accomplice to the whole ordeal. When I had absolutely no clue to such a disgusting mess. I don’t know what neither of them were trying to accomplish and now, I’m the black sheep of the family. No one talks to me. While my father in law is still loved and honored. My mother the home wrecker and I pay the sins of her ordeals. She never once has said I’m sorry. Never! In her head, I’m better off without that side of the family. But it’s not about that; why did she do this to me? Why my father in law? Among so many men? Why him! I guess I’m just looking for an explanation and I know I will never get it from her. Because she just cannot accept she did anything wrong. I wish I could get her version because as of now, I only know everyone else’s but her’s. I always thought I didn’t need to hear her side because it’s not my place to question her, but I have kids who now have to suffer for her sins as well. I don’t think it’s fair to them either. I guess the damage is done as well and the past is the past. I won’t get nothing accomplished but I just want an acknowledgment from her part that she messed up.

• August 12, 2023