Story Peeps Change Lives

15 Years Too Young For You, Don't You Know?

Written by Alice Kite

The summer of 2006 was an odd one for me.  It was cold and rainy, with the occasional grace of the sun.   I was working more than usual because of the summer season.  I had a pretty normal job for a 15 year old kid.  Bagging groceries and doing cart carry-outs.  I was helping in the produce section, but as August rolled around I went back to my regular hours.

The team I worked on officially only kept bosses for a short time.  For awhile we didn't have one devoted to us at all, just a store manager. This was my second summer; I had started working in 2004.  I was nearly sixteen.

I have some medical issues, so I eventually quit school because I missed too much of it being in hospitals and frankly, I would rather have the extra cash.  I don't consider myself handicapped, and it's never been an issue for me.

But it meant that I was on quite a bit of medication. Some with side effects such as "inappropriate happiness" and "inexplicable feelings of sadness".

There was a guy in another department.  He was 37 years old at the time, he was a former musician, a former porn star, and a bear attack survivor.  I'm not sure I believe the last two now.  But the first part was proven to me.

He was nice, and friendly.  We're going to call him Bear, because I find it ironic. Bear was friends with my family, my family’s friends.  He was an overall nice, outgoing, charismatic guy.  The way most sexual predators are, the ones right beneath your nose.

Music is my way of escaping in a way.  I'm not talented, I cannot sing, I cannot play any musical instrument at all.  I did try the clarinet once. But for the most part I listen.

Bear was rather music savvy, he liked some bands I liked but that were rather unknown to my age group.  He also lived vicariously through unheard of "Dark Wave" bands, reveling in their foreign and unknown status.

Often he gave me CDs, some I liked, and some were boring.  But for the most part, I listened to it all.

Then he was promoted to my Boss, my manager. As I said before, he was an extremely charismatic guy, creative, and quirky in a way that people enjoyed but were partially repulsed by.  He still teased his hair like he was in a 80s hair band, and wore mostly dark clothing that was old.

They say hindsight is 20/20, and in a lot of ways.  I know there was no way I could have seen it coming.  I was too depressed by my own troubles with my illness, and drug-induced sadness.  Looking back though, I see someone broken and trapped growing old.

Well, the letters started coming with the CDs, and then sometimes they didn't need CDs with them.  I wrote one or two back, confiding in my troubles.  Explaining how my then boyfriend didn't understand that I was sick, or troubled.

Progressively he started to stop by my house, or sometimes ask me to meet him in the park near our workplace.  The letters were seductive traps, promises of grandeur, and illusions of innocence on his part.  I believe he called himself "A lost young boy trapped in an old man’s body."

We kissed, and he dared to fondle me.  Though even as deluded as I was, I never let him go too far. Most of this was while in his car, parked in some discreet parking lot. Though I'd wager that nothing was ever discreet enough to be real in that town, it was too small and everyone knew him and me.

I am really thankful that no one I knew ever saw.  I remember one old woman noticing us lip locked in that park.  She did not know us though.

It wasn't long after that when the letters grew more graphic, and I noticed his alcoholism was taking a swift turn for the worse. He began smuggling alcohol to work in cups and at that point he would call me into his office for frivolous reasons.  Such as discussing my schedule that hadn't changed in over 6 month’s time.

I don't know if my coworkers were suspicious before then, I was clueless.  I was 15 and had no real clue as to what anyone thought.  Well, one of his letters ended up shocking me back into reality.  It mentioned things that I still find too unbearable and disturbing to mention anymore than cryptically.

Had Twilight been released 7 years ago, I would have said that he wished he was Edward. An old man preying on innocent young brunettes who were clueless, naive and tormented by unreal feelings.

I, in my unending shame left one of the letters out for my mother to find.  I threw the other 11 of them out and waited.  When she did find them, she didn't judge me and instead called a lawyer, my work place, and several of my bosses.  Within an hour he was sent home without explanation, and that evening he was served with a restraining order.

They dug the 11 letters out of the trash.  I turned 16 the next week.  If I had waited, it would have been consensual and they wouldn't have had anything on the bastard.

He attempted to hang himself from a tree in his backyard that weekend.  He was admitted, he was given parole, became a licensed sex offender (though not for children, because I refused to testify) and was forced to go to Therapy and AA.

What's my secret?

I still feel like it is my fault, I still wonder how I would have felt if he had succeeded in killing himself. 

Author Profile: Alice Kite

This author has published 2 articles so far. More info about the author is coming soon.

Comments  

 

0 #5 it is your fault! — caseyneopets 2011-06-04 05:56

like the rest of the comments say Its your fault you should have stopped it when you knew what was going to happen and you ruined his life!

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+1 #4 RE: 15 Years Too Young For You, Don't You Know? — RatFinkFive0 2011-02-23 11:54

What a dumb slut.

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+1 #3 you played the "poor little crippled girl sympathy card" didnt you? — kobra000 2011-02-13 14:17

every time i read this post it BAD WORD es me off more and more,you young lady are a coward and a criminal! yes perjury is a crime and id bet 100 bucks you told all kinds of lies to the police just to get his charges hiked up a little more and to make yourself seem all the more pathetic and victimized ,unless he forced you to do something all i can see is he tried to carry on an improper relationship with the most improper person the man shouldn't have to do time for that or have his life ruined for your carelessness,ca llousness and lack for forsight!(and being a evil little bitch as well)if you knew it was wrong from the beginning why didn't you just shut it down then? tell him to keep it professional and keep his distance? no of course not you wanted to see how far you could lure and toy with the guy first right? see just how much you could manipulate him before running to mommy when you got in over your head? FYI the "little poor young crippled girl" sympathy card will only work for so long.chicks like you make me sick to be honest.

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+1 #2 RE: 15 Years Too Young For You, Don't You Know? — kobra000 2011-02-01 09:22

sounds to me like he didn't go any farther than you let him,and when he got to the comfort zone with you and start trusting you,you got scared BAD WORD less and decided to get the dude carted off to prison so you wouldn't have to actually step forward and call the relationship off. sounds like you played the "poor little young invalid girl" card and whats worse is it worked. im sure there are a lot of guys sitting out there rotting in prisons cause little BAD WORD s like you think its fun to ruin a guys life.

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0 #1 right from wrong — hmm.... 2010-11-06 12:23

There is soooo much I could say about this... At the age of 15, you know right from wrong. I am speaking from experience. I had a baby at 15, YES, by an older guy. NEVER did I blame anyone but myself. I knew what I was doing, and I knew it was wrong. I am not saying he shouldn't have consequences, because of course he should, but so should you. It sounds like his life is ruined and you got away with no consequences at all. That to me is wrong! If he would have succeeded in killing himself, you would have felt awful. We are taught right from wrong all our lives, you can't tell me that while you was in that car with him, something wasn't telling you it was wrong. You just liked the attention of an older guy, couldn't believe he was interested in you. I know how it goes.....I just really hope you learned something from all of this.....

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