Both ladies decided on lemonade and deep-fried mushrooms.
"OK Tanya," Jes initiated conversation, "tell me about this gathering
you want me to accompany you on."
"Well," Tanya began openly, "it all started four months ago. I went
out on a date with this guy I had just met. He showed me the world in
one city and in one night. To make a long story short," Tanya continued,
"he raped me. So for the last three and a half months I've been going to
group gatherings to get support from other women who have been
through the same thing I have been through."
"So why do you want me to go with you tonight?" Jes asked, as if
Tanya had heard about what happened to her.
"Well, tonight the group is having an open floor session, where we
bring a friend and tell them what has happened to us so that we began to
feel stronger about telling others who may be going through the same
thing."
Jes sat, unaware of what Tanya had heard, if anything.
"Why are you telling me this Tanya?"
"Well, I feel good talking to you, I feel safe around you and besides, I
like you," Tanya said with a smile.
Jes was still confused with the fact that Tanya could be this open
with a woman that she didn't really know. In the middle of the
conversation, the waitress brought their order.
The girls thanked the waitress, and asked for some ranch dressing.
"Tanya, have you always been this open with talking about you being,
well you know," Jes said hesitantly,
"Raped,"
Tanya finished the sentence.
"Well yes, you talk about it so casually."
"Yes I do," Tanya said confidently, "but at first I didn't, it took a little
while before I could openly express what had happened to me to anyone,
even to myself. I lived with the lie that it didn't happen. Then I started
going to the sessions and then it all changed."
Jes sat in her chair listening to a woman that had been raped four
months before she had been, and she spoke as if the greatest thing in the
world was to tell someone. Jes listened attentively and thought if there
would come a time when she would be able to talk about her being raped
as easily as Tanya. She also thought if she would be able to tell Tanya
what she had gone through.
After listening to Tanya tell her about the
session, she decided to decline the offer of going, and so that Tanya
didn't get too personal with questions, she said that they'd better be
getting back to work.
"Ms. Lewis," Jes' boss spoke as he walked past her desk, "I'm going
home for the day, if you'd like, take the rest of the day off and enjoy your
weekend. I'll see you Monday morning."
"Thank you sir," Jes responded, "you enjoy your weekend as well."