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Chapter 26
Caleb
This week has been like a whirlwind of different emotions. Since Monday, it has all happened; Sophia’s funeral, Aria being unwell, and the welcome home dinner my mother cooked. Now, I’m sitting in the headquarters of Woman Matters with Clay and Chris. We’re waiting for today’s family counselling session to begin. Aria’s at home, happily resting. I told her we were doing this, and she understands why we need this help as well.
“It’s good to see you guys here.” Jack pats my back.
“Thanks, buddy. I’m glad it’s you that’s taking this session.”
Jack is one of the head counsellors here at Woman Matters. He’s worked here for several years now, and he’s a good guy.
“Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Jack, for those of you that don’t know me. I’m going to be taking these sessions on a Friday for the next few weeks. My main aim is to be here for you, to answer any questions you might have, and just to be a support network for you. I know how hard it can be for the victim of abuse, but it’s just as hard for their loved ones. We try to put on a brave face, be their protector, but sometimes we just need someone to be there for us. So, let’s do a roll call. We’ll go around everyone one by one. Tell me your name and why you’re here.”
I sit forward in my seat, clenching my hands together over my knees. Butterflies are swarming around my stomach. I don’t hear what anyone says, but then it comes to me and Clay nudges me in the side to get my attention.
“Hi, my name is Caleb. I’m here because my partner was kidnapped for nearly a year, raped, and abused. I’m an ex-police detective. I’d like to find ways of helping her deal with everything about her ordeal, and find ways to move forward as a family unit.”
“Hi, my name is Clay, and I’m Caleb’s brother. I’m here for support in helping my brother and his partner.”
“Hey. I’m Chris. I’m another brother of Caleb’s. I think my main aim is to get a better understanding from the victim’s point of view. Aria – Caleb’s partner – doesn’t have the same bond with me as she does with Caleb and Clay. I’d like to be able to help her relax more around me.”
“Thank you, everyone. I think, after listening to you all, we’re all looking for the same thing out of these sessions. Whether it’s your sister, daughter, partner, we’ll deal with each one individually and as a group.”
I look around each person sitting in the circle. It’s hard to believe that we’re all here for the same reasons. So many people are affected by any kind of abuse, and it’s not fair. The world we live in is getting worse. It terrifies me to bring kids into this world. It isn’t like when we were kids. We could go out to the forest to play for hours, build dens, and act like the next Tarzan. Now, nothing and no one is safe.
“Clay, can you swap places with Janice, please?” Clay nods and does as he’s asked. “Now, I’d like you all to turn to the person to your right. You’ll spend the next thirty minutes chatting with your partner about your experience, your concerns, or whatever comes up between you. We’ll evaluate at the end.”
I turn to my right and hold my hand out to the man sitting beside me. “Hi. I’m Caleb.”
“I’m Jackson. I’m not going to say it’s nice to meet you, because this is the last place we both want to be.”
“You got that right, man. I’m sorry. I spaced out going around the introductions. Why are you here?”
“My fifteen-year-old daughter was raped. She seems to be getting stronger and facing life again. Me, on the other hand, I’m struggling. I can’t look at her without seeing her being…” He trails off and shakes his head.
I blow out a large sigh. “That must be fucking torture. Fifteen. Did they catch him?”
He nods. “Six years. It hardly seems fair that he’ll probably get out in three years for good behavior.”
I shake my head at our justice system. It makes me sick.
“What about you? Your girlfriend was kidnapped for a year? That’s got to be a mind fuck.”
I nod. “Aria was the love of my life when we were kids. I’ve never loved another person like her. We went our separate ways for a lot of years. I went into CPD and she went overseas as an aid worker in third world countries. Not a day went past when I didn’t think about her. To find out what happened to her was, as you say, a mind fuck. I still find it all hard to believe that any man could do that to another human being. She and the baby are keeping me sane at the moment.”
“Baby?” asks Jackson.
“Yeah. She’s twenty weeks pregnant with her rapist’s baby.”
“I’m so sorry, buddy. I… God, I don’t know what to say. I thought I had it bad.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I love Aria, and seeing the baby on the screen melts my heart. I’ll love that little one like my own. It’s just hard, you know?”
He nods and sits back in his seat. “I hear you, bud. We’ve just got to find strength from somewhere.”
“I guess we do.”
Jack bends down in front of us and places a hand on each of our arms. “You guys look deep in thought here. Do you want to talk about it?”
