I was 9 years old and visiting my favorite uncle in Washington while my mom was Utah. Uncle Kenny used to buy me anything I wanted. He was funny and the family favorite. He lit up any room he walked into. He was 51. My visit had been filled with gifts, horseback riding, fishing, movies, toys, trips to water parks, Never Never Land, Enchanted Forest, Mt. Ranier, etc… I did not want to leave. I knew that when I left, it would mean back to school for me.
The night before I was to leave, I went to bed in Uncle Kenny’s spare bedroom, just like I had done every other night. In the middle of the night I was awoken by a light in my face and as I tried to make sense of it and opened my eyes, Uncle Kenny was standing over me, closing his robe and turning out the light, and in an instant he was gone. I laid there trying to figure out what had just happened, and then I felt it. My face was wet. Had he peed on my face? The rest of my body, which was in my flannel nightgown and under the covers, was completely dry. I knew I couldn’t have been sweating that much. I was so confused and scared. I dried my face on the pillow and began the art that I have perfected as a result of that night. I cried without making a sound, barely breathing, afraid to move. I finally went to sleep.
The next morning, I was still in a state of confusion. I immediately wanted to deny the whole thing had happened. I couldn’t wait to go home to my safe world with my mom. Uncle Kenny acted so normal. He took me out for breakfast and it was there that I got the courage to confront the issue, or to at least let him know or think that I might be on to him. Pretty brave for a 9-year-old little girl. I took a deep breath and said, “It sure was hot last night.” He didn’t even skip a beat. He quickly acknowledged that it was and that when he checked on me I was sweating up a storm. He knew I knew. We never spoke of it again, that year.
Meanwhile, I went back to my home in Utah and began the fifth grade at a new school. I told all of my new friends about what had happened. They told me I should tell someone. I was telling someone; them. I couldn’t wreck my family’s image of the perfect uncle. I vowed I would never put myself in a position where I would be near or alone with him again.
