Reply #37: Another request, for some relatives of mine [View All]

[MorningGlow]

Well, they aren't actually blood relatives, but we treat them like they are (they're my cousin's stepsister and her daughter--complicated? and long story of a convoluted family tree). But anyway, I just found out that the commonlaw husband of...let's call her my "stepcousin" for lack of a better word...has been sexually abusing her daughter since she was an infant (she's 21 now). He just walked out on my stepcousin and moved in with another woman who has no knowledge of his tendencies. He's very bold about it--told my stepcousin that she can't prosecute because the statute of limitations has expired (but I'm not sure that's true--must look it up), mainly because he has a lot of connections in their tiny town, and he knows that he can wiggle out of anything my stepcousin tries to pin on him. Plus his sister is a lawyer.

My cousin is incredibly distraught, as you can imagine. Her daughter is coping, as she always has, even though this creep made a move on her only weeks ago. But we're concerned for her, because now she's away at college, and he could drive there for a "visit" if he wants--and there's some evidence that that is what he's been planning.

So prayers for everyone involved, please, that my stepcousin her daughter find the strength to do the right thing and persevere until this creep is behind bars. (Ironically, this guy is a prison guard. Hmmm...) And that they find the right therapist to help them heal. (My stepcousin had gone to a bad therapist a while back who told her it was all her fault--I WANT THAT GUY'S LICENSE.)

And on a personal note, may I just say that while the rest of the family was enchanted with this guy because he "did everything around the house" and "put up with" my eccentric stepcousin, I NEVER LIKED THE GUY. I only wish I had had better psychic insights as to why I felt the way I did. But I knew something wasn't right about him. x(