Raped by an Old Song
By Shannon Keene
Jean had been preparing her self for her big date for three hours. She painted her nails a vibrant red that matched her new dress perfectly. She carefully put her hair half-up and had a new clip festively keeping it there. She posed and practiced smiles in the mirror so that she was always ready for the perfect response to whatever Alec did or said. The soft chime of the doorbell announced Alec's arrival and Jean hopped into her heels as she rushed to the door to meet him; at the same time she called out to her parents that her date had come. Her date, Alec, was early. She invited him in. He stood politely by the door as she scooped up her coat and purse then kissed her parents goodbye. Her father shook hands with the young man then told Alec to have his daughter back before midnight. The young man happily agreed and the couple vanished out the front door; Jean’s parents sat and drank coffee as they discussed the gentleman that their daughter had left with.
One fifty-seven in the morning Jean clicked the door closed and slumped against the glass off the door; she felt her body shaking heavily as she slid to the floor. “I can’t be held responsible. “ She murmured under her breath, “I won't be held responsible.” Her eyes seemed glassed over and saw nothing.
“Jean?” her father walked down the stairs, seeing his daughter sitting in the dark, “I told you to be home before midnight-“ he said with a chastising tone.
“No, I can’t be held responsible.” She mumbled louder while staring vacantly at the floor.
“What?” her father replied, his feet stomping down the stairs.
“She was touching her face.” Tears started to stream down her face.
Her father switched on the light and stood shocked at his daughter. Her dress was torn exposing half her chest, her hair was matted, her high heels were gone, and there was blood all over her legs. Her face, neck, and arms were heavily bruised. She didn’t try to cover herself. She didn’t look up at him. “She fell in love in the first place.”
“Jean! “ He knelt to her. “What happened?”
“I can’t be held responsible.” She repeated, “She was touching her face.”
He grabbed her wrist, “Tell me what happened. Where are you hurt?”
“I won't be held responsible!” A scream bumbled from her throat, “She fell in love in the first place!” she frantically started to try to get out of her father’s grasp as if the touch to her wrist burned.
He gripped harder, “Jean! Calm down! What happened?”
The harder he held her the more she tried to get free the more she tried to scratch him with broken red nails and screamed louder, “For the life of me I cannot remember!” Never talking, never explaining, only screaming lyrics of an old song.
“Jean!” he shook her, “Jean!”
She started shaking harder and broken hysterical sobs emanated from her throat, “What made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise!” she kicked weakly at her father as he mother raced down the stairs.
“Charles, what the hell is going on?” the woman yelled at her husband, who was trying to hold his daughter still.
“I don’t know. She won’t tell me.” He leaned back to show his wife their daughter. “I think she was raped.”
“Dear lord…” the woman gasped. “Where was Alec? Where is Alec?”
Jean bared her teeth and screamed vehemently through them, “For the life of me I cannot believe we'd ever die for these sins! We were merely freshmen!” she fought her father’s grasp; pushing and pulling frantic to get the hands off of her wrists.
Her mother pulled her robe off and tried to wrap it around her daughter, “Quiet! What happened?” Jean ignored her mother and only looked at her father.
Jean grew still, head bowed, and sobbed through words intelligibly, “…guilt stricken sobbin' with his head on the floor…” she looked up at her father, who still firmly had her wrists, “…He never really wept… he says…” she leaned close and whispered, “I can't be held responsible.” The tears flowed but her voice never faltered, “'Cause she was touching her face.”
“Charles, why is she singing?” Jean’s mother stepped back. “What is she singing?”
“I don’t know, Lindsey.” He never took his eyes off his sobbing hysterical daughter. “It’s an old song. The Freshmen.” He added absentmindedly, “It’s by The Verve Pipe. Came out back in 1996.” He stared concerned for his daughter who sat broken and bloody against their front door.
“Jean, tell me what happened!” he mother sat on the cold tile beside her daughter, “Tell mommy what happened!” Jean never took her gaze off of her father.
“Daddy…” she whispered then even softer, “…She fell in love in the first place…”
