We were young, us cousins. I was the youngest of the girls. I remember this uncle who used to live in one of the outhouses. I remember that eager look on his face when he asked us to sit on his lap. You could see the excitement in his eyes. We children instinctively knew it was wrong. We were never taught ‘Good touch, bad touch’, but we knew we had to always escape his groping hands that would try to catch us and plop us on his lap. Sometimes, one of us would get unlucky and with be picked up and he would press the victim down on his lap, almost salivating. That look of anticipation on his face! it still makes me cringe!
I was 12 and we were all invited to my aunt’s house. We used to go there often. This time, my uncle had been drinking. I remember that day there was a power cut and as I was passing the quiet part of the house, he grabbed me and forced his tongue into my mouth. That was the most awful feeling. It lasted maybe a few seconds but to me, it has lasted a lifetime. That taste, that smell still lingers. That uncle is now long dead but I still feel the anger when I remember the incident.
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