The Truth Will Out

tw: sexual abuse

 He hailed from a prominent family in Goa, the members of which were treated with a deference bordering almost on reverence. They had an ancestral house in a part of town which used to house the elite section of society. The family was well-connected and had relatives in various parts of the state. They were a family of several siblings, and were quite close knit, and so when he expressed a desire to seek his fortune abroad, it seemed inconceivable to them that he would wrench himself from the bosom of the family for the purpose. As he was determined on this course of action, they finally acquiesced and accepted the inevitable. He went on to distinguish himself as a judge and earned respect in judicial circles and elsewhere.

 In course of time, he met a young woman, also from a reputed family and became quite enamored of her. The two families were acquainted with each other and each knew the family background of the other. After an initial courtship, they settled down to a happy married life. Though there was a disparity of fourteen years between them, they were, to all intents and purposes, quite content in their life together. After an initial period of adjustment, they got along famously. Eventually, they went on to have a family: a son was born to them followed a couple of years later by a daughter. The children’s early years were spent in Goa where they did their schooling.

 Jaime finally got his wish and decided to settle abroad. The first few years were difficult ones, and he had to sustain himself with the finances dispatched by his family. In his adopted country too, he continued with his chosen career, and here also earned distinction as a judge. He was a gentleman of the old school, and would always offer a seat to a lady on the bus or on the train. He was also a very pious man, and never missed a Sunday service, if he could help it. In spite of this character trait, he did not see it as being in any way inconsistent with his pursuit of the ladies. His siblings too, looked quite indulgently on his failings in that area. His wife, on the other hand, seemed not to notice his predilection for women. He was a bundle of contradictions, and though he saw himself as an upright, even a straitlaced man, he enjoyed nothing better than to gossip and talk about the failings or misfortunes of others.

He was an unconventional parent, and followed rather unusual parenting techniques. If his son’s teacher had a complaint about his son, he would choose to listen to his son’s version of the events rather than the teacher’s even if the latter were justified in her accusations. The son quickly adapted himself to this practice, and on occasions when he misbehaved, he would make sure that his side of the story was conveyed to his father first, and in this manner, he came out unscathed from many a scrape. It was also the father’s habit to have his son watch over his daughter to see if she got close to any member of the opposite sex, or formed an alliance with someone.

The wife took on the role of a home-maker and adapted herself to life in their adopted country. They had a lovely home in the suburbs and she took great pride in looking after it. Whenever members of the family were travelling, they would invariably stay at their place and could be sure of a warm welcome in their home. She was quite efficient in running a household and the table was always laden with choice dishes from the home country. One day as she was cooking in the kitchen, she heard her daughter sobbing and went quickly to her room. She found her daughter lying in bed, weeping, while her father stood over her. When she asked her why she was crying, she would not answer her. In spite of her best efforts, she did not succeed in getting her to unburden herself. While this incident preyed on the mother’s mind, she was no closer to getting at the truth.

Meanwhile, their life continued according to the usual routine. While the husband went to his work in the court every day, the wife would cook for the family and sit down to watch television. But she was troubled by the incident in her daughter’s room and was determined to get to the bottom of things. When she made inquiries from her husband, it only elicited a noncommittal response. She decided to tackle matters head-on and speak to her daughter about the matter.

When her daughter came home from school, she gave her sufficient time to unwind and then went to her daughter’s room. At first, she engaged her in casual conversation, and then when she had established a rapport with her, she asked her about the events of that day. Initially reticent, she finally opened up and told her what had happened. Her father, it turned out, had formed the habit of coming into her room and sexually abusing her. This had been going on for some years, but on the day when her mother had entered the room, she had refused to accede to his wishes and he had slapped her. He had warned her about keeping silent on the matter and not speaking to anyone about it.

He explained to his daughter that as he had been responsible for giving her life, he was not going to let someone else enjoy the benefits. She had wanted to tell her mother about the abuse for a long time, but had been afraid to speak to her. Once when she had tried to speak to her mother about it, her father had entered the room and she had stopped herself. As a consequence, she had heard a rumor doing the rounds that she was promiscuous and was sleeping around with a married man. This had deterred her from confiding in her mother. Only because she had exerted pressure, at last she had brought herself to reveal everything.