Chapter 5:

Author's note: Well, this is the end of this story. While a sexual assault is referred to, hopefully I've kept it at a level that most people can read it safely, but caution is advised. Comments are appreciated

Jake followed his boss down the hall away from his computer shuffling like a zombie.

Ralph led him out of the office, into the elevator, and down to the basement of the building, which had been converted to workout area, and pointed to a “heavy bag” used for boxing, and a pair of boxing gloves hung beside it.

“Everybody’s different Jake. But maybe, as a guy, what you need is a place where you can get angry safely. Here, you can hit that back, or even yell at it if you need to, and the bag wont mind, which wouldn't be the case with anyone else you might have that impulse with. “

Jake looked at the bag, and then at the gloves.

“Go on. put them on, and give it a go.”

Jake slipped the gloves on, and then faced the bag.

“Imagine its your rapist, and go for it.”

Jake just stood there, and then closed his eyes.

“Hit him, Jake. Hit him hard.”

Jake continued to keep his eyes closed, and then shook.

“Let it out, Jake.”

Suddenly, Jake threw a haymaker at the bag, and then followed it up with a flurry of punches. With each punch, a primal scream built inside him, and finally it escaped his lips, and he he screamed and punched for several minutes until he was totally exhausted. His hands were sore, and he was totally out of breath, but what surprised him was the fact that tears were streaming down his face, and he couldnt seem to stop them.

“It will get better, Jake. Not right away, but over time, as long as you work at it, it will get better.” Ralph said.

“How ... How do you know?”

“Because I’ve been where you are now, Jake. I’ve been through the same thing you have. I’ve now come out the other end, and you can too.”

Jake looked at the large man incredulously . “You ... were raped?”

Ralph nodded, and said, “Come back to my office, and I’ll tell you about it.”

Jake took off the gloves, and followed Ralph back to the elevator and then to his office, all the time wondering how this was possible. Who could have raped a guy like Ralph? And how could he be so .... together about it?

Ralph let Jake into the office, and indicated a chair while getting comfortable in the larger chair behind the desk. The the large man sighed, and said, “This sort of conversation would probably go easier with a shot of whiskey, but I had to give up the bottle a couple of years ago to save my liver.”

Jake said, “You .... sure you want to talk about it?”

“Yeah. I think you need to hear this, and its .... just a story, now. It cant hurt me anymore.”

He sat in silence for a moment, then sighed, and began.

“I was eighteen years old. I had left home for the first time to go to college, and I was enjoying the freedom of being an adult.

A couple of the older students had a party, and I went, and got to have a drink of alcohol for the first time, and decided I needed to walk it off.

I got a little lost, and found myself walking down beside a major road, and some guy came by, and asked if I needed a ride.

I wondered if he thought I was a girl, because I had grown out my hair, and was pretty thin in those days, but in my slightly tipsy state I decided to take him up on it.

I fell half asleep in his car, so wasnt really aware of the fact that he wasnt taking me home, until he stopped the car and I realized we were somewhere far away from where I needed to be.

I wont tell you what happened next, you can probably guess anyway, but eventually I got away, and managed to run back to the dorm I lived in.

I decided I would go and report what happened to me, and found out that the police wouldnt take me seriously. I was a guy, and guys dont get raped, or at least that was the opinion of the cops in those days.

It took me a long time to get over what happened to me. I put a lot of my anger into being a lawyer who would change the attitudes of police and other services, and get them to recognise that guys could be victims too, and I’m proud to say I succeeded to some extent.

So I do know what your going through, Jake. And if you’ll let me, I’ll help you get through this, any way I can.”

Jake sat there in silence for a while, and then said, “O... okay. What’s next?”

“Next is you go home to your wife, and try and have a good night. Tomorrow will be another day, and another step on your journey to get past this.”

“Baby steps, huh?”

“Baby steps, day by day, Jake. And I’ll be with you, and your wife as much as you want me, deal?”

“Deal”

******

Many years later, Jake sat with his wife, and waited his turn to speak to a crowd of dignitaries It had indeed been a long journey to healing, but he now was able to use his experiences to help motivate others to not let shame stop them from getting the help they needed.

And every speech he ended with saying a thank you to Jill, to his wife, and especially to Ralph for seeing him through the worst of his darkness, and said the same thing Ralph had said to him.

“Baby steps, day by day. Just like Ralph taught me.”

End