Aging Capriciously

Once upon a time there was a cute little five-year-old girl named Autumn.  She was given this name because she was born in the middle of a pumpkin festival that her family had gone to.  It was on this same day that her mother had gone into labor and given birth to Autumn.  Several years later though, her family and friends had all started calling her Little Red Riding Hood.  They gave here that nick name the year that her grandmother had given her a little red hoodie for a birthday present.  Autumn liked the little red hoodie so much that she would never go anywhere without it.  She wore it all around the house and would even have worn it to bed, but her mother always made her take it off at bedtime.

Autumn was an average five-year-old girl.  She liked dolls but also video games.  She liked to read, watch TV and go to the beach and play in the sand.  She especially looked forward to going out with her two older brothers and playing soccer with them.  She was quite a good kicker for a five-year-old.  She had recently started pre-school and Autumn got along well with all the other children.

Autumn’s father was a postal worker and her mother worked part-time at Walmart.  Her father and mother were childhood sweethearts who had met in high school.  They both married shortly after leaving high school and they seemed like the perfect couple.  Before long, they had two boys and then a few years later, they had Autumn.  Sadly though, as these things go, Autumn’s mother and father began to argue more and more and eventually they decided to divorce.  Her father took custody of the two boys and Autumn went with her mother.  Autumn was now eight years old.

Autumn’s mom decided to move to El Paso where her mother and dad were living.  She needed to find full-time work to support her and Autumn and her mother (Autumn’s grandmother) offered to take care of Autumn when mom was working.  They moved into a neighborhood that was within walking distance of grandma and grandpa.  Autumn was often tasked with bringing something over to her grandparents or retrieving something from their house.

One day her mom asked Autumn to take over a package to her grandparents.  Autumn put on her red hoodie (which was now a new red hoodie a few sizes bigger than her last one) and took her well-trod route over to grandma’s house.  When she arrived, grandpa was in bed and grandma had gone out to run some errands.  Grandpa said that he was not feeling well but could Autumn sit on the bed with him.  Autumn climbed up on the bed.  Grandpa asked Autumn to read a book to him that he had on the bedside.  Autumn was proud of her reading ability and pleased to be asked.  She began to read a story to grandpa about a cowboy in old Mexico.

As she read to her grandpa, Autumn felt her grandfathers’ hand on her leg but at first did not think anything about it.  His hand moved up to her thigh and eventually it arrived at her most private parts.  At this point, Autumn tried to move away but her grandfather held her tightly and said.  “Don’t worry Autumn, it is all right.  I want to make you feel good.  I am your grandfather and would never hurt you.”  Autumn relaxed some but soon became more and more discomforted as her grandfather’s hand roamed over and then invaded her most private parts.  Her grandfather kept assuring her that it was all right and that he loved her very much and would never do anything to hurt her. Autumn’s invasion lasted the better part of an hour until they heard the door open and grandmother returning.  At this point, her grandfather told her to get off the bed and not say a word about anything that had happened.  He told her that no one would understand and that this would be their secret.

Autumn’s mother kept sending Autumn to her grandparents on errands and over the next two years or so, Autumn received more of the same treatment by her grandfather.  In fact, the assaults escalated to cunninglingus, fellatio and repeated rapes.  Autumn had now passed her eleventh year and increasingly felt afraid of going to her grandparents.  She invented many excuses to avoid going to visit them.  Her mother noticed the reluctance of Autumn to go to her grandparents and finally demanded to know what the problem was.  At this point, Autumn decided to tell her mother what her grandfather would do to her when she went over there.

Upon hearing Autumns story, her mom became quite incensed.  “How can you say anything like this Autumn?  You don’t have to make up stories just because you are too lazy to walk over there.  Your grandmother and grandfather have done so much to help us out and you say things like this?  You had better never repeat these stories to anyone or you will get grandfather in very much trouble.”

Some might say, fortunately for Autumn, her grandfather’s heart condition continued to decline and a few months after Autumn’s revelations about his behavior he passed away.  Mother, grandmother, Autumns brothers and Autumn were all at the funeral.  It was a very solemn and sorrowful occasion for most who attended with the exception of Little Red Riding Hood.  Autumn could never admit it to anyone, but she was quite relieved and even happy that Grandpa had died.

The years passed:  (Continued in Part 2 – next week)