Jacob Paul Patchen [Patchen - At Daddy’s Hands

2019 by Jacob Paul Patchen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

The final approval for this literary material is granted by the author.

First digital version

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Print ISBN: 978-1-68433-344-8

PUBLISHED BY BLACK ROSE WRITING

www.blackrosewriting.com

Print edition produced in the United States of America

Recommended Reading

Dedicated

To those who are currently enduring the torments of sexual/physical/mental abuse, to those who have braved the harassment of this evil, and to those survivors who have outlasted that hell. This is for you.

Thank You

To my family for the love , support, patience, and guidance when I needed it most. Thank you to those courageous people who submitted their true stories to the back of this book. I hope that your voices roar. A very special thank you to Nikki Foster Russ for all of her time, energy, patience, and support on this project. Nikki, without you, this book would not be what it is today. Thank you to Jason Hillyer for the artwork. Thank you to my readers, my friends, and my hometown of Cambridge, Ohio for the continued support, love, and daily inspiration that you graciously give to me. Finally, I thank the Lord for blessing me with the ability to bring awareness, help, and change through my words. It is a privilege and honor to write for you.

Message from the Author

For a couple of years, I worked as an Activity Director/Case Manager in a mental and behavioral health facility for adjudicated youths, ages 13-17. During this time, I worked alongside therapists, case managers, and parents to correct dangerous thinking, build life and social skills, and break patterns of mental, physical, and sexual abuse.

Working both with inpatient and outpatient clients, I was able to see firsthand the effects that sexual assault has on children and their families. As tragic as it is for many of these children, it s what they know as normal behavior. For many of these children, they had endured years of sexual, mental, and physical abuse, believing that it was their fault. They considered it punishment for behaviors that they had done rather than understanding as their abusers wrongdoings , that it was their abusers mental illnesses or evil intentions that caused them harm. It took months and years of counseling to build their self-respect, self-confidence, and trust back up.

Many of these children had abused their own siblings, family, or friends of the family in the same manner in which they were abused by their fathers, mothers, uncles, or family friends. You see, the biggest revelation that occurred to me while working in this field was that sexual/mental/physical abuse is a long chain that stretches down through the family. In most cases, it is a learned behavior that had happened to the abuser at some point in their life, and most likely, from someone that they knew. Their father did it to them because his father did it to him and his uncle did it to him, and now he does it to his sister or brother or cousin. Sexual abuse is a terrible and sickening cycle.

I have witnessed a system that has failed these children. I have monitored family visits between the abuser (father) and the victim (twelve-year-old female) that were allowed by the court because the evidence was not substantiated. I have witnessed self-harm and suicide attempts, escapes and run-aways. I have seen a system that would rather penalize its employees than try to help the victims of these crimes.

There is such a taboo associated with sexual assault that people are afraid to talk about it. People are afraid to discuss what to do if someone becomes a victim of sexual assault. Adults shake off the signs, because that couldn t happen in this family, this school, or this community. But, I assure you, it happens everywhere. And there are abusers out there that are getting away with it because we enable them, through lack of intervention, inaction, and lack of prosecution. In some cases, criminals are more likely to do more time in jail because of drug-related crimes than sexual assault or abuse.

How do we allow this to happen? How can our system be so inhumane? Folks, it s up to us to change that.

My aim here is to build up the courage and the strength to be able to break that mold, to snap that chain. I want any victim or survivor that is reading this to know that you can get through this. I realize that the system is damaged, that the policies are strict, and that the odds are against you. But I have seen success. I have witnessed children break through that mold and change the outcome of their family s history. I believe in you because I know that there is strength within you. I know that your abuser has sucked the life right out of you, left you confused, terrified, broken and ashamed. But hear this, there are those of us who are on your team; there is so much support out there, whether it be teachers, coaches, counselors, family, friends, or groups and programs there is an army in your corner. But it is up to you to break that link. It is up to you to ring that alarm.

And I believe that you are strong enough, brave enough, smart enough, and beautiful enough to fight it, and win.

Please note: This is a fictional story placed in a real town. In no way am I trying to draw negative attention to the small town that I grew up in. I love this town, this small area, and all the close-knit people in it. In no way am I trying to bring negative attention to the police, judges, or anyone else in this town. I have many friends that are in law enforcement, and I know them to be exceptional people. But, by naming a real place, I felt it would make the story more impactful. But, either way, fiction or not, this is a very real and everyday issue that we need to come together to solve.

One.

The Assault

2018, October

Jim Handler had just shoved his way through a mess of shoes, book bags, and jackets piled in front of the door. It had been another long and trying day at work. Home didn t make things any better. Depending on which way he leaned , the house smelled of either burnt toast, fresh dirt, muddy sweat, or spilled wine. His right hand was clenched when he slammed the door shut.

Damn it, Ashley! What the hell do you do all day?

A sinful darkness replaced the evening glare and stretched down the hallway. Jim basked in it for a moment. It was only the flashing light from the TV in the living room to his left that snapped enough light through the small walkway for him to see Tyler s muddy football pants wadded up with his practice jersey and nearly on top of Jim s good pair of Nike sneakers. The round, matte black clock in the hallway, still missing the battery cover from the last time it was knocked from its nail, crept its way past 5:37 p.m.

Ashley turned up the volume to a rerun of The Bachelor. She was still in the same thing she wore to bed: a pair of black sweatpants and an oversized, grey, Meadowbrook Football sweatshirt that read in orange letters One moment, One day, One game: One Chance. Her tangled blonde hair was in a loose, messy bun, thrown together with a deep sigh after a quick glance in the bathroom mirror at the dull bruising on her left cheek from her husband s tempered right hand last week. The kids were already dressed, fed, and at school, by the time she finally lifted her fuzzy, fleece blanket from her pounding head and hazel, bloodshot eyes. Annoyed, she groaned at the bright morning light as she crawled out of their king-sized bed at 10:43 a.m. on this glaring October, Thursday morning.