Should I Report It?

It was so long ago. 40 years. Is it right to go back on a man 40 years after the fact?

I don't know anything about him anymore. I know his last name but not his first.

He never came back to school after that day. We finished the year with a different teacher. Why didn't he come back? Did he realize he shouldn't be around kids and so he removed himself from a tempting situation? Did he ever molest again?

Was this just a momentary indiscretion on the part of a young man - a first year teacher if memory serves me correctly?

Maybe he's changed and has lived a perfectly respectable life since that time.

Maybe he hasn't. Maybe he's continued to molest kids. Maybe he's still a threat.

And then I remember. HE manipulated me into getting into that car. He KNEW I trusted him. He KNEW my mom trusted him. I SAID NO! I TRIED TO HOLD MY SKIRT DOWN. This was not a momentary indiscretion. This was a deliberate act - planned ahead of time and carried through. Odds were - this wasn't the first time and it probably wasn't the last time. If he is still alive, he could still be a threat to other children. Reporting it is the right thing to do.

It's the right thing to do for any child who might have the misfortune of crossing his path. It's the right thing to do for HIM. He needs to be given the opportunity to accept responsibility. It's the right thing to do for ME.

Sorry, Mr. K- I'm not trying to hurt you but I HAVE to do this. I won't have any peace if I don't. Maybe nothing will come from it. Maybe they won't be able to find you. And even though Patsy witnessed what you did - maybe she won't remember it. Maybe it will be my word against yours. Maybe you're not even alive. Maybe you are. Maybe you'll go to jail. A whole lot of maybes. I need some answers. And anyway, I've dealt with this for 40 years now. If you're alive out there somewhere - then you're going to have to start dealing with it too.

I AM going to report it. (As soon as I find the courage!)