âI wanna be your lake, for you babe
And any problems that you have, I wanna wash them away.
I wanna be your sky, so blue and high.
And every time you think of me, I wanna blow your mind.
I wanna be your air, so sweet and fair
So when you feel that you canât breathe, Iâll be there.
I wanna be your answer, all the time.
When you see how I put your life before mine with no question.
When all the love feels gone, and you canât carry on
Donât worry girl, Iâma take it from here
Just as sure as the sun is shining, every morning every time,
Donât worry girl, Iâma take it from here.â
~Justin Timberlake ~ Take it From Here
I sat alone in my study that night looking out the window at the falling rain. I genuinely was troubled by what young Cassandra had told me earlier, and I didnât have the slightest idea what to do about it, or about her. I couldnât quite describe how the feelings inside of me had turned from lust, to love. I went to bed shortly thereafter, and prayed for Cassy...that someone would come along and pull her out of her misery, and that that person could be me.
The following morning, I was sitting in the church office filling out grant applications when I heard a faint rapping on my door. As I looked up, my eyes traced over a set of long, lithe legs, which then melted into a tiny waist and large, full breasts. It was Cassy. I stood up, and moved around the desk, and hugged her. âWhat an unexpected surprise, hello Cassy.â
âWell Father Patrick, I wanted to talk to you some more, I found it very helpful getting all those feelings out in the open last night.â
âSure Cassy, hold on a sec.â I moved around her, and dug the confessional sign out of my desk and hung it on the door. I closed the door and leaned up against it.
âFather, I just think that the whole reason I was so devastated by the whole thing was the fact that I was a virgin when the man raped me. It crossed my mind more than once that the evil man had taken my innocence, along with much more.â She closed her eyes. âWhen word got around school, none of the guys would even look at me, so much as talk to me. What I needed at the time was someone who, I donât know, would dash out of the sky and help me, but they all just looked at me as damaged goods.â
I rubbed my forehead. âCassy, you are NOT damaged goods. I know the reason why guys are so awkward toward you...they donât know what to say. What could a 17 or 18 year old boy possibly say to a girl like you who has been so traumatized? Iâm just thinking that maybe once you go away to college, get away from this town, youâll be fine. No one will know your story. You can start anew.â
âI never thought about it that way Father. I just, I just know Iâll have problems like I did this summer.â
I perked my head up. âSomething else happened?â
âWell, nothing happened actually, thatâs the whole point. My sister Tori set me up with one of her male friends, and after the date, he took me home, and the thought of making love crossed my mind, I thought maybe it would take away the pain or something, I donât know, but as soon as he started to touch me, I freaked out, and made him leave. I donât want that to happen when I do decide to have sex, do you understand?â
âItâs understandable that youâd be traumatized the first time Cassy, but maybe you just need to find a man whom you really trust wouldnât hurt you, and that might involve a relationship beforehand.â
âYeah, easier said than done.â She said, wistfully.