Gloria's stepfather was an Air Force sergeant who married
a Filipino woman and adopted her two illegitimate children.
Their marriage produced one additional child. The oldest
girl, Gloria, was twelve at the time of the interview. Her stepfather
had molested her since she was seven, beginning less
than a year after his marriage.
Gloria's parents sat close together on the couch. The
mother spoke rapidly in broken English, while the stepfather
clarified and interpreted her statements. She was an
excitable lady who complained of migraine headaches, sore
throats, and nervousness.
She depicted herself as an easygo
ing person who tried to forget troubles. She didn't see why
the evaluation was necessary, and didn't feel therapy would
be helpful. Both parents blamed the molestation on the stepfather's
heavy drinking.
The mother never slept with the stepfather because she
insisted on taking their five-year-old son to bed. The stepfather
slept on the living room couch next to Gloria's bedroom.
Gloria's door had never had a lock. The mother complained
that the stepfather drank all the time and would approach
her sexually by slapping and pinching her. She didn't like
that kind of sex. When I inquired about the stepfather's sexual
function he indicated that he had not performed "in quite
a while but I think I still could."
Gloria appeared to be an attractive, mature young lady.
Shy at first, she soon relaxed and spoke freely. For as long as
she could remember, her stepfather would enter her bedroom
at night to fondle her breasts, rub her genitals, and lie on top
of her.
He never attempted to penetrate her and never used
force. She disliked the smell of stale gin but was aware of
intense physical pleasure. At age nine she initiated sex play
with boys in the neighborhood and enjoyed that also.
When Gloria was seven or eight, she told her mother about
her stepfather's nightly forays. Her mother screamed at the
stepfather until he retreated to the corner bar.
Yet the
mother continued to go to bed at eight, the stepfather still
slept on the couch and there was no lock on Gloria's door.
Three days later, the stepfather began again. Gloria persistently
informed her mother. Finally, the mother told her to
stop making up stories.
The final molestation occurred on an evening when the
parents went to a neighbor's house to watch a "dirty movie."
Gloria baby-sat with the younger children. The stepfather
returned alone and intoxicated, fly already unzipped. He
didn't expect the neighbors to follow.
Gloria was an A student and president of the Homemaker's
Association. She contributed to the school newspaper and
planned to become a nurse. She wished to live at home while
she attended college. She had many friends and especially
liked boys and soul music.
She wanted to marry a man who
would be rich, helpful, cute, and a good dancer. Her three
wishes were for a car (a Firebird), jeans, and a million dollars.
Gloria preferred to remain at home in spite of the molestation.
Yet she easily accepted the court's decision that she be
placed in a nearby foster home. She visited her parents daily
but always returned to her foster home before dusk.
Incest does not necessarily produce damage. Rasmussen
reports on fifty-four women who had incestuous relationships
between ages nine and fourteen. Forty-six are functioning
normally in the community and seem unaffected by
the experience.