When Timothy was eleven, his mother mentioned to the pediatrician
that Timothy had nightmares and still slept in
her bed. Following her doctor's instructions, she insisted that
he sleep alone. Timothy began to "sleepwalk," stealthily slipping
between his mother's sheets at midnight.
When Timothy
was twelve, his mother woke one morning to find an
erection pushed firmly against her satin nightgown. She was
alarmed until she realized that Timothy was still sound
asleep. She carefully disentangled her nightgown and never
mentioned the event to Timothy.
When Timothy was thirteen years old, he began to feel
strangely upset. He was restless and it was difficult for him
to concentrate. He was terrified by violent nightmares-a
car smashed into a building, or a woman was knifed.
When
younger, he was drawn closer to his mother when frightened.
Now he found himself unable to approach her, and too tremulous
to sleep. One night, as Timothy tossed restlessly, his
mother awoke and attempted to comfort him.
Timothy
angrily told her to let him be. Confused and hurt, she began
to cry. Timothy rose and walked peevishly about the house.
Eventually he sat by his mother and consoled her. The next
morning, she cooked his favorite breakfast.
When Timothy was fifteen years old, sixteen-year-old
Wanda moved into the neighborhood. Her parents were gone
almost every night and she soon began to have parties for
her friends. Timothy observed her voluptuous dance, heard
her laughter, but was afraid to introduce himself. His mother
also learned of her liberal young neighbor and was quick to
express her disgust.
One Saturday morning, Wanda was mowing the lawn
dressed in a bikini. She waved to Timothy and asked him to
help her disengage a rock from the mower blade. After that,
Timothy talked to her or accepted a soft drink during the
hours when his mother was still at work.
During summer vacation, his mother found several issues
of Playboy magazine carefully hidden between Timothy's
mattress and springs. She was torn between a wish to destroy
the magazines silently and her concern that Timothy's interest
might stem from a lack of proper parental guidance.
That
evening she delivered a lecture which covered most of the
mechanical and moral aspects of sexuality. Timothy stared at
the floor throughout the speech. His mother interpreted this
as a sign of remorse.
When she finished she rose and stood
next to him with her arm about his shoulders. She stroked his
hair and told him again how much she loved him.
That evening Timothy lay awake listening to the sounds of
the party at Wanda's house. Instead of visiting his mother's
bed, he dressed and slipped out the back door.
He spent several
hours sitting on a lawn under a bush, watching the
dancing and listening to the music and laughter.
When
almost everyone had left the party, he entered the house to
offer his services in cleaning the mess.
Wanda, somewhat
tipsy, assumed that this must be a sexual proposition.
Early in the morning, Wanda's parents returned home to
an indescribable scene.
Not only was their daughter dead,
but her vagina was packed with and lacerated by kitchen
utensils. Some had perforated the vaginal vault and had
entered the abdominal cavity.