a complicated man, Emily. Don’t spend too much time alone with him,” he often said.
Whenever I asked why, he simply replied,
“Just listen to me.”
That summer, our family decided to spend a few days at my uncle’s cabin.
It stood near a lake, surrounded by tall trees.
The first two days were perfectly normal. But on the third day, my mother wasn’t feeling well, so my father decided to drive her into town to see a doctor.
I wanted to go with them, but my mother said,
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll be back in a few hours.”
And that was how I found myself alone with my uncle for the first time.
At first, he behaved normally. We drank tea together, and then he went outside into the yard. But when he returned, I noticed that he seemed nervous.
He kept checking his watch. Then he asked,
“When
is your father coming back?”
“Probably this evening. Why?”
“No reason.”
A few minutes later, he suddenly turned off the television. His expression was so serious that I instinctively sat up straighter.
“Emily, you’re a grown woman now. I think it’s time you learned something.”
“What is it?”
He walked over to the window and closed the curtains. Then he returned to the door and locked it. My heart began pounding.
“Uncle Richard, why are you locking the door?”
He turned toward me.
“So nobody walks in unexpectedly.”
“Who would walk in? We’re alone here.”
He remained silent for a moment. Then he said the words I will never forget.
