Not long ago, a friend I have known for decades revealed to me that as a child she had been sexually assaulted by an immediate family member. At least I think that was the case — I was so shocked I failed to pry, as opposed to my usual nature. Who committed this incest, and what did it entail? I don’t know, but what came next was equally as shocking. Only in her old age did she share this with her sisters, who also had been assaulted. Until that point in time, she had been too humiliated to bring it up.
