“You should press charges.” Zoey said trying on a pair of red pumps with ribbon laces around the ankle.
“Zoey, I already told you, I’m fine. The guy is a jerk but I don’t want to ruin his life by having him charged with an attempted sexual assault when I just don’t feel like it was as serious as that.”
Zoey took the shoes out of my hand and kneeled in front of me on a shoe fitting bench, “Faith, he shoved you up against his desk, tried to rip off your shirt, and stuck his hands up your skirt. That isn’t an attempted sexual assault.”
“It isn’t?”
“No….it is a sexual assault. It doesn’t matter if he succeeded in a full blown rape; he groped you and would have done a lot worse if those two guys hadn’t gotten there in time. He sexually assaulted you.” Zoey looked up at me from her kneeling position waiting for what she said to sink in.
“What do you think of this green kitten heel?” I said changing the subject.
A few hours later we met up with Elise, went to see a movie, and grabbed a late dinner at a burger joint near Zoey’s apartment. By the time we got done with dinner it was super late and Elise and I had an impromptu sleep over in Zoey’s living room. When the two of them went to sleep I found myself restless and unable to shut my mind off.
What Zoey had said earlier did sink in, but I’m still not pressing any charges. First, there isn’t anything I want from Kevin that would come out of pressing charges. What I mean by that is that I don’t want a court ordered financial settlement for pain and suffering or anything like that. I don’t feel violated or damaged at all by what happened but Zoey says that’s because I’m still in shock. I don’t know if she’s right or not. Second, Kevin was drunk. I’ve seen him drunk before and he makes DUMB decisions. I’m not excusing it but I don’t think Kevin is a threat to other women because in his stupid drunken head he probably thought I was trying to seduce him. Third, I’m not looking to get Kevin thrown in jail. That has nothing to do with any residual feelings I may have had for Kevin but with the fact that it could ruin his life. He would be a registered sex offender and never be able to get a job. While Kevin is a major asshole and I don’t particularly want him to be successful, that doesn’t mean I want to be the psycho ex-girlfriend who puts him in jail. Lastly and more importantly, the lawsuit would never get to court. Kevin and I dated which means that any lawyer Kevin could hire will use that to say I really was seducing him and I just can’t deal with those accusations when I’m so close to being free from all of this at my new job.
Just because Faith dated him doesn't make his actions right. Neither does him being drunk and acting stupid. Kevin acts like he has a sense of entitlement. He thinks he can treat people the way he treated Faith and get away with it. Eh I might just take my chances in court.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am sure him being drunk at work and assulting a co-worker isn't going to do him any favors in the job department.
I agree that Kevin made his own bed, so to speak, but I do agree with Faith that pressing charges isn't going to really do anything except make Kevin a registered sex offender. And although he is at fault for sexual harrassment, I agree with Faith that this is not something that he is likely to do again. In his stupid drunked state, he prob thought that is what Faith wanted, agressive sex. I don't think he would have raped her if it came down to it. Once she screamed or cried or fought back, I do think he'd have come to his senses. And this is where I do think a line needs to be drawn. Kevin should be punished for his actions, yet to have to register as a sex offender is going a bit far for this particular case. I do think sex offenses should be listed by some degree as to whether or not to have to register as a sex offender. Case in point I saw on the news, a guy dated an underage girl, was charged with statutory rape. The couple later married and this poor guy is a registered sex offender.
ReplyDelete