My Kidnapping and Near-Rape

In 1998, when I was married to Dewayne, my friend Audrey wanted to go out to a bar and wanted me to go with her. I didn't usually get out much, because I was generally on pills all the time. I had become an addict as a way of coping with the emotional traumas I had been through. Well, she convinced me to go with her. I was mad at Dewayne at the time and was convinced I was leaving him. I told him so.

"I'm leaving you."
"Well, go then."
"Okay, I'm gone."
"Don't call me when you get in trouble." (did I mention that he was psychic?)
"I won't. See ya."

So Audrey and I went out to a bar 20 miles away in Chattanooga. We drank some and listened to music and talked to people. I wanted to get high, so I was scoping out people who might have a joint. I talked to a few people, and finally met a big guy named Wayne (his real name) who seemed really nice and cool, albeit a redneck.

The bar was about to close and Wayne was going to smoke a joint before he went home. Did I want to smoke it with him? Sure... of course I did! How nice of you to ask! Audrey had run into a male friend that she was talking to. The bar was closing so the four of us started to leave. I told Audrey that we could go smoke a joint with my new friend. She didn't want to smoke it and wanted to just hang out with her friend and follow behind us until we were through smoking and then she and I would ride back home. That was cool with me.

So, with Audrey following behind in her car, Wayne and I drove down the road a bit and then he stopped at the gas station. Audrey followed. Wayne went in and bought something (probably rope and duct tape) while I waited in his car. Audrey went inside the store too.

Wayne came back out, got in the car, and we pulled out. I thought Audrey was right behind us but I looked and didn't see her. Where was she? Wayne was speeding up, and I inquired about Audrey but he just kept driving. Audrey wasn't behind us anymore. I told Wayne to slow down and wait for her, but he didn't. It wasn't far to the interstate ramp. He got on the interstate and I wondered what was going on, but didn't say anything. We came to the north or south interstate split (my way or his way) and he went towards Georgia. I don't live in Georgia. So of course I'm getting really nervous now.

"Where are we going?" I ask.
"To my house".
"But what about Audrey?"
"We'll call her and tell her where you are."
"Take me back to the bar."
"I'll take you back after we go by my house and have a little fun."

I suddenly realized what his intentions were and starting getting really frightened. I dug in my purse and pulled out a tiny, pitiful excuse for a knife and said something to the effect that I was going to cut him if he didn't let me go. (I carry a much larger knife these days.) He just laughed at me. He knew better. Even if I had stabbed him with that knife, it would only be a flesh wound. Wayne was a big guy, much larger than me. Stabbing him would only piss him off, and I would end up getting hurt worse. I prayed for help, hoping for divine intervention. Suddenly I had an idea. I decided to change my approach.

I said, "I'm sorry I'm acting weird. I really do want to go to your house and hang out with you. That would be cool. Especially if you have some more weed there."

I was scared to death.

I continued, "I was just too embarrassed to tell you. I've been sick. I have really bad diarrhea and I need to use the bathroom but I was too embarrassed to tell you that. I'm sorry I acted so stupid. I feel really dumb."

He was dumb enough (and his ego was big enough) to fall for this story and he took the next exit off the interstate and went to a gas station. I went inside the store, and went straight to the lady behind the counter and told her that the man outside was trying to kidnap me and take me somewhere to rape me. She was shocked and didn't seem to know how to respond. I was extremely shaken up and afraid that he would come in after me. We stood there and waited for him to leave. I called my mother (because I had just told Dewayne that night that I was going to leave him. I didn't want to hear "I told you so." He warned me about getting into trouble.) Wayne came in the store and walked toward the back, away from us. He knew I was on the phone. He was actually waiting for me to finish and come back to the car with him. He must have thought I was calling Audrey, though this was in a time before cell phones. He finally realized what was going on, probably thought I was calling the cops, and he went outside. He waited a little while longer and then he left.

When I saw him drive away I collapsed in tears. I was so shaken! Scared to death. And very, very relieved that I had so narrowly averted being raped yet again (this wasn't the first, second, or third time for me though I'd never been attacked by a nearly complete stranger.) I told the lady thank you and went outside to sit and smoke and cry and wait for Mom to show up. It was probably forty minutes later by the time she got there. I was pretty far away from home and it was after 3am.

God, I was so frightened and traumatized. I couldn't believe that a total stranger had kidnapped me. I was seriously afraid that he would have murdered me had he gotten me to his house. He could have been one of these freaky-ass hardcore porn addicts that are into disgusting, sadistic sex acts. Anything could have happened. I'm so grateful that it didn't.

Diarrhea is gross thing. Use gross things to get out of bad situations. Who cares if you tell him you have herpes? I would, if it would get me out of being raped. The joke is on him. Say what you can. Tell them you have AIDS. Whatever will get their attention. And most of all, do NOT show your fear. Act you're like in this together, like he's your boyfriend and that you want to be with him. Men's egos are huge and most rapists have convinced themselves that their victim actually wants to have sex with him but she just has to say no because otherwise she would look like a slut. I've read all about it. That's how most of them think. It never occurs to them that you might not want to have sex with a man you just met. These guys are pretty dense and don't know how to relate to women. You are almost certainly smarter than he is. Then again, I'm pretty smart and I guess my IQ is higher than the majority of people's. But that hasn't stopped me from getting into a LOT of scary situations. I'm still in a scary situation now in fact, waiting to see if Dean will be pissed off when he gets out of prison (possibly in 2010.) I can't believe he's been gone for 17 years.

Next Rambling (which you may have already read) - The Kelley Story (another Dean trauma)