The Betrayal

by Marie Tyler
(Huntsville, Texas)

9. Pick a person who has betrayed you. Write a story about the moment that this occurred.

When I saw the news vans and police cars outside of the church, I knew what it meant. I knew the Pastor's son in law had finally been arrested. I knew that our world was about to turn upside down.

For nearly two years, we had lived with the allegations, the fears, the rumors that John had molested girls in the church school where he was a teacher. We had heard the rumors about porn on the church computers, we had seen the police investigators come and go.

And now the media was there, and the church scandal was the lead story on the six o'clock news. I tried to tell myself that it didn't matter, but the truth is, it hurt like hell. I don't know if I can even describe the pain of trusting someone in a position of leadership in your church, only to find out that they are child molesters.

Some have asked me why it matters. They point out that I was not a victim of the abuse. But what they forget is that not all of the victims were molested. There are hundreds of victims in the congregation who had their trust and faith shattered by the choices of these despicable men.