AN ABUSE OF POWER
WOMAN'S OWN|May 08, 2023
Susie Henderson, 56, was let down by the man meant to protect her
MOIRA HOLDEN, MARCELLO MEGA
AN ABUSE OF POWER

As my dad stood up from the sofa, he let out a long yawn and stretched his arms. ‘I’m going upstairs for a nap,’ he told my mum. It was 1971 and I was five. Sitting on the living room floor, quietly reading, I knew what was coming next. ‘I’ll take Susan with me,’ he said, his eyes fixed on me. As he dragged me by the hand, I was too terrified to protest. My father, Robert Henderson, had a quick temper and I knew better than to argue with him. Instead, I let him climb on top of me in bed, too scared to cry and tell him that he was hurting me.

‘You know I love you, Susan,’ he slurred, the smell of alcohol on his breath. 

Dad worked as a high-profile defence barrister in Edinburgh and had a brilliant reputation in the Scottish legal system.

He was a well-respected man and, to the outside world, he was a loving family man too. We lived in a beautiful house in a prestigious area, but our home was far from a happy one.

SICK PARTIES

Dad had started abusing me when I was just three, and over the years it had only got worse.

When I was four, he’d invited a few of his work friends over for an alcohol-fuelled party. ‘Sit on his knee,' Dad had ordered me, gesturing to one of his friends. I did as I was told and squirmed as Dad’s friend pushed his hand under my skirt. I choked back the tears as they both laughed.

PASSED AROUND

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 08, 2023 من WOMAN'S OWN.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 08, 2023 من WOMAN'S OWN.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.