When I was younger, a family friend used to tease me and make fun of me, and even though my Mom saw the abuse, she excused it away by saying he did it because he liked me, and he was just joking. I found out later why Mom let it slide, but by the time I learned, I was grown and he was gone from my life. It still hurts, and it haunted me not because of him, but because my Mom didn't defend me from him. Last Thursday a man came into our Date Night bar and was sitting behind me. He had the same voice structure and accent that he had, and it sent me back to my childhood and wondering what I did to deserve such treatment. So...I scrapped!
