Depth

42

"How do you know all this?" Lindsey asks.

"You'd be amazed with what threatening a law suit will do?"

The screen cuts to me training for the dive for a while then cuts back to the interview.

"Why don't you speak with your grandparents?" The interviewer asks.

"I lived with them from the time I was 5 until I was 15 and they never spoke a word to me." I say.

I then pause the video and everyone turns to me.

"This n-next p-p-p-part." I say, but can't get my sentence out because I start crying.

"Do you want me to tell them?" Lindsey whispers.

"Yes please." I whisper back.

Lindsey squeezes my hand and wipes the tears from my face then looks at the team.

"This next part goes into some detail about Cairo's rape. If you do not want to hear about it then we suggest you leave or cover your ears." Lindsey says.

Nobody moves so I resume the video and it shows me walking up to a house and knocking on the door then the screen cuts to black as my mic records.

"Hello...Oh Cairo. How are you?" The homeowner asks.

The screen is black to save the homeowners dignity. I can't believe they still live there.

"Hi (beep). I'm good how are you?" I say. They redacted the name

"I'm good. How can I help you?"

"Um ABC is filming a documentary on me and about my past."

"Oh. Yeah come on in."

"Do you want me to explain?" I ask the producer and I remember I was standing in the kitchen.

"As much as you can."

"Okay...um this all happened when I was 15. I was down here drinking a beer and while I wasn't looking the dude slipped something into my drink and that's the last thing I remember from down here on that night."

The screen fades into me standing in a hallway with the homeowner who's face and body is pixelated.

"We've locked the door and nobody has been in there since that night." The homeowner says with a disguised voice then hands me the key.

I then go to the door and stand outside it for about five minutes.

"You don't have to do this." Lindsey says.

"I know." I say then I unlock the door and step inside then close the door and sit against it so nobody can get in. The video just shows the door.

I didn't know what I was suppose to do so I just start talking out loud.

"Why? Why me? What did a 15 year old quiet, shy, scared little girl do to deserve to have her innocence taken from her." I say then my voice gradually gets louder. "Why didn't you stop? Why did you have to finish? Why did you have to get me pregnant? Why did you have to beat me within an inch of my life? WHY? WHY ME YOU FUCKING CUNT?"

A loud bang is then heard which is me putting my foot through the closet door. Lindsey is then shown banging on the door.

"Cairo I'm coming in." She says and opens then closes the door after she gets in leaving only her voice to be heard and a video of the door. "Oh baby."

"Why? Why me? What did I ever do?" I ask and I remember I was crying into Lindsey's chest.

"I can't answer that."