True Heroes And Villains

This is a true tale of what being family really means.

I live away from most of my family, seeking fame and glory (not quite) in lands far different from those I came from. Moving away was difficult and yes I do miss the people I know and love, but what is far harder is not being able to help someone who I left behind.

A few months ago my sister had just gotten out of a difficult relationship and unwittingly fell in with a couple of bad people at work. Unfortunately, as always seems the case, she did not realise this until it was too late.

She started seeing this guy who had been urging her to see him for some time. His true character emerged though only days later when my sister discovered that he and her supposed best friend, also from this group, had been seeing each other behind my sister’s back.

Unsurprisingly she was angry and upset but tried to carry on as normal, despite having to see the pair together everyday.  This is when things started turning far more sinister. He taunted my sister on social media sites and via texts and telephone calls, spreading malicious lies and rumours about her. She tried to defend herself and confront him, but he then showed his true colours, verbally and physically threatening her and her property, two horses that she loves dearly.

This was when she came to me and my brother and we were both furious over how she had been treated. I was still away and felt utterly helpless. I asked time and again if my sister wanted me to come back but she reassured me that she could handle it. My brother knew the guy distantly and instantly warned him about his future conduct and to leave our sister alone. Both of us agreed that this guy, this ‘Little Boy’ as we termed him, was pathetic and immature, especially in threatening a girl who was on her own. 

It was at this time that I further realised that family does not end in blood. Three of my oldest and best friends, who still lived nearby, offered their services in tracking down the guy and properly warning him off or merely just going with my sister to keep an eye on her. They have known my sister for years and all spoke the line; ‘She’s family.’ I was even contacted by a friend of the family Doktor Snake who said that he was sure that the guy would back away if he knew a voodoo practitioner was on his trail. Although not being asked to these people stood up and offered themselves to protect who they saw as their own family. I told them to wait and see what happened following my brother’s warning but I still cannot thank those allies enough. Each of them told me that to pass on their contact details to my sister and to call if she ever needed anything or someone and they would be there at a moments notice.

For a time we thought this was the end of it, but we were wrong. Unknown to us the abuse continued, but my sister endured without telling any of us. The threats continued and became worse, but she remained silent. It was only later that I found out why. My sister regretted getting my brother and I involved. She knew we would do anything to protect out little sister, but knew that if anything did happen then we would be sticking our necks out on the line and knew that the guy would feign innocence and raise charges against us. My brother has a family of his own to care for and I have my own responsibilities. Our sister, the girl who was being threatened and abused, did not want to ruin what we had and was trying to protect us. In this true story it is her who is the real hero and I could not be more proud of her.

Finally my sister spoke to the Police after the guy vandalised her car. She was told she could prosecute him for the ordeal he had put her through, but she simply stated that she wanted him to leave her alone. The guy received a warning, but lied to the Police about everything my sister had put in her statement, trying desperately to come across as an innocent in this whole mess. The Police saw through all of this having seen the evidence from texts, emails and other witness statements. It seems he is still the ‘Little Boy’ that we thought he was, trying to squirm his way out of the stupid situation his reckless actions put him in. 

During all of this I have never felt more helpless and regretted moving away. I have learnt though that there will always be friends and allies who will jump into the fire at a moments notice and that my sister is made of much sterner stuff than I sometimes give her credit for.

Only time will tell what will happen next and if the guy will finally acknowledge his formal warning and back away. If he does not then he will quickly find himself caught in the centre of a storm that lies in wait.

Ed