WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry if this post is too long, but I've

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<v Speaker 1>never shared this with anyone, and this seems like the

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<v Speaker 1>best place to do so. When I was around nine,

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<v Speaker 1>I went to summer camp at the nearby YMCA for

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<v Speaker 1>a few summers. It was a day camp and there

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<v Speaker 1>were different camps you could do, such as water sports, crafts, canoeing.

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<v Speaker 1>Each camp lasted for about one week. I started the

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<v Speaker 1>summer by taking one of the craft camps, a special

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<v Speaker 1>one that lasted two weeks. I was really excited about it,

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<v Speaker 1>but I was nervous because I didn't know anyone else

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<v Speaker 1>in my group and I'm very shy. In the first day,

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<v Speaker 1>I managed to make friends with an older kid who

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<v Speaker 1>was in a wheelchair. He was seventeen I believe. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>not sure what his disability was, but he was socially

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<v Speaker 1>awkward and kind of gave off a creepy vibe. I

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<v Speaker 1>tried my best to be nice to him because nobody

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<v Speaker 1>else talked to him, but eventually he started to make

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<v Speaker 1>me uncomfortable. First, he'd start by talking about how much

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<v Speaker 1>he hated being in the wheelchair because it made his

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<v Speaker 1>back hurt. He liked to be able to get out

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<v Speaker 1>at the end of the day and stretch as he

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<v Speaker 1>was do some exercises with this physical therapist, and I

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<v Speaker 1>just smile and nod as he talked about this, not

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<v Speaker 1>knowing what else to say. At some point, I mentioned

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<v Speaker 1>to him how I was a dancer and really liked

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<v Speaker 1>acrobatics class. He asked me to show him some of

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<v Speaker 1>my moves, so I did a cartwheel. He told me

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<v Speaker 1>that my legs looked beautiful when I stretched them out

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<v Speaker 1>like that. Being a kid, I didn't think much of

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<v Speaker 1>the comment, but I started getting uncomfortable when he began

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<v Speaker 1>telling me how much he liked my hair, or how

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<v Speaker 1>white my teeth were, or how cute I was because

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<v Speaker 1>I was so little. One day, he was talking about

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<v Speaker 1>stretching outside of his wheelchair and mentioned how good it

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<v Speaker 1>would feel if someone were to walk on his back.

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<v Speaker 1>You'd be perfect, just the right size. Would you do

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<v Speaker 1>that for me one day? I'd love to have you

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<v Speaker 1>on top of me. He smiled creepily when he said this,

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<v Speaker 1>so I awkwardly changed the direction of the conversation by

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<v Speaker 1>telling him how I used to do that for my dad.

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<v Speaker 1>I was young and stupid and probably shouldn't have told

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<v Speaker 1>him that. He got really excited and started talking about

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<v Speaker 1>how much he loved and how good it must have

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<v Speaker 1>felt for my dad. I bet he loves having his

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<v Speaker 1>little girl on top of him like that. He reached

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<v Speaker 1>out to me at this point and put his hand

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<v Speaker 1>on my knee. We were sitting by a table in

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<v Speaker 1>the craft cabin. I awkwardly shoved it off, moving away

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<v Speaker 1>a little. He smiled and started talking about how good

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<v Speaker 1>it would feel if I were to do cartwheels on

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<v Speaker 1>his back and jump on him, maybe even lay down

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<v Speaker 1>on top of him and rub his sighs. I got

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<v Speaker 1>really uncomfortable at this point, and luckily my mom drove

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<v Speaker 1>up a moment later, so I was ready to leave.

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<v Speaker 1>This was on the weekend and the camp was going

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<v Speaker 1>to continue to the following Monday. I didn't mention anything

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<v Speaker 1>to my mom because I figured he was just lonely

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<v Speaker 1>and awkward and didn't mean to be creepy. But when

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<v Speaker 1>I got to the camp Monday, he immediately came up

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<v Speaker 1>to me. I was so upset that I couldn't see

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<v Speaker 1>you this weekend. I missed my little girl. I smiled

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<v Speaker 1>and awkwardly walked away, but he followed me. We were

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<v Speaker 1>all going as a group to the craft cabin, and

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<v Speaker 1>he came up next to me and asked if I

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to sit in his lap and ride to the

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<v Speaker 1>cabin with him. I politely declined. Had managed to avoid

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<v Speaker 1>him for the rest of the day until I was

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<v Speaker 1>walking to my mom's car at the end of the day.

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<v Speaker 1>He came up to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled

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<v Speaker 1>me towards him. You really hurt me today. How would

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<v Speaker 1>you like it if I hurt you. I ganked my

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<v Speaker 1>hand away and walked quickly to the car. I told

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<v Speaker 1>my MoMA all about it as soon as I got

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<v Speaker 1>in the car. She immediately drove over to the camp

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<v Speaker 1>office and spoke with the camp leader about it, who

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<v Speaker 1>I shared my story with. He assured us that he

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<v Speaker 1>would take care of it immediately. As we were driving

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<v Speaker 1>away after the meeting, I saw two counselors go up

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<v Speaker 1>to the boy and lead them into the camp office.

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<v Speaker 1>The look on his face looked like he was going

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<v Speaker 1>to murder someone. I never saw him again after that.

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<v Speaker 1>I was told that he was kicked out of the

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<v Speaker 1>camp and never allowed to return, and for the rest

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<v Speaker 1>of the week, the camp counselors would check on me

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<v Speaker 1>and make sure I was okay, so creepy boy from

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<v Speaker 1>summer camp, and I hope you got your issues worked

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<v Speaker 1>out and that you're finally living a happy life. Now.

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<v Speaker 1>This is my first post here. This experience still gives

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<v Speaker 1>me chills to this day. I actually have a few

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<v Speaker 1>other camp encounters that I can share if anyone's interested,

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<v Speaker 1>mainly occurring along the Appalachian Trail with campers. North Georgia

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<v Speaker 1>is a mighty interesting place. A few years ago I

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<v Speaker 1>worked at a Jewish summer camp in North Georgia. As

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<v Speaker 1>many of you might know, Georgia is a fairly conservative state.

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<v Speaker 1>As well as being predominantly Christian, there are small Jewish

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<v Speaker 1>communities and a few summer camps. I'd say this camp

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<v Speaker 1>was more culturally Jewish than it was religious. There were

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<v Speaker 1>no religious requirements nor religion specific focus. Rather, it was

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<v Speaker 1>a place for kids who were often in the minority

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<v Speaker 1>to come to a camp that allowed them to meet

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<v Speaker 1>some other kids like them. Staff came from all over

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<v Speaker 1>We had many Australians, lots of Brits, a few Israelis,

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<v Speaker 1>and people from various areas of the USA. Each night,

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<v Speaker 1>around ten most of the staff was able to go

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<v Speaker 1>out on the town for a couple of hours. Enough

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<v Speaker 1>staff remained behind to watch over the cabins we rotated.

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<v Speaker 1>In this particular night, a group of about five of

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<v Speaker 1>us decided to go to a local bar to grab

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<v Speaker 1>a few beers. It had been a hot day and

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<v Speaker 1>was a human night, so we decided to sit outside

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<v Speaker 1>on the patio for some backstory on the town. Generally,

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<v Speaker 1>we were extremely well received by the community, despite some differences.

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<v Speaker 1>We brought in lots of revenue for the town During

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<v Speaker 1>the summer. We bought supplies at the local walmart and

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<v Speaker 1>often took the campers on tubing trips or occasionally out

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<v Speaker 1>to dinner after a long hike on the Appalachian Train.

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<v Speaker 1>It was midsummer, so we'd been out to the bars

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<v Speaker 1>in the area many times already. That session, the five

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<v Speaker 1>of us sat around a table, drinking and discussing the

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<v Speaker 1>events of the day, as fellow employees typically would after work.

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<v Speaker 1>About thirty minutes in, a white man in his twenties

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<v Speaker 1>came up to our table. I distinctly remember a jagged

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<v Speaker 1>scar on his cheek, but didn't think much of it

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<v Speaker 1>at the time. He introduced himself, then told us that

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<v Speaker 1>he was having a party that night at his place.

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<v Speaker 1>Anyone can come, he said, black, white, gay, straight. I

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<v Speaker 1>found it odd that he'd open his speech with that disclaimer.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, the party should be open to everyone. Why

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<v Speaker 1>did he feel the need to specify. But we'd all

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<v Speaker 1>had a few beers at that point and we're feeling

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<v Speaker 1>pretty loose. He talked for a bit longer, and nothing

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<v Speaker 1>really seemed off. We told him we were working at

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<v Speaker 1>a camp in the area and couldn't stay out, so

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<v Speaker 1>we'd probably be heading back soon. An hour later, our

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<v Speaker 1>group went out to the parking lot to get into

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<v Speaker 1>the car. As we approached it, we saw the same

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<v Speaker 1>guy come out of the shadows. He had a buddy

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<v Speaker 1>with him with a shaved head. His expression was incredibly hateful.

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<v Speaker 1>His eyes had changed. He pounded his fist into his hand,

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<v Speaker 1>then took off his shirt and revealed a poorly inked

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<v Speaker 1>SS tattoo. My stomach dropped. One of the bigger guys

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<v Speaker 1>in my group, Kevin, immediately reacted by pulling a knife

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<v Speaker 1>out of his back pocket, and at summer camp, most

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<v Speaker 1>of us staff carried knives. We spent a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>time building campfires and the like, and asked what they

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<v Speaker 1>wanted the original guy started shouting some anti Semitic remarks

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<v Speaker 1>and told us he was going to beat us down.

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<v Speaker 1>Kevin started walking toward the two guys, but we pulled

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<v Speaker 1>him back. He told us his buddies were on the way.

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<v Speaker 1>Sure enough, some more guys started walking into the parking lot.

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<v Speaker 1>It's all kind of blurry from there. I remember jumping

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<v Speaker 1>into one of the cars pulling given with us. It

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<v Speaker 1>felt like we were surrounded, though there were probably only

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<v Speaker 1>seven or eight of them. Rocks were thrown at the

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<v Speaker 1>car and we sped off. My heart was beating like crazy.

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<v Speaker 1>We never went back to that bar. On the bright side,

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<v Speaker 1>when we told the story to the competing bar in town,

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<v Speaker 1>the bartender lined up six shots, cheersed us and said

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<v Speaker 1>we'd always be welcome in his bar in that town.

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<v Speaker 1>Had no more problems in the town itself. But when

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<v Speaker 1>I took some campers up on a two day hike

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<v Speaker 1>up the Appalachian Trail, that was another story. I began

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<v Speaker 1>working in a summer camp several years ago. I had

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<v Speaker 1>a history as a camper at this camp, and I

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<v Speaker 1>love the place. By the time I was nineteen, I

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<v Speaker 1>had done what I never imagined i'd do, and became

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<v Speaker 1>the camps one and only medic. As medic, I no

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<v Speaker 1>longer hung out with counselors and the other younger staff

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<v Speaker 1>as much. If I had free time, I spent it

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<v Speaker 1>helping out in the kitchen. This year, there was kind

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<v Speaker 1>of a big turnover and staff O, a longtime cook,

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<v Speaker 1>moved on from camp, and no one was hired over

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<v Speaker 1>the year as a replacement, so come summertime we were

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<v Speaker 1>scrambling to find someone to cover that position. I met

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<v Speaker 1>two of the interviewees, one of middle aged woman who,

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<v Speaker 1>in my humble opinion, seemed like the perfect get it

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<v Speaker 1>done kind of person you'd need as a cook. The

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<v Speaker 1>other a tall man mid forties with piercings galore and

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<v Speaker 1>an a loud, look at me personality. The woman I

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<v Speaker 1>fancied was not chosen. I think my boss was upset

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<v Speaker 1>by her surprise when she saw how smaller kitchen was.

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<v Speaker 1>Two ovens to feed one hundred and fifty people, and

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<v Speaker 1>the camp was into juice to our new cook, Chef Vincent.

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<v Speaker 1>Everybody loved Chef Vincent, except for me. The instant I

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<v Speaker 1>met him, I got chills down my spine. You know

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<v Speaker 1>when you hear a strained sound in the dark and

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<v Speaker 1>your body's screaming at you to run or hide or something.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's how I felt every second I was in

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<v Speaker 1>the meal hall of the kitchen. Soon the places that

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<v Speaker 1>have been like a second home to me were feeling

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<v Speaker 1>less comfortable and more get me the fuck out of here.

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<v Speaker 1>Creepy chef Vincent was abrasive. My first time talking to him.

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<v Speaker 1>He said something like, that's your medic in response to

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<v Speaker 1>my color dyed. He he tried to be fancy, but

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<v Speaker 1>his meals were dull and soggy. After watching him prepare one,

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<v Speaker 1>I stopped eating them altogether. I don't think the man

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<v Speaker 1>had gone to school in his life, let alone taking

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<v Speaker 1>a food safety course. I survived off an occasional bite

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<v Speaker 1>of safe food on the table, like packaged crackers and bread,

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<v Speaker 1>things he hadn't handled directly, and a storage of cheap

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<v Speaker 1>meal replacement drinks in my room. It sucked. I'm an

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<v Speaker 1>extremely protective person, especially with my younger co workers who

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<v Speaker 1>were basically family to me. Jeff Vincent's kitchen staff were

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<v Speaker 1>sixteen or seventeen year olds, and I was afraid for them.

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<v Speaker 1>I'd watched from outside the kitchen and talked to them.

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<v Speaker 1>Discreetly making sure everything was okay. Honestly, at this point,

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<v Speaker 1>I was worried that I was being unfair since everybody

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<v Speaker 1>else loved him. Maybe I was the one beating a creep.

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<v Speaker 1>But I couldn't get over the comments he made and

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<v Speaker 1>the way he talked to me. He would touch my

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<v Speaker 1>shoulder and stand all tall and lean over me when

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<v Speaker 1>he talked. He told me about his kids and how

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<v Speaker 1>they have to stay with their grandma now, and about

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<v Speaker 1>as many years of experience, which I always suspected were

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<v Speaker 1>due to being a prison cook or something like that.

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<v Speaker 1>He was extremely arrogant. I wanted to punch him, to

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<v Speaker 1>be honest, but eventually I just stopped going in the

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<v Speaker 1>kitchen and even stayed away from the mess hole unless

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<v Speaker 1>others were in there with me. If he tried to

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<v Speaker 1>talk to me, which he did often at night on

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<v Speaker 1>the deck, I ignored him and left the room. But I

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<v Speaker 1>still thought I was being a bitch, to be honest.

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<v Speaker 1>Then Jeff Vincent told one of the kitchen staff to

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<v Speaker 1>really molest that in reference to stirring a pot or whatever.

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<v Speaker 1>One member of the kitchen staff came to me crying

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<v Speaker 1>about how much he was pushing them in the kitchen.

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<v Speaker 1>Soon all three kitchen staff were describing incidents of complete disrespect,

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<v Speaker 1>his refusal to learn their names, use of inappropriate words,

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<v Speaker 1>and calling them his little girls and the boy John Jack,

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<v Speaker 1>Jehovah whatever. This pushed me until I told the boss

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<v Speaker 1>about how uncomfortable this man made me. I didn't bring

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<v Speaker 1>the kitchen staff into it, since I advised them to

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<v Speaker 1>tell the boss on their own. Then one day a

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<v Speaker 1>Fellow's staff member came up and said that Chef Vincent

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<v Speaker 1>said I won't stop following him and that I should

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<v Speaker 1>be dating him. Confused and angry, I followed up with

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<v Speaker 1>another staff member who said the chef was talking about

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<v Speaker 1>the camp dog. Still concerned, I continued with my day.

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<v Speaker 1>When Chef Vincent came to me and told me the story,

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<v Speaker 1>laughing with a hand on my shoulder the whole time.

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<v Speaker 1>I said, you must really like me. He also made

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<v Speaker 1>veiled sexual innuendos constantly, oh yeah, I like things hot,

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<v Speaker 1>and complimented me like more than is appropriate. I got

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<v Speaker 1>chills every time. Fuck off, dude. This has been going

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<v Speaker 1>on for a week. In the second week, I'm asleep

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<v Speaker 1>in the Maddock's cabin. It's got a bedroom separated from

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<v Speaker 1>the rest of the office by an unlockable door, and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm the only one who stays there. My nights are long,

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<v Speaker 1>lots of sick campers and whatnot. This particular night, it's

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<v Speaker 1>four a m. And I've finally got into bed after

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<v Speaker 1>being up for an hour with a sick kid. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>exhausted and I'm asleep the second my head hits the pillow.

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<v Speaker 1>Two hours later, I'm awakened by a loud thumping on

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<v Speaker 1>my door. Usually staff used the walkie talkie to contact me,

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<v Speaker 1>even at night, but I'm pretty concerned and I crawl

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<v Speaker 1>out of bed and head to the door. It's Chef Vincent.

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<v Speaker 1>I hesitate, not wanting to open the door for him,

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<v Speaker 1>so he hammers on it again. He looks angry. I'm angry.

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<v Speaker 1>It's six am. What the fuck does he want? Finally

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<v Speaker 1>I open the door just a crack, and look out.

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<v Speaker 1>He's loud. I have to do laundry. My office house

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<v Speaker 1>is the washer and dryer for the camp because I

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<v Speaker 1>do laundry when kids with the beds, So every morning

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<v Speaker 1>laundry is reserved and staff needs to ask me to

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<v Speaker 1>use it. This particular week, we'd had water problems and

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<v Speaker 1>laundry couldn't be done. So I had a lineup of

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<v Speaker 1>camper things needing to be washed, and here he was

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<v Speaker 1>six am, demanding to use the thing. When I pointed

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<v Speaker 1>out the water issues and how camper stuff comes first,

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<v Speaker 1>he got aggressive and yanked the door open. He's big

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<v Speaker 1>and intimidating, and I stepped backward to avoid him, and

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<v Speaker 1>he looked at me and said, I'm the important one

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<v Speaker 1>around here. I went cold. It was six a m.

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<v Speaker 1>I had just been told by a creature from the

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<v Speaker 1>depths that I, who had worked at the camp for

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<v Speaker 1>five years, was unimportant compared to him. It's hard to

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<v Speaker 1>convey body language secondhand, but he was aggressive to the

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<v Speaker 1>degree that I flew past my usual response to this

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<v Speaker 1>kind of situation anger and went straight to fearing for

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<v Speaker 1>my safety. I can be an anxious person, but I

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<v Speaker 1>don't get genuinely frightened by a lot other than horror movies.

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<v Speaker 1>So what scared me more was how scared I was.

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<v Speaker 1>Hair on end, adrenaline pumping scared. His gaze was absolutely predatory,

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<v Speaker 1>and there was nothing about his presence that made me

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<v Speaker 1>think he saw me as more than something to be

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<v Speaker 1>toyed with. At this point, my mouth was opening, and

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<v Speaker 1>I knew I'd say something I'd regret saying, especially locked

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<v Speaker 1>in this building alone with the one man who creeped

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<v Speaker 1>the shit out of me from the second I'd met him.

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<v Speaker 1>So I forced out one word okay and backed my

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<v Speaker 1>way into my room. He watched me the whole time.

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<v Speaker 1>I'd go to my room and the tears push behind

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<v Speaker 1>my eyes, but I'm too tired for them to actually come.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm tired of this frustration, of this anger, and this fear.

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<v Speaker 1>I had warned my boss about him. Boss was always saying,

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your gut, and I was. But did they

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<v Speaker 1>do anything about it. No. I pushed a chair against

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<v Speaker 1>the doorknob, not knowing if it actually works to lock doors,

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<v Speaker 1>like a dozen the movies, and curled up in my bed.

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<v Speaker 1>I told my boss the following morning, and they called

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<v Speaker 1>it inappropriate instead. It wouldn't happen again. But that was

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<v Speaker 1>all I heard of it. For the next week. I

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<v Speaker 1>lived in constant anxiety, which meant puking a lot and

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<v Speaker 1>hiding in my room. When he talked to me, he

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<v Speaker 1>had a smile that would make even the most daft

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<v Speaker 1>of people pause for concern. While before this I had

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<v Speaker 1>attempted to beat polite, I always always left from then

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<v Speaker 1>on that week or maybe the next, in all blurs together.

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<v Speaker 1>At this point, all of the staff were upstairs, save

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<v Speaker 1>for a few staff monitoring kids in their cabins. I

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<v Speaker 1>was called over by a fellow upper level staff member

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<v Speaker 1>who informed me that Chef Vincent had been fired. His

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<v Speaker 1>police check, which they hadn't decided to do until after

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<v Speaker 1>he was hired, had come back. He didn't pass his

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<v Speaker 1>vulnerable sector check aka he was not allowed to work

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<v Speaker 1>with or volunteer with kids in any capatit due to

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00:20:01.160 --> 00:20:04.880
<v Speaker 1>prior crimes that i'll let you mull over. Camp was

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<v Speaker 1>effectively on lockdown while he was to vacate the premises.

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<v Speaker 1>I lost it. Then tears came and wouldn't stop, and

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't breathe. My whole body went fuzzy, and as

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<v Speaker 1>I was let out of the building by another upper

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<v Speaker 1>level staff member, where I managed to gargle out something

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<v Speaker 1>along the lines of he made me so anxious, and

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<v Speaker 1>no one else saw it. I'm just so relieved. The

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<v Speaker 1>panic attack lasted for a solid thirty minutes. When I

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<v Speaker 1>saw him exit the building with his belongings. I hid

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<v Speaker 1>in my office. When I finally came out, he was gone.

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<v Speaker 1>They kept us all under wraps. They didn't tell the

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<v Speaker 1>kids the cook had gone, didn't tell the parents just

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<v Speaker 1>in case something had happened. My boss didn't even tell

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<v Speaker 1>the board of directors. It was a huge liability still is.

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<v Speaker 1>And while I'm glad that my anxieties about this man

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<v Speaker 1>were completely justified, I'm filled with anger over the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that he was hired without a criminal record check and

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00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:12.880
<v Speaker 1>the fact that my feelings were repeatedly dismissed. Camp went

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<v Speaker 1>from being the only place in this world where I

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00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:18.880
<v Speaker 1>felt completely safe and comfortable to a strange place where

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<v Speaker 1>I felt like I was living a nightmare. I felt

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<v Speaker 1>inadequate and constantly upset. It's funny how having your fears

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<v Speaker 1>ignored can make you feel like there's something wrong with you. Eventually,

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00:21:31.880 --> 00:21:34.839
<v Speaker 1>I couldn't take it anymore, and I quit on account

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<v Speaker 1>of my mental health so I could see it professional

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<v Speaker 1>more often. I still have fears about that man finding me,

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<v Speaker 1>which I feel is irrational because he never actually abused

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<v Speaker 1>me or anything. He just made me shit myself in

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<v Speaker 1>anxiety and was incredibly aggressive and over sexual. My parents

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<v Speaker 1>joke about it being a cape fear kind of situation,

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<v Speaker 1>and laughing about it makes it feel better, but only

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<v Speaker 1>for a little bit. I don't think anyone realizes just

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<v Speaker 1>how terrified I was. To this day, I still am