“You got a plan?” Jesse said.
“I’m going to haunt them,” Molly
said.
“You do have to work here sometimes,”
Jesse said.
“My time,” Molly said.
“Company time too,” Jesse said,
“when we can spare you. It is
company business.”
“It’s woman’s business,
too,” Molly said.
“I understand that.”
“I’m not sure you do,” Molly
said. “I’m not sure any man
does.”
“I don’t like rape much either,”
Jesse said.
“No. I’m sure you don’t. But you
haven’t lived with it since
before you even knew what it was.”
“Because it’s the worst thing that can happen?”
“No,” Molly said. “There are
several things worse. It’s one
reason women submit to it, it’s better than the alternative.”
“Like death,” Jesse said.
“Or torture or both. But rape is the thing your mother was
scared of. It’s the possibility that you have not only known but
felt, since little boys peeked up your dress.”
“You knew we did that?” Jesse said.
“Any woman has always known she is the object of sexual interest
from almost any man, and that almost any man, if he chooses, can force himself sexually upon her.”
“You ever been raped?” Jesse said.
“No. But almost any woman has had more sexual attention from
some man than she wanted. We all know about duress.”
“Not all of us are, ah, duressful,” Jesse said.
“No. But you know what they say - you have to judge what the
enemy can do, not what he might do.”
“Are we all the enemy?”
“Oh, God, no,” Molly said. “I
love you, Jesse … And my
husband …” She paused. “He’s
my best friend, my lover, my
…” She shook her head. “But there are things women know that
men may never know.”
“Which is why you’re all over this rape case like ugly on a
toad.”
“Yes.”
“Men may know things women
don’t,” Jesse said.
“I’m sure that is so. But rape is one of the things we know,”
