respectme4life12Bean
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In early part of Feb 2012, I was sexually assaulted by a man named Lou, I was pushed against the appliance that I was placing ads on the washers and dries in that store. You know those sticky ads you see when you go and check out appliances, and place new ones up on top. I was pushed up against them he went up my sweatshirt, t-shirt(work shirt), long sleeve I had under that and grabbed my breasts, I elbow him twice. I will never forget him whispering in my ears saying there aren't any camera's in this area so no one will see what is happening here. I told her Not here, not now and not ever. He said we should meet after work. I told him stop three times. That one day out of any of the days its when my parents come and visit the store. Out of any of the other days. I wished I told my mom why HR kept paging me back. HR. said I would get the tape recording of the chat, never did. I was told that they will handle it in house. I contacted my HR and talked to a female and explained what happen. I told her I will switch stores with the Navy Husband so he could be closer to home, and we did the week after that. We switched, a week later I lost my job, the DM and the Regional DM came into the Taunton MA Home Depot, told me to hand over my hand held. They said just meet us in a few days at the storage unit to drop off the materials I had. It was the upper heads that fired me. I didn't do anything wrong, I wasn't an issue, I never called out, I worked with other team members and helped them get their work done. I did projects on my own, and no one helped me. And I am the one that got fired. I went to the Somerset Police Dept. I sat in the parking lot for over an hour looking at a tree, trying to figure out if I was going to make the report. At the time one of my closets friends was the Police Dispatch, and called him and see if he could get someone for me to the parking lot. He had no idea what was going on. So fire and a cop showed and saw me staring at a tree. Asked me if everything was ok. I told him no. My car was turned off, my keys were in my bag, and I was staring at the tree, crying and couldn't stop, they first thought I hit something and walked around my silver Hyundai if there was any damaged, my friend who was the dispatcher I told him what happen, he came outside sat in my car and we hugged he walked the cop and fire fighter over, and told them. He made sure he told them she wasn't raped but she wont say how bad the assault was. They slowly opened the door, and my friend went back in, I was checked out by two firefighters to make sure I was ok. I was cleared. We went to a desk, which I truly didn't feel comfortable going into a small room, then we went to the small room. I was asked what happen, why did you take two weeks to report it, where did this happen, how many times. I told them everything on how it happen. I told him it was the Home Depot in town, that is why I am reporting this to you, I first went to HR and they said they will handled it, I just got fired from my job because I was assaulted, he kept telling me no Helene you were Sexually Assaulted, I didn't want him to say it, I said no I was just assaulted, even then I never wanted to say I was sexually at all. I just burst into more tears. I told him how it happen, where it happen, they went in as the det. and walked around the department and looked for camera's and there were none. But for the times I gave him on when it happen, you could see me walking in, using a chair and shopping cart of my work stuff, then you see me walking to where I need, I had on my jeans, sneakers and my three layer top. I was always freezing in that store. You see him following me, you see him leaving, the department, and on tape you see me crying. I just wish they saw the attack, they see me standing at the front desk talking to a friend Mark, he was going to school to become a cop. I told him what happen. His face turned white. He called HR to see if she was there, which she was. I went over and talked to her. She said she will have the paper work done, I went back to Mark and said thank you. Gave me his number if you need anyone to talk to let me know. I drive by that store about 90% of my work week, I see that orange from the distance and I relieve this everyday. It took me 1 year to go around this long block to avoid it, and one the police officers kept seeing this, just pulled me over to ask if I was ok. I told them I hate HD, they knew what was going on, but they knew it was a year. Then I got a letter that it was heading to court, he got this Lawyer he got him off the charges. He got to keep his job for sexually assaulting me and I couldn't go to interviews without crying, or sitting in parking lots at the sites and cant enter. I would ask my mom to come with me, and she never did, so I would freeze at every interview. I slept, almost a whole year away, I just became a ghost, my car never moved, I didn't leave the house, but I would step out the door from the house I was in, and I could see the Home Depot across the way and would go back in.
I had my friend from another store who would drag me out of the house. We would head to Foxwoods and go play bingo, that one day 3 months after I lost my job, he won bingo, and afterwards we head to the slots, He was playing I told him I will be back, and I just won 10k out of the machines Jackpot. couldn't find me, and told them to page him, and he thought it was health emergency, he saw me standing there, and said I am Michael, I just stood there and smiled, and said I finally have money to pay my car off. He said what, so I showed him the sheet. I told him you want to go up stairs and get a nice meal with me. So he had a lot of comp points, and someone from the casino followed us. I even got him a nice meal, which at the end the Foxwoods gave it to us for free. The only good time I had when I was dealing with this for almost 2.5 years.
I try never to say I was sexually assaulted, just assaulted, then the week of March 12, 2017 came along and hit me like a ton of bricks. After three failed job interviews, which I know I can do, but the fear of doing them it finally hit me so hard, I called a crisis hotline, and they were looking for me. I don't care for hospitals, I don't like the way they treat someone even with PTSD, they do know how to medicate, and not ask them what is wrong. We aren't all the same, we all have different issues, and mine is so complex it hurts. Just sometime I want the hospitals to listen and don't judge, I want the police to understand before they know what is truly the nature. I have been to wars, I have lived threw childhood hells, and adult hells, I have laid to rest my friend who died from cancer, my grandmother in less than 3 months, I have been engaged twice, thinking I found that guy next door last year, turns out he is married. I so enjoyed being with, which I still hang out with. The worst is that 4 years ago, I found a child predator on a dating site, who was USCG member. Trying to get help from what I saw, read, and how doctors honestly didn't believe me. How I am trying to put that in the past. I moved back to where I call home. New England isn't it. To many heartbreaks, don't make it a right choice.
I had my friend from another store who would drag me out of the house. We would head to Foxwoods and go play bingo, that one day 3 months after I lost my job, he won bingo, and afterwards we head to the slots, He was playing I told him I will be back, and I just won 10k out of the machines Jackpot. couldn't find me, and told them to page him, and he thought it was health emergency, he saw me standing there, and said I am Michael, I just stood there and smiled, and said I finally have money to pay my car off. He said what, so I showed him the sheet. I told him you want to go up stairs and get a nice meal with me. So he had a lot of comp points, and someone from the casino followed us. I even got him a nice meal, which at the end the Foxwoods gave it to us for free. The only good time I had when I was dealing with this for almost 2.5 years.
I try never to say I was sexually assaulted, just assaulted, then the week of March 12, 2017 came along and hit me like a ton of bricks. After three failed job interviews, which I know I can do, but the fear of doing them it finally hit me so hard, I called a crisis hotline, and they were looking for me. I don't care for hospitals, I don't like the way they treat someone even with PTSD, they do know how to medicate, and not ask them what is wrong. We aren't all the same, we all have different issues, and mine is so complex it hurts. Just sometime I want the hospitals to listen and don't judge, I want the police to understand before they know what is truly the nature. I have been to wars, I have lived threw childhood hells, and adult hells, I have laid to rest my friend who died from cancer, my grandmother in less than 3 months, I have been engaged twice, thinking I found that guy next door last year, turns out he is married. I so enjoyed being with, which I still hang out with. The worst is that 4 years ago, I found a child predator on a dating site, who was USCG member. Trying to get help from what I saw, read, and how doctors honestly didn't believe me. How I am trying to put that in the past. I moved back to where I call home. New England isn't it. To many heartbreaks, don't make it a right choice.
