Miracle Girl

I’ve met not a few people in my life and been in a lot of places yet this woman’s story is hard to believe. Yet, seeing all the women who are finally coming forward to report rape, sexual assault and violence, Renee’s story needs to be told.
Date-raped, pregnant, the recent high school grad had nowhere to turn. Despite dad Joe’s advice, Renee ruled abortion out. Yet, despite successful delivery, Renee two years later was almost killed rolling her car over. Finally, after a year of physical therapy, she went back to work. Family tensions, however, grew. “I didn’t like the way they treated my daughter. I had to get out.” When her family was away for a wedding, mom and daughter split. Using Voc Rehab from the car crash, determined to best raise daughter Kelly with a good job, why not enroll in college?

Yet, fit and attractive, it wasn’t long before college mascot Jake, nine-years her junior, hit on her. They started going out. “I was okay with oral sex and heavy petting—he wasn’t circumcised, it was so disgusting—but I wanted no sex until I was married.” She shook her head. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Every time we went out he’d try to have sex with me so I finally went to the dean. A female, I thought she’d help. However, once she found out it was her friend Jake the mascot, Willy Wildcat, she turned against me. I then went to the dean. When I said, “I keep telling him no,” the dean laughed and said, ‘Well, you can tell that wasn’t doing any good.’ But what did he expect me to do?” Renee was hurt and angry. Senior year she confronted Jake at the fitness center. I said to my friend, “Better watch out for that guy. If you go out with him and he tries to have sex with you, he’ll try to rape you.” He went straight to the dean. The next day I got a call from the college president. He said, “Accusing someone of rape is very serious.” I said, “I know it’s serious. Otherwise, I wouldn’t say anything.”

Renee looked at me. “He then threatened me with expulsion if I didn’t shut up. All those people wanting me to shut up.“
“No kidding.“
“And remember I told you the paternity test coming back negative?“
“Yes. Your case worker thought you were lying.“
“My friend Molly who introduced us said he has a brother that looks like him. It could’ve been him. I know it has to be him. I wasn’t having sex with anybody else!“
“Right. And then the second time when you had a lawyer….“
“Yes! And I said I wanted to be there for the paternity test but she said, ‘No, that’s okay. We’ll be checkin.’ But then I got a letter saying the test came back negative again. I couldn’t believe it. They are a rich family. I’m sure they paid somebody off. They don’t want their son to be known as a rapist.“
I shook my head. “That is so incredible. All these years. And you never got one dime of child support.“
“Right,” Renee said, nodding. “Not a penny.“
Yet Renee is not beat down; there’s a steely determination in her light gray eyes. She is the real deal, the real feminist crusader, the real Miracle Girl. Like the song says, “She won’t back down.”