this before. For a moment
I thought about my daughter and wanted to lock her up until she was thirty. I
tried to put myself in her parent’s place but it was too unbearable.
“I must have passed out at some point,” Irene continued, “because when I
woke up I was lying in an old fishing boat at the port. I was bleeding
everywhere. Some fishermen found me and called for an ambulance. I was at the
hospital for four months.”
I sighed and looked at her. She didn’t indulge in self pity.
“I understand that you were pregnant?” I asked.
“Yes. The doctors discovered I was pregnant and removed it while I was
still at the hospital. I haven’t been able to have children since.”
I nodded and thought again about my daughter. How fragile life was and
how easy someone could just rip it apart.
”Then what did you do?”
“The police came to the hospital and took a report. I told them who had
done it and what happened. They immediately arrested the six boys, including
Didrik Rosenfeldt. But only a few hours later they were all freed. My parents
told me they had dropped the charges against them. They had gotten a visit from
a couple of the parents and received a big check for three million dollars. I
was told never to talk about it again. My dad closed the store and we all moved
away from Karrebaeksminde.”
“That must have been difficult for you. That your parents dropped the
charges without asking you?”
All of a sudden, I thought about my sister. Had they paid off my parents
too? Was that why they refused to report the rape attempt to the police? I
didn’t like the thought.
Irene shook her head. “It was tough, yes, but I understood why. We would
never stand a chance against the rich families in court. They would have the
biggest, most expensive lawyers money could buy, and they would have won. Money
can get you out of anything. They would find a way and we would be left with
nothing but the shame. At least we got enough money that my parents never had
to work again.”
I nodded but felt everything inside me scream. What about the fact of
trying to stop these guys from doing the same to someone else? Didn’t that
count for anything? Was money really that important? But of course I kept it to
myself. I knew that to a lot of people in this world money meant everything.
Irene looked at me after wiping away a tear in her eye. “That’s it.
That’s the story,” she said.
I nodded again.
“I never saw them again, and hopefully never will.”
I smiled and thought that while she had to live with the scars for the
rest of her life, the boys from the boarding school continued their lives as if
nothing had happened. That was the power of money. I was disgusted and more
than ever I wanted to print the story in my paper. I wanted to disgrace Didrik
Rosenfeldt’s name and I didn’t care what his son would say.
Irene interrupted my thoughts. “By the way, I actually have a picture
from that evening, “she said while she stood up and left the room. She returned
after a little while with an old photograph in her hand. She handed it to me.
“Didrik took it just before we got on the boat. The camera had a timer
on it, so we could all get in the picture.”
I took the picture. It showed six boys in white and blue Lacoste polo shirts.
They all smile with their arms around each other. And in the middle of them
stood Irene in her white summer dress. Smiling with her bright white teeth. Off
to have the time of her life. At least that’s what she thought at the time.
“How did you get this?”
“Didrik sent it to me while I was still in the hospital.”
What nerve that prick had.
“Can you please tell me their names, and can I borrow this?” I asked.
“Keep it.”
11
We got back at the newspaper about lunchtime and I sent Sune to a nearby café
to get some sandwiches. I opened my computer and started typing when I sensed something
was going on with Sara. She was so
I thought about my daughter and wanted to lock her up until she was thirty. I
tried to put myself in her parent’s place but it was too unbearable.
“I must have passed out at some point,” Irene continued, “because when I
woke up I was lying in an old fishing boat at the port. I was bleeding
everywhere. Some fishermen found me and called for an ambulance. I was at the
hospital for four months.”
I sighed and looked at her. She didn’t indulge in self pity.
“I understand that you were pregnant?” I asked.
“Yes. The doctors discovered I was pregnant and removed it while I was
still at the hospital. I haven’t been able to have children since.”
I nodded and thought again about my daughter. How fragile life was and
how easy someone could just rip it apart.
”Then what did you do?”
“The police came to the hospital and took a report. I told them who had
done it and what happened. They immediately arrested the six boys, including
Didrik Rosenfeldt. But only a few hours later they were all freed. My parents
told me they had dropped the charges against them. They had gotten a visit from
a couple of the parents and received a big check for three million dollars. I
was told never to talk about it again. My dad closed the store and we all moved
away from Karrebaeksminde.”
“That must have been difficult for you. That your parents dropped the
charges without asking you?”
All of a sudden, I thought about my sister. Had they paid off my parents
too? Was that why they refused to report the rape attempt to the police? I
didn’t like the thought.
Irene shook her head. “It was tough, yes, but I understood why. We would
never stand a chance against the rich families in court. They would have the
biggest, most expensive lawyers money could buy, and they would have won. Money
can get you out of anything. They would find a way and we would be left with
nothing but the shame. At least we got enough money that my parents never had
to work again.”
I nodded but felt everything inside me scream. What about the fact of
trying to stop these guys from doing the same to someone else? Didn’t that
count for anything? Was money really that important? But of course I kept it to
myself. I knew that to a lot of people in this world money meant everything.
Irene looked at me after wiping away a tear in her eye. “That’s it.
That’s the story,” she said.
I nodded again.
“I never saw them again, and hopefully never will.”
I smiled and thought that while she had to live with the scars for the
rest of her life, the boys from the boarding school continued their lives as if
nothing had happened. That was the power of money. I was disgusted and more
than ever I wanted to print the story in my paper. I wanted to disgrace Didrik
Rosenfeldt’s name and I didn’t care what his son would say.
Irene interrupted my thoughts. “By the way, I actually have a picture
from that evening, “she said while she stood up and left the room. She returned
after a little while with an old photograph in her hand. She handed it to me.
“Didrik took it just before we got on the boat. The camera had a timer
on it, so we could all get in the picture.”
I took the picture. It showed six boys in white and blue Lacoste polo shirts.
They all smile with their arms around each other. And in the middle of them
stood Irene in her white summer dress. Smiling with her bright white teeth. Off
to have the time of her life. At least that’s what she thought at the time.
“How did you get this?”
“Didrik sent it to me while I was still in the hospital.”
What nerve that prick had.
“Can you please tell me their names, and can I borrow this?” I asked.
“Keep it.”
11
We got back at the newspaper about lunchtime and I sent Sune to a nearby café
to get some sandwiches. I opened my computer and started typing when I sensed something
was going on with Sara. She was so
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