it’s not all about dead dads and heartbreak; there is the thing i don’t talk about: the time my boss at work exposed himself after locking me in his office.

i tried to go to HR, but the woman running it was a good friend of his and made it clear that my complaint would get no traction. unbeknownst to me, he had been telling people that we had been dating for months. we hadn’t. we weren’t.

i never hashtagged #metoo, i never told my boyfriend, i never told my friends, i never knew it wasn’t my fault.

i’m mouthy.

i’m difficult.

i have big boobs.

i’m not a perfect victim.

the harassment went on for far too long, culminating in him barging into my dad’s hospital room, after a major surgery, to get my attention because i refused to speak to him after he wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

the situation was complicated, uncomfortable, and not okay. in the end, i left the job and after showing up at my home unexpectedly a few times, he finally left me alone. it was, at the least, sexual harassment. at the most, it was something far more sinister. i have a lot of guilt and angst about not being able to stop him and wondering if he went on to continue this behavior with other women.

the things we don’t talk about weigh heavy on my heart. i never talked about it because the thought of reliving it strangled my throat.

so, here we are…me too, friends.

it happened to me too.