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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Past is leaving anxious an nervous

1 reply

Thepastcatchesupwithyou · 24/10/2019 11:54

I didn't really know where to post this and it's taken me while to get the courage to post. I have NC for this.
When I was 16 I went to college in a different town to my home town. At around the same my parents got in contact with a male of relative they hadn't seen for ages, he was in his late 30's or early 40's. I had never really met up until then. Anyway he visited our family home a few times and we got on really well. He lived in the town my college was in and offered for me to stay with him for at least part of the week to save travelling. It was agreed with parents and seemed like a good solution.
For the next part please be under no illusion I was not a naive 16 year old and had sexual relationships and in a lot of ways much older than years.
Anyway the first night I stayed he cooked a wonderful meal and there was bottles of wine on the table. I was flattered, it was obvious he was making a effort and he poured me wine (lots of it) throughout the meal he was asking me lots of questions making me feel so important. At the end of the night ended with kissing and fumbling. I was so ill the next day with a hangover or alcohol poisoning I never went to college for 3 days. Parents were told I was ill and happy for me to stay. He looked after me, cooked for me, stroked my hair, made me the special, brought me gifts, told me I was beautiful. After 3 days I went home for the weekend, then the next week return to stay with him for the week. I wanted to, I was excited.
Anyway over the next year there was a secret "relationship". It ended amicably I was 18 and going to uni. I have never told anyone EVER. So this is really hard to write.
Over the years he has come in out of my life and has now looking back always tried too control parts of my life, he got involved in the business I was starting via my parents, he has manipulated situations to find things out and tries to involve himself in parts of life.
As time has gone on I am having horrible anxiety about it all and have realised the relationship was totally inappropriate and creepy. It's left me anxious for the times when I see him and angry that I was stupid to be manipulated like that (although at the time I was convinced I was so attractive I was irresistible even if you were related and three times age). I feel sick thinking about it all, in fact almost panic attack level.
So I suppose I want to know what you think I should, there will be a family event coming up where our paths will cross again. Part of me wants to scream from the rooftops that he is a twat and the other part wants too run away in corner.
It effects the way a feel about sex with my partner, I feel bad or guilty or something (can't put my finger on it). I can't look at him during sex and can't relax fully. It seems to be getting worse as I get older not better. I think it's maybe because I can process it more now.
If this all came my parents would be devastated and also I was old enough at the time to know it was wrong so not entirely his fault and I am happy to take some responsibility. Oh god I wish I could go back time and make it all go away

OP posts:
Dadaist · 24/10/2019 18:52

Hi OP
I’m sorry you’ve not had more replies - and the first thing I’d say is that I think you should get some counselling to work through some of the trauma you’ve experienced.
First things first - hardly anyone gets from 18 to 21 without feeling some sense of regret, shame or embarrassment at some things they said or did in a relationship. So honestly- whatever you feel you were in control of or responsible for - just let it go.
But more important and- although you were 18 at the time you were with a much older man and you were vulnerable and he took advantage. As a ‘family friend‘ this is especially creepy- and for him to get you horrendously drunk and initiate a sexual relationship was morally wrong! I’m sure your parents would be horrified and that might be why you have never told them?
The fact that he’s wormed his way into your life after his abusive behaviour is repugnant.

I guess these things get harder to live with as you get older and realise how vulnerable you were, and how creepy he has been.

Counselling might really help you decide a course of action to overcome your experience and prevent it from affecting your life and relationships now. It may help to tell your parents? It may help to confront him and tell him how it’s affected you? But of course it may be that these would be damaging for you, and you just need help to put this in the past and not let it hurt you now.

Either way it’s perfectly OK for you to not want to pretend that he is someone you want to have in your life for the sake of avoiding family awkwardness. He has created that and he should and would have known the consequences.
I’m sorry your experiencing this - but seek help and don’t suffer alone. Good luck x

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