In a panic, I could only confide in my older brother, who had been my only support. I clearly remember his hands trembling uncontrollably as he smoked. After hearing the whole story, he looked as though he had aged ten years.
It was Janet's brother who came to negotiate on her behalf.
At first, they refused to settle privately.
"Damn it! Settle this, my ass! My beautiful sister has been ruined by you, and who knows if there's a bastard in her belly now! How could we settle this privately?"
"A rapist like Patrick wants to go to college? What a load of crap!"
"A scumbag like you should be rotting in jail; that would be too easy on you! I think you deserve the death penalty!"
It was my brother who, dragging me along, almost smashed his head in bowing to them, saying all sorts of humble words, before Janet's brother finally agreed.
Twenty thousand dollars to settle, as if it were the bride price for marrying Janet.
To keep me out of jail, my brother had to sell the house our parents left behind to scrape together the money for Janet's brother.
But with the house sold and the money paid, I still didn't get to go to college.