Page 1161 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Completing a day of work during a business trip to the courthouse in 1
Tampa, Florida, thirty-two-year-old Sandra Abbott pondered how she

would return to her hotel. An attorney with whom she had been

working—a pleasant enough man—made the kind offer of a lift. As his

car threaded its way through the late afternoon traffic, their

conversation was animated. “He was saying all the right things,”

Abbott recalled, “so I started to trust him.”

He asked if she would join him for dinner; she happily accepted. After 2

lingering over an enjoyable meal, they walked together to the door of

her hotel room. The new acquaintance angled for an invitation to

come in and talk, but Abbott hesitated, sensing that he might have

something more on his mind. She explained that she was old-
fashioned about relationships but would allow him to come in for a

little while with the understanding that talk was all they would do.

Sitting on the couch in the room, soon Abbott was overcome with 3

drowsiness. Feeling comfortable in the presence of her new friend,
she let her head fall gently onto his shoulder, and, before she knew it,

she fell asleep. That’s when the attack began. Abbott was startled

back to consciousness as the man thrust himself upon her sexually.

She shouted: “No!” but he paid no heed. Abbott describes what

happened next:

I didn’t scream or run. All I could think of was my business contacts and what if they saw

me run out of my room screaming rape. I thought it was my fault. I felt so filthy, I washed
myself over and over in hot water. Did he rape me? I kept asking myself. I didn’t consent.

But who’s gonna believe me? I had a man in my hotel room after midnight.