Chapter 11: The Truth Has Yet Revealed (Betrayal)

The turning point came when the housemate revealed what she saw on the night of the incidence. 

When Piseth came home at 2:30am in the morning, he stumbled and felt once then picked himself back up, went straight to his room where Sopheap and Lily were sleeping and crashed onto the bed.  The housemate went on and told Lundi that there were only three people sleeping in the bedroom;  Piseth, Lily and Sopheap.  Charya, the sister-in-law was sleeping next to her in the opposite bedroom but there were no door so she was able to see what was going on.  The housemate did not sleep because of the commotion; she pretended that she was sleeping and so was Charya, the sister-in-law.

After an hour later, the housemate saw Sopheap stepping outside of the bedroom and made a remark in angry tone and said “I have been waiting for this moment”.  Sopheap called to Charya, “What are you waiting for?”  Chakrya by this time was just waiting for the moment.  Immediately, she walked over to Sopheap’s room. 

The housemate was known in the house as a deep sleeper so Sopheap was under the impression that she was dead asleep. Sopheap did not close the door, so what transpired was witnessed by the housemate from a little window under her blanket.   The housemate was witnessing a horrible scheme being committed under the shadow of a small lamp lit in Sopheap’s bedroom. 

Lily was not a deep sleeper but on the night of the incidence, she was drugged with four tables spoons of cough syrup at about 2am, just about more than two hours before the incidence happened.  Lily slept like a log and the housemate can only see that she had slight movements whilst all the commotions happened.

Sopheap instructed Chakrya to take her clothes off and began to masterbate Piseth.  Chakrya at first, was reluctant but was scared of her older sister. 

Piseth, drunk as he was barely moved; but one can only know that when a man is intoxicated; he tends to be much more arouse when his private part is being manipulated.  Piseth was aroused and still was not conscious to know what was happening to him.  On many different occasions, it was Sopheap that would perform such act on him. 

Charya had her clothes off and began to sit on Piseth.  As a young girl, she was not experienced in sexual act.  But with the help of Sopheap, Charya grabbed Piseth’s penis and inserted it into her vagina.  By the sheer force of the penetration, Chakrya screamed lightly because she did not want her sister standing there to be upset. 

Sopheap stood there watching and instructing Chakrya to move up and down so that Piseth can reach ejaculation in time before he was conscious enough to know what had happened.  Soon enough about five times with the up and down motions;  Piseth ejaculated.  Chakrya pulled herself away and was crying profusely. 

Loosing virginity is everything.  Virginity is sacred, yet the sheer greed and feared imposed by her sister made Chakrya commit something beyond her personal and cultural boundaries.

Cambodian women, on the other hand, are expected to remain virgins until marriage. If a woman loses her virginity – even if she is raped – she is considered ‘damaged goods’ and thus, undesirable as a wife.

The housemate watched as these horrific acts unfolded in front of her very eyes; yet she could not say a word.  After the sexual acts, Charya walked out of the room in her sleeping gown and headed to the bathroom as though nothing ever happened. 

Piseth by time was a bit awake yet felt nauseated.  He still did not know what had happened.

Lundi was shocked to learn the truth but he was met with a dilemma because the housemate was Sopheap’s closest cousin and she had been living under Sopheap care for over 4 years and her family depended on Sopheap for support in terms of money and other material things. 

Will the housemate testifies against her own cousin in the court?  That remains to be seen as Lundi tried to gather more circumstantial evidences from Chakrya, the victim.

Mr. Sombath worked tirelessly to build a case for Piseth by trying to get the NGOs to give him access to Chakrya whom the provincial police and the NGOs have taken to a safe house for protection. 

It was difficult for Mr. Sombath because he had been told repeatedly to drop the case because it was politically tied to a lot of funding monies at the national level and if the truth was revealed the NGOs would look bad in front of the government’s eyes and fear of counter suit.

Every evening, Mr. Sombath would get a visit at his home from the immigration police who was tied in their works from funding from the different NGOs.  Likewise, Lundi received numerous phone calls from his colleagues and superiors to stay away from the case.

 Piseth’s parents and relatives who were living in the USA by now learned of his arrest from Reuter Newspaper yet they could confirm.  Piseth’s photos printed in the various newspapers were not clear because he had towel on his head the entire time.  Even if the arrest was confirmed; they could not do much to help him. 

One by one, Piseth’s cousins who were living in Cambodia began to arrive and paid a visit to him at the Battambang Provincial Prison, but there was not much they could do for him. 

They came with foods and water on a daily basis and gotten the chance to catch up with Piseth to give him hope, yet they knew all too well that Piseth will be there for awhile.  On every visit, Piseth amassed himself with toilet paper, bottled water and good foods; yet every time he leaves the visitor’s room; everything was confiscated from him.  What was left and given to him was a single bottled water to take back to his rat hole.

Life has gotten worst for Piseth; he has fallen ill due to the beating and the unsanitary condition of the prison; yet he could not say much but to keep silence.  The complaints that he had made during the US Consulate Officer’s visit on his first day in prison only left him with more beatings from the prison guards and the prison gang. 

Therefore, he dared not speak but only kept to himself and wait for the days to be over.  When will his ordeal be over?  Piseth could only pray that death will come of him so that he did not have to endure such pain and hardship any longer.