Innocence BEFORE Deception

By Valarie D Gray

Innocence BEFORE Deception takes you on a journey into the life of a young girl growing up in a simple and humble home. At age 15, naive Valarie wanted to make friends at church, school and in the neighborhood. Like most teenage girls, she desired to have fun outside of her normal surroundings. 

She never imagined such a decept

• Language: English
• Publisher: Purpose Publishing
• Release date: Sep 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9780692946855

Book preview

Purpose Publishing

1503 Main Street #168 ᴥ Grandview, Missouri

www.purposepublishing.com

Copyright © 2017 Valarie Gray

ISBN:  978-0990301059

Editing by Felicia Murrell

Book Cover Design by PP Team of Designers

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means; electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, except for brief quotations in printed reviews without the permission of the publisher.

For permission and requests, write to the publisher:

1503 Main Street, #168, Grandview, MO 64030.

Author Inquiries may be sent to [e-mail]

Innocence BEFORE Deception takes you on a journey into the life of a young girl growing up in a simple and humble home. At age 15, naïve Valarie wanted to make friends at church, school and in the neighborhood. Like most teenage girls, she desired to have fun outside of her normal surroundings.

She never imagined such a deceptive plan crafted at the hands of others would take her innocence and force her to replay a tragic event affecting her life forever. Like many young victims, Valarie struggled to make sense of the horror she suffered. Although she chose to remain silent about the crime, her inner strength was remarkable as she trusted God to the very end.   

Valarie shares her story in the hope of encouraging hearts to have compassion for young girls and women who navigate life feeling confused, isolated, and socially unsophisticated while enduring some of the most unimaginable life lessons as she depicts in, Innocence BEFORE Deception. 

My Dedications

Dedicated to the memory of my son, Jaretton Jamal JJ Thompson, and two of my favorite aunts, Elyne Langrum and Caroline Yeldell, whom I LOVE and miss dearly.

God bless all the young girls and women living through private and public life events caused by the hands of others with the intention to break you down. You SURVIVED to live YOUR life, move forward!

My Special Acknowledgements



God is awesome! I know that without God my life would not be in a place of such peace.  JJ is my number one fan, greatest inspiration and why I share our story. I thank JJ in my heart daily for helping me become the person I am today -- strong and humble. 

Writing this message means I am finally walking in obedience to HIS will. Growing up in a ministry household I inherited LOTS of ministry relatives. In 2010, a ministry aunt prophesied that God wanted me to share my story, stating God would prepare me to be in the presence of people, especially women, because of my life journey in Innocence BEFORE Deception. 

Thank you to ALL of the supportive people in my life. Thank you to two ministry aunts, Dr. Saundra Montgomery and Veda Shaw, special ladies Shree Moffett and Regina Nippert. You all stepped away from your busy lives to read my terrible rough draft and to offer me real talk to help start this process. For that, I am grateful. To two of my many sister-friends, Andrea White aka Dre and Irish Watson aka Yvette, neither of you stopped lending me your ears, eyes, hearts and hard criticism to finalize this project. Thank you. 

To my kindhearted parents, Tommy Lee & Gloria Dunn Thompson, I LOVE you dearly. You did your best as I went through a very rough season of life. To my siblings, Michael, Carla, Lynda & Sheila, I LOVE you guys. We were young, however, you all cared enough to help a shy, shameful, naïve sister make it through. To Jarmelle, my only living child, God placed you in my life at the right time. I LOVE you son!

Most of us understand that nothing in life happens by chance. Derrice Gray, you are the man who asked me to be your goofy wife and I am forever honored. 

A guy name Gregory aka Pop gave me a peace of mind at age sixteen and happens to be my husband’s brother. Rest in peace my friend -- you did well by me. I will remember your every heartbeat, Jaretton Jamal Thompson, my first born. May you rest in peace until we meet again. I LOVE you JJ.

Table of Contents

1-The Bus Ride To Downtown Dallas

2-Set Up By My Childhood Friend

3-The Troubling Bus Ride Home

4-Keep It To Yourself. No One Will Ever Know

5-School Is My Therapy

6-Is This Secret Making My Body Sick?

7-The Hospital's Shocking News, So Now We Wait

8-I Am Not Talking, So Leave Me Alone/My Shut Down

9-Three Months Carrying the Sexual Assault Rape Baby No One Ever Knew

10-He Look So Healthy, How Did That Happen and Can You Fix It?

11-My Life and Home Will Never Be the Same Again

12-Caring for My Terminally Ill Miracle Baby Boy

13-God After All I Did, Why Didn't You Do Your Part For Me?

14-Pictures of Love...Beginning to End, Jaretton Jamal Thompson

1

The Bus Ride To Downtown Dallas

The grand event was finally here. The opening of the very popular State Fair of Texas located in South Dallas. Everyone’s excitement surrounding the annually scheduled occasion was palpable, especially mine. Throughout the city there were all types of signs advertising the event. The city kicked off the grand opening of the fair with a full parade featuring local high school bands and large decorative floats. For as long as I could remember, everyone anticipated opening day.

The fair remained open for several weeks. Almost everyone I knew went. The school districts assigned us our very own day to attend. Special bus passes and free fair tickets were distributed to all the children. I accepted the pass and ticket every year, but I always gave my bus pass away because ever since I was a little girl, my parents drove us to the fair.

Fall, October 1981, was different. I was fifteen years old and my parents agreed to allow me to attend the fair without them. I was going to the big parade in downtown Dallas as well, which meant I’d have my first opportunity to use my pass and ride the city bus without a chaperone. I couldn’t wait. I was prepared to eat lots of weird, fun foods and use all the coupons I would purchase enjoying the rides.

I soon learned there was a caveat to me riding the bus and attending the opening day parade. My parents would not allow me to go alone. I had to choose a friend from our neighborhood to hang out with whose parents were somewhat known by mine or I couldn’t go. Problem was, the majority of my neighborhood school friends had already made plans with other friends since they had been going to the parade and fair without parental supervision for years. I was the late bloomer, a PK (preacher’s kid) raised in a strict home being given permission for the first time to ride the city bus and attend the parade without my parents. The friend had to live in our neighborhood or I would not be allowed to go with them.

After speaking with several friends to find a bus and parade buddy, I was approached by a girl I grew up with. We lived on the same street for years while attending elementary school and my parents knew of her family, so we decided to run it by them. Much to my relief, my parents approved and made it clear that we were to ride the bus downtown together, attend the parade and come straight home afterward, no exceptions. I was happy, especially since this childhood friend had ridden the city bus and attended the parade a few times before. I considered her a pro. 

For weeks, I patiently waited for opening day to arrive. The wait, in all of my childlike wonder, held the magic of a Christmas Eve night when you couldn’t fall asleep fast enough so you could wake up and open your presents. In preparing for that day, I had already picked out my cutest outfit, just the right shoes and purse to compliment the outfit and decided how I would wear my long, thick hair. Back in the eighties, it was popular for girls to wear their hair straight and mine was flowing, so I was set to be super cute. 

The weeks sped by and the day of the parade arrived. Genae’s parents brought her to my home as planned. We had to sit for my mother’s speech before we were allowed to leave. She reminded us to ride the bus to the parade and when it was over get back on the bus and come straight home. My mom told us not to take a ride from anyone whether we knew the person or not. Her point was well made. I understood very clearly since we asked to ride the bus, we were expected to ride the bus back home as well, no exceptions allowed. Excited, Genae and I headed out the door and walked down my block toward the bus stop to wait for the 31 Midway that would take us to downtown Dallas. 

Like normal teenage girls, we laughed and talked the entire ride. I was fascinated with all the people crowding onto the bus headed downtown to the parade. Genae was like my personal tour guide, pointing out all the sights on the way there. It felt like we were on the bus forever when someone finally pulled the string sounding the bell. Genae said it was our stop. I smiled as we exited the bus onto the huge