Speaker 1: I knew as a boy that my father had fought
Speaker 1: in World War Two, just as so many fathers of
Speaker 1: so many of my playmate friends had fought in World
Speaker 1: War Two. And I knew all along that he had
Speaker 1: been on the other side, and very quickly knew that
Speaker 1: you've been on the wrong side. Every family has its secrets.
Speaker 1: They had a compact that they were not going to
Speaker 1: confront the truth of their situation, and then I came
Speaker 1: along and threw it down on the floor like a gauntlet.
Speaker 1: Secrets that are kept for all kinds of reasons, because
Speaker 1: there are sources of shame, because we don't want to
Speaker 1: cause others pain, because of unspoken agreements that it's just
Speaker 1: better this way. That drive back home was when I
Speaker 1: had to make a choice. If I called my parents
Speaker 1: and tell them what happened, I would have to say
Speaker 1: goodbye to my grand school, to my life as a
Speaker 1: working woman in Mexico, to all of these things. I
Speaker 1: would have to say goodbye. But the ripple effects of
Speaker 1: holding onto those secrets can last for years, sometimes generations
Speaker 1: to come. My family didn't deny that it happened. They
Speaker 1: just denied that it should hurt that it happened. They
Speaker 1: just denied that it should have any effect, or it
Speaker 1: was very much. If this bothers you, that is your problem,
Speaker 1: your fault. When the truth finally does come out, even
Speaker 1: if we're older, wiser, even if we think we've moved on,
Speaker 1: it can send us reeling. Both my mother and my
Speaker 1: aunt were there that day, and I had said, I
Speaker 1: had just saw Tony Costa in the dream with a
Speaker 1: gun to my head. What do you know about him?
Speaker 1: Why would I be thinking about that? And she said,
Speaker 1: I know he became a serial killer, as if I
Speaker 1: know he became a pediatrician. I'm Danny Shapiro, host of
Speaker 1: the hit podcast Family's Secrets. Join me for an all
Speaker 1: new season of incredible stories that show what happens when
Speaker 1: long held secrets come to light and how even the
Speaker 1: most painful discoveries have the power to liberate, heal, and
Speaker 1: even uplift us. Season five of Family Secrets premiers Thursday,
Speaker 1: April one. Listen and subscribe on the I Heart Radio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.