Under the Table and Escorting Courtney

Content warning: This episode references suicide, physical child abuse and child sexual abuse.

In this episode, the narrator reflects on their early teenage years working at a Mormon-owned restaurant in the 1990s, a job arranged by their parents primarily to keep the children out of the house and occupied. The narrator began working there at age 12, often underpaid and socially isolated, but still found the environment preferable to home due to the relative kindness shown by the restaurant owners.

We find young Joseph escorting his sisters on “dates” - not allowed in Mormon culture until a youth is 16 years old. The story sheds light on a household marked by emotional neglect, maternal manipulation, and the strategic silencing of abuse through forced busyness and isolation, all under the guise of religious and social propriety.

https://mormoncoverup.com/escort/