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