Opening old wounds: the arrest of bombing suspect Eric Rudolph brings back painful memories for one victim of an attack on an Atlanta nightclub. (Behind the Headlines).

Before a nail bomb went off at a nightclub where she was celebrating a friend's birthday, Memrie Wells Creswell lived a quiet life, revealing to few people that she is a lesbian.

But that all changed after the 1997 attack at the Otherside Lounge, a predominantly lesbian bar in Atlanta. Not only was Wells Creswell seriously injured in the blast, which severed the brachial artery in her arm, she was subsequently outed and fired from her job at a real estate publication, and she watched her five-year relationship with her girlfriend crumble under the strain. Therapy and a long recovery ensured.

When the 35-year-old real estate agent heard of the May 31 arrest of Eric Rudolph, some of the pain returned, she said. Rudolph has been accused of the bombings at the Otherside, Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta in 1996, and an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., in 1998. Before his arrest he eluded an intensive manhunt for five years.

The Advocate talked with Wells Creswell shortly after the news of Rudolph's capture broke.

How did it feel when you learned of Rudolph's arrest?

I was afraid the whole thing was starting over again, with everyone looking at me. I have a lot of anxiety right now. I've had a hard time sleeping and a hard time eating.

Do you think Rudolph would have received all the attention he did if he was accused of bombing only the Otherside?

No. I don't think it would have gotten nearly as much [media] coverage. I think when it has to do with lesbians and gays, we don't get the coverage we're due.

What happened the night the bomb exploded?

It was my friend's birthday, and of all places, she wanted to go to the Otherside Lounge. I was sitting at a table near the bar on a bar stool. [When the bomb went off], it was a weird feeling and it came over me really strong and really fast. I looked over at my arm, and it had blood all over it. There were a couple of [medical technicians] at the bar who helped me.

Has the stress from the attack continued to affect your life?

I've dealt all along with depression and anger, and things had sort of got better in my life. Now it might be time for a therapy visit.

You were outed when former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell told the media you were at the bar. What happened after that?

I just felt as though people looked at me differently. It was against my will. I didn't feel good about that. [And] I lost my job.

You've said you were fired because you are gay.

I'm still 100% sure of that. The company ended up giving me some hush money to just make me go away [and not file a lawsuit].

Did you get any help from the gay and lesbian community?

No one reached out to me, but it could be because they had no way to reach me. I tried my best to stay as private as I could. I just didn't want to cause any more tarmoil in my family's life and in my friends' lives.

Have you been able to move past the breakup with your girlfriend?

I have been seeing someone else for quite a while now. She's had a tough road because I've had issues. I've had anger [because of the bombing], but it's been OK.

What would you say to the bomber if given the chance?

I would want to ask him, "What did you hope to accomplish?" And I'd want to say, "Ha-ha, you didn't kill me. You failed."