Chapter 22 - Richard
Dad testified last.
He did not deny.
That made him stronger than if he had.
He believed he could explain.
“I was teaching persistence.”
“How?”
“Controlled frustration.”
“Why?”
“Life is hard.”
True.
“Did Ethan have anxiety?”
“I thought he was learning it from his parents.”
There.
“Did Michael have similar behavior as a child?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“We taught him to finish things.”
“Did he become successful?”
“Yes.”
Dad looked at me.
“I’m proud of him.”
That almost broke me.
Then prosecutor.
“Did Michael ask you to make Ethan like him?”
“No.”
“Did Laura?”
“No.”
“Did Ethan?”
Dad frowned.
“He’s a child.”
“Exactly. Did his parents authorize?”
“No.”
“Did you know they would stop you if they knew?”
“Yes.”
“Why hide it?”
“Because they would overreact before seeing results.”
There.
Then:
“Did Ethan say no to riding without training wheels?”
“Yes.”
“Did Laura say no?”
“Yes.”
“Did Michael say not that day?”
“Yes.”
“How many noes did you need?”
Dad stared.
The courtroom went silent.
He answered:
“I thought fear was making the decision.”
“And who decided whether fear counted?”
“I did.”
There.
The whole system in one sentence.
Then water.
“Why make him stop crying?”
“To teach control.”
“Is crying dangerous?”
“No.”
“Was water dangerous?”
“No.”
“Then what was the safety reason to delay it?”
Dad had none.
Finally:
“Do you believe today you had the right to override Michael and Laura?”
Long pause.
“No.”
My heart jumped.
Then he continued:
“Not after what happened.”
Not:
I was wrong then.
Still.
Something.
The prosecutor:
“What changed?”
Dad looked toward Helen.
“I lost my family.”
There.
May you like
Consequence before insight.
Maybe insight starts that way sometimes.
