Chapter 4 - Arthur’s version
Arthur gave his statement before watching Natalie’s video.
That became a problem for him.
He said Gigi had:
“Grabbed a decorative support holding the cake display.”
False.
The ribbon was decorative.
The support did not move.
He said:
“I swatted her hand.”
Video showed his hand hitting the side of her face.
He said:
“She turned unexpectedly.”
The video showed him aiming toward her head level after she looked at him.
He said:
“I did what any responsible adult would do if a child was about to pull a cake stand down.”
No.
The cake stand remained stationary.
Then his lawyer got the video.
Arthur’s story changed.
He acknowledged the slap.
Called it:
“An inappropriate reflexive disciplinary action.”
Lawyers can put six words around almost anything.
He also filed a complaint about me.
Correctly.
His mother had bruising along her hip and upper thigh from my kick.
She also sprained her wrist when Arthur caught her awkwardly and she hit the edge of a chair.
No fracture.
No hospitalization.
Urgent care.
Brace.
Pain medication.
She wanted me charged.
I was.
Not arrested dramatically.
Cited and later summoned on a low-level assault complaint.
When I received the papers, I stared at them for a long time.
Noah sat across from me.
“You knew this was possible.”
“Yes.”
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
“You can be not okay and still deal with it.”
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I hated when he became reasonable after divorce.
Would have been useful earlier.
