Chapter 7 - The slap
Police also interviewed me about striking Linda.
I wanted them to skip that part.
They did not.
Officer Morgan asked:
“Did you strike Mrs. Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“Open hand?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Face.”
“Before or after the coffee contacted Ellie?”
“After.”
“Was Linda still attempting to harm Ellie?”
“No.”
There.
“Why did you hit her?”
“Because she threw hot coffee on my daughter.”
Understandable motive.
Not necessarily lawful necessity.
Officer Morgan said nothing.
I added:
“I’m not claiming she was attacking Ellie at that second. I was furious.”
Good.
No heroic rewrite.
Linda had redness and later mild facial swelling.
No fracture.
No significant injury.
She filed a complaint.
Her right.
My attorney eventually explained the problem:
Defense of another can justify reasonable force to stop an imminent threat.
My slap came after the coffee had already been thrown and while Linda was no longer actively striking Ellie.
Could a lawyer argue I perceived continued threat?
Maybe.
The video did not exist.
Audio suggested immediate retaliation.
The prosecutor had discretion.
Months later, I accepted a low-level diversion agreement tied to the slap.
Anger-management class.
Community service.
No new offenses.
Dismissal upon completion.
People in my family thought that meant the justice system had declared Linda and me equally guilty.
No.
Different conduct.
Different victims.
Different charges.
Different consequences.
Accountability is not a scale where everyone who gets paperwork weighs the same.
Still, the class taught me something I did not want.
My anger could be justified.
My hand was still mine.
That mattered because I did not want Ellie growing up with the lesson:
Adults may hit when their reason is good enough.
Arthur? Wrong story.
Linda threw coffee.
May you like
I slapped.
Both verbs belonged to adults.
