Chapter 17 - Frank’s rule
Frank was simpler.
He believed adults should present one front to children.
Always.
His favorite sentence:
“Never let a kid see adults divided.”
Sounds reasonable until adults disagree about whether another adult may strike a child.
He had grown up in a house where discipline was private.
Children did not question.
Parents did not explain.
At the barbecue, when Lily fell, his first instinct was not:
Is she hurt?
It was:
Control the scene.
No ambulance.
No police.
Family drives her.
Handle Carla later.
He told investigators:
“I knew Naomi would make it bigger.”
The officer asked:
“Bigger than a possible fracture?”
Frank looked down.
That was the first time, according to the report, he appeared uncertain.
He had minimized the injury before knowing it.
Because accepting seriousness meant accepting that the family could not contain the event.
His obstruction at the gate was not part of a medical plan.
It was narrative control.
May you like
Keep outsiders out.
That was his pattern.
