Chapter 9 - Hard Enough
The messages came first.
GRANT:
Noah needs to learn Mom isn’t the only safe person.
LOGAN:
He’s seven.
GRANT:
Exactly why we fix it now.
LOGAN:
What do you want me to do?
Grant:
Push him enough that he stops running to her.
Logan:
Like what?
Grant:
Take the phone. Make him get it back. Stand his ground.
Logan:
And if he cries?
Grant:
Don’t reward it.
Then two days later:
LOGAN:
Claire will lose her shit if she sees.
Grant:
That’s part of the point.
There.
Then:
LOGAN:
You want her mad?
Grant:
I want people to see what happens when somebody challenges her control.
Logan:
Dad.
Grant:
Noah shouldn’t have to live scared of setting her off.
Logan:
He isn’t scared of her.
No answer.
Important.
Logan had actually contradicted premise.
Then morning of block party:
GRANT:
Phones will be out.
LOGAN:
That’s weird.
Grant:
Witnesses protect everybody.
Logan:
How hard with Noah?
My body stopped.
Grant:
Hard enough that he has to choose whether he stands up or hides.
Logan:
I’m not hurting him.
Grant:
Obviously.
Then:
LOGAN:
And Claire?
Grant:
She’ll step in.
Logan:
Then what?
Grant:
Challenge her.
Logan:
Fight?
Grant:
Make her decide.
There.
Not:
Punch Claire.
Not:
Injure Noah.
But the structure was explicit.
Hit/push Noah hard enough to trigger protective response.
Then challenge Claire.
Phones.
Evidence.
Then another:
Grant:
If she touches you first, do not retaliate. Let everyone see it.
Logan:
What if she doesn’t?
Grant:
She will.
There.
Confidence.
Then Logan’s last response:
You really think she’ll hit me?
Grant:
She won’t be able to help herself if you push Noah hard enough.
That was why Grant smiled when Noah fell.
Not because he enjoyed seeing his son hurt.
May you like
Because the first domino had fallen exactly where he placed it.
Chapter Ten no longer needed inference.
