Chapter 11 - THE SLAP
The prosecutor reviewed the auditorium footage.
Lucinda reached toward Mrs. Hayes.
I intercepted.
Could I block her hand?
Yes.
Did I need to slap her after control was already established?
No.
I accepted misdemeanor diversion.
Anger management.
Community service.
No further violence.
Dismissal after compliance.
I also clarified my threat.
“Your life will end up like the violin.”
Bad sentence.
I meant career and standing.
But a man like me has no right to demand strangers interpret menace generously.
No separate charge ultimately resulted.
Still, I apologized publicly to the school for bringing violent language into a children’s recital.
May you like
Not to Lucinda yet.
That came later.
