Chapter 7 - The Slap
Margaret filed a police report.
Her right.
The sunroom had security cameras facing exterior doors and one interior camera near the wine cabinet.
Video captured:
Margaret approaching me with collar.
Me turning away.
Margaret reaching again.
Me grabbing wrist.
My slap.
The collar into champagne.
Items swept from table.
Wesley stepping in front of me.
Me knocking his hand away.
No audio on main angle, though guest videos captured some.
My attorney, Lena Price, told me:
“Your initial wrist grab can be framed as protective if she was reaching toward the infant.”
“Yes.”
“The slap came after?”
“Immediately.”
“Was Margaret still trying to reach June?”
“Her arm was restrained.”
“Then we separate.”
Again.
I hated separate responsibility.
Still necessary.
The prosecutor offered diversion.
No prior record.
Single open-handed strike.
No significant injury.
Anger-management assessment.
Community service.
Case dismissal after compliance.
I accepted.
Margaret hated that she also faced scrutiny for attempting to place pet gear around a newborn?
No criminal charge for that alone.
No injury.
No actual fastening.
No credible intent to harm physically.
But child-safety professionals cared about judgment.
Especially because she had ignored my verbal refusal and reached again.
We agreed through family counsel:
No unsupervised access to June.
No physical contact without parent permission during temporary separation period.
Not court-ordered initially.
Parent boundary.
Wesley agreed.
May you like
That mattered.
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