Chapter 11 - Alessio Had to Answer for Hitting Claudia and Marco
Claudia slapped Ruby.
Marco attacked Alessio.
Those facts mattered.
So did Alessio’s choices.
He had pulled Ruby safely out of the pond.
Moved her behind him.
Then slapped Claudia hard enough to send her into the flower-pot shelving.
The immediate danger to Ruby had already ended.
When investigators asked why he struck Claudia, Alessio did not call it self-defense.
“I was angry.”
“Because she hit your daughter?”
“Yes.”
“Was she attacking Ruby when you struck her?”
“No.”
That answer mattered.
Marco was different.
Marco advanced immediately afterward and threw the first punch.
Alessio dodged and responded once.
Still, Alessio refused to build a heroic story around the whole confrontation.
He told Ruby later:
“I should have protected you without hitting someone who wasn’t hitting you anymore.”
Ruby frowned.
“But she slapped me.”
“I know.”
“She was mean about Mommy.”
“I know.”
“Then why was it wrong?”
“Because somebody doing something wrong doesn’t give me permission to do everything my anger wants.”
Ruby thought about that.
Then asked:
“Were you mad?”
“Very.”
May you like
That honesty mattered more than pretending adults become perfect when defending children.
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