Chapter 11 - Garrett Did Not Excuse the Kick He Gave Lorraine
Lorraine had kicked Theo down the stairs.
Garrett found his fifteen-month-old child crying at the bottom.
Then he picked Theo up.
At that point, his son was safe in his arms.
Garrett still kicked his mother.
He knew why.
Rage.
Not immediate defense.
When police asked him what happened, he told the truth.
“I kicked her.”
“Was she attacking the child when you did?”
“No.”
“Was she approaching you?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Because I saw what she had done.”
That was not legal magic.
Not perfect justification.
Not something he tried to glorify.
Garrett accepted responsibility for his own act separately.
He wanted Theo someday to understand something his family had failed to practice for generations:
Another person’s wrongdoing does not erase your responsibility for what you choose next.
Lorraine could be responsible for abusing a child.
Garrett could still be responsible for retaliating after the danger had ended.
May you like
Both things could be true.
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