Chapter 18 - LENORA STILL THINKS SHE WAS RIGHT ABOUT GRIEF
Lenora entered family counseling as part of a civil agreement.
Not with Ivy.
Individually.
Her therapist did not report private details.
Correct.
But in deposition months later, Lenora’s position shifted slightly.
“Do you believe the haircut plan was wrong?”
“I believe the way it happened was wrong.”
Not enough.
“Was planning it without Sebastian’s consent wrong?”
Pause.
“Yes.”
Progress.
“Was Ivy entitled to refuse?”
Longer pause.
“Yes.”
More.
Then:
“Do you still believe Sebastian’s household is organized around Elara’s death?”
“Yes.”
There.
“Does that justify changing Ivy’s appearance?”
“No.”
Finally.
Explanation separated from authority.
Then:
“Why did you not intervene when Marjorie used the clippers?”
Lenora looked down.
“I thought she would stop after one pass.”
That answer was terrible.
Then:
“Why not stop the first pass?”
“I was angry at Ivy too.”
There.
At a seven-year-old.
Why?
“She had been difficult all day.”
Examples?
Refused hairstyle.
Wanted mother’s comb.
Asked to sit beside father.
Bumped table.
Ordinary childhood transformed into defiance because adults needed obedience.
Then Lenora said:
“I thought Sebastian would understand afterward.”
That belief was central.
She expected me to choose family peace over Ivy’s autonomy.
She had spent forty-three years training me to absorb conflict.
This time I did the opposite.
Then overcorrected into violence.
We both had work.
May you like
Different responsibility.
No equivalence.
