in close and he kept hitting and
hitting, but I was in too tight for
him to land any solid blows. Then
he caught on and he stopped hitting
and started trying to grapple and
wrestle me. He did this thing where
he grabbed the skin on my arms
and pinched it between his thumb
and forefinger and twisted hard.
Jesus, that hurt.
It was the most terrifying
moment of my life. I had never
been that scared before, ever.
Because there was no purpose to it
—that’s what made it so terrifying.
It wasn’t discipline. Nothing about
it was coming from a place of love.