“What?”
“He says you humiliated her.”
My mother sounded genuinely stunned.
“Daphne, I was the person who fought to get Anna into that contest.”
I sat down.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
She explained that the neighborhood had organized a costume contest for the children.
One volunteer, a woman named Celia, worried that Anna might struggle to follow the instructions.
“She said Anna should watch instead,” Mom recalled. “I told her that was unacceptable. There wasn’t even a competition with prizes. Every child was supposed to have a turn.”
“Then why does Mr. Harrison blame you?”
“His wife, Mara, was terribly upset. She’d overheard Celia. I was explaining what Celia had said to her when her husband arrived.”
Mom paused.
“He came in halfway through our conversation. I was repeating what Celia had said, and he thought those words were mine.”
“Didn’t you explain?”
“I tried. So did Mara. But he was furious and wouldn’t listen.”
