Page 47 of For Your Own Good
Did you ever see them argue?
Yes.
More than once?
Yes.
What did they argue about?
I didn’t eavesdrop. I walked away to give them privacy.
Did Courtney ever talk to you about her mother?
Yes.
What did she say?
That her mother was rather demanding.
What was her mother demanding about?
Her grades, her activities. She texted Courtney quite a bit, asking where she was and what she was doing. Courtney said she didn’t like that. It made her feel like a child.
Did she say she loved her mother?
No.
Did she say she hated her mother?
Yes.
More than once?
Yes.
You’ve been a teacher for over a decade, and you’ve seen many students and their parents. In your opinion, was Ingrid Ross’s behavior unreasonable?
At times, yes.
Can you describe how?
She was insistent about Courtney attending Yale, and only Yale.
Did you ever see Ingrid hit her daughter?
Not hit her, no.
Did you ever see her lay a hand on Courtney at all?
I saw Ingrid slap her.
IT HAD HAPPENEDin the fall, a few weeks after the first semester started. The first issue of theBuglewas twenty-four hours away from publication, and Sonia was at the school, working late with Courtney.
Ingrid was already angry when she showed up. Courtney looked horrified to see her.
“Why didn’t you answer my texts?” Ingrid said.
“Because I’m working.”
