Rain had fallen all day. When I got home, Dad scolded me over messy handwriting in my homework. Then he slapped my palm with a ruler— multiple hard, sharp strikes that brought Mon running to check on us. It didn’t hurt much, honestly. In fact, it had been a long time since he’d done that. Just tradition, I guess. Most parents here discipline their kids one way or another, usually over math mistakes. Sometimes I scribble numbers carelessly, a four smudging into a nine, that kind of thing. I’m not making excuses or complaining. But lately, I can’t help wondering… isn’t this abuse?