Breathing Underwater

In family violence class, Mario asks the group when using violence is okay. Nick suggests self-defense, Kelly suggests defense of the elderly, and Tiny argues that violence may be okay against a girlfriend if she is late. Tiny explains that this happened with his girlfriend, and he rejected her explanation because he was sure she was with someone else. Nick relates to this and agrees with Tiny. Mario teaches them that instead of assuming the worst, they should assume something that will not trigger their anger, like traffic or a medical emergency. He then has them list their “Violence Policies” regarding when violence is and is not okay. He expects them to justify their choices and commit to them. Nick writes down that he will never hit his own kids. After class, Leo and Neysa pick up Nick and spend the day at the beach.

Later, Nick writes about last October when he showered Caitlin with gifts after their fight. When Caitlin was nominated for homecoming court, Nick secretly voted for someone else because he felt threatened by the attention she received. On Halloween at lunch, Elsa and Derek sat at Nick’s usual table, and Elsa made comments about Caitlin’s diet and Nick’s behavior.