That morning, while getting ready for school, my niece had spilled a bowl of noodles in the kitchen. My mother, slightly annoyed, lightly tapped her hand as a small reprimand. That was all. But my sister-in-law insisted, "Mom must have hit her too hard! That’s why her hand is swollen!"
Does that even make sense?
If my mother had used a stick or some object to hit the child, maybe. But a light tap with her bare hand? That wouldn’t even leave a scratch, let alone cause swelling.
I thought about it for a moment and then told my mom to check the security camera footage near the front door. And there it was—the undeniable truth.
Earlier that morning, my sister-in-law had woken up late. In her rush to get her daughter to school, she accidentally slammed the child’s hand in the door. My niece had cried at the time, but since she had already been crying from the scolding, my sister-in-law didn’t even notice the injury.