“Well, I did start it.”
“Wait, you started a fight with three men? Why?”
“Part of it was because I knew they had something to do with it, and … I’ll just say I was … frustrated.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, it looked like he was blushing.
“About what?”
“That I couldn’t find your mom, and they weren’t giving us any information.”
“So, you started a fight?” Her voice had risen with every word.
“Well, yes, but they were also disrespectful.”
She ignored Zachary’s laughter.
“Why would that start that?”
“Let me put it this way. What do you do when you get really frustrated, mad, or unhappy?”
“I cry.”
“That’s right.”
“So, you cried…?” she asked.
“No,” he said in exasperation that she could barely hear because of Zachary’s booming laughter. “Men, don’t cry. We hit things.”
She sat back and thought about it for a moment. “Why did you fight all three of them?”
“Because I was really frustrated.”
“And your friends couldn’t have helped you?”
“We wanted to, honey,” Zachary said with a grin. “But he threatened us that he’d hurt us if we stepped in.”
She was trying to comprehend what he was telling her but gave up. Why would she even try? They were men. She would never understand them.