Dicaeologia (di-kay-o-lo’-gi-a): Admitting what’s charged against one, but excusing it by necessity.
I was speeding. Yes, I was going 40MPH in a 25 MPH zone. Yes, I ran over your daughter’s turtle, Smudge. I didn’t even slow down after flattening Smudge. I know how much he meant to Chrissy.
But you should know: My three-year-old son Edward tripped and fell on a broken wine bottle I smashed in our back yard out of anger over Betty’s fling with the exterminator.
Edward was wounded in the chest and he was coughing and bleeding profusely. It reminded me of a sucking chest wound I saw in Afghanistan.
Instead of calling 911, I picked him up and ran to the car with one idea in mind: get Edward to the emergency room and get the wound closed up as soon as humanly possible. Crying, I laid Edward on the front seat. He was unconscious, and I was afraid he was gone.
Tires squealing, I took off down Willow Street. I didn’t expect to see a turtle. Yes, I crushed Smudge in my desperation to get Edward to the emergency room. I am truly sorry. I know how it feels to lose a loved one.
Edward is recovering. I am so grateful. Again, please forgive me for what I did to Smudge. I am so very sorry. Chrissy, let’s you, me, and your dad go to the pet store and check out the turtles. Ok?
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
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