Part 3/7:
Despite not physically surpassing his father in size—his father was a large man weighing around 225 pounds—Fletcher was determined to survive and cope. His early experiences of violence and fear equipped him with a hardened resilience that he would later channel into his life's pursuits. His mother, while supportive emotionally, often refrained from intervening during his father's bouts of violence. She would come in afterward to help pick up the pieces, but she lacked the power or influence to stop the abuse in the moment.
Fletcher vividly recalls the emotional and physical toll of these episodes, but his response was shaped by necessity. His early traumatic experiences didn't break him; rather, they forged a toughness that would serve him well later in life.