Now consider a girl pulling a wagon by its handle.

Does her hand touch the handle?

Yes, her hand touches the handle. So her pull is a force that touches.

Does her hand touch the handle? Yes. Her pull is a force that touches.

Now consider the rubbed balloon and the girl's hair again.

Does the balloon touch her hair?

No, the balloon does not touch her hair. So the balloon's pull is a force that doesn't touch.

Does the balloon touch her hair? No. The balloon's pull is a force that doesn't touch.

Now consider a boy pulling a toy duck along by its string.

Does his hand touch the duck?

His hand touches the string, and the string touches the duck.

The string is what joins his hand to the duck.

So his pull is a force that touches.

Does the string join his hand to the duck? Yes. His pull is a force that touches.