Confrontation can be difficult no matter what kind of situation you’re in. I’m personally not great with it, but I thought I could handle things when I apologized to my friend for missing her housewarming party, but I was in for a rude awakening.
Never in my worst nightmares would I have thought she wouldn’t forgive me right on the spot, without any extra talking or explaining involved.
When I told my friend Theresa that I couldn’t make it to her party because I was too tired, I thought she would say something like “Oh, that’s totally fine! Don’t worry about it!” but she actually ended up saying “Yeah, I was kind of hurt because that’s the third time in a row you’ve bailed on our plans together.”
Nothing could prepare me for the shock I felt when she said that. I thought we’d be gossiping about other people at this point?
I didn’t even know what to say because I was so sure that I’d be forgiven immediately, no questions asked. So I told her “sorry” again, hoping that maybe the second time she heard it I’d finally be off the hook.
It’s not like I wasn’t sorry— I totally was! But I just didn’t think it was that big of a deal. Maybe if I stole something from her or maliciously sabotaged her career then it’d make sense to have a longer conversation, but— actually, never mind. I still would’ve been taken aback!
But I could tell that Theresa was really hurt, so I didn’t give up. I told her that I was “sorry again” and that “I’ll definitely make more of an effort next time,” and then she finally forgave me.
“That’s alright,” Theresa said. “I just wanted you to know where I was coming from.”
Well I definitely do now, and I’m still reeling from the traumatizing experience.
Theresa can count on me to keep my plans with her now, because I never want to go through this horrible ordeal of not being forgiven right away ever again. Honestly, she should apologize to me for not accepting my apology from the get go.
