Chapter 23 - Marcia apologizes badly, then better
Marcia’s first apology was useless.
“I’m sorry you felt pressured.”
Alessandra answered:
“No.”
Marcia looked confused.
“No what?”
“That’s not an apology.”
They were in mediation.
Marcia became defensive.
“I was trying to help.”
“Then say what you did.”
“I encouraged you to be active.”
“You told me not to sleep.”
“I thought too much sleeping—”
“I had just had surgery.”
Marcia cried.
The meeting ended.
A year later, she requested another.
This time:
“I told you resting made you weak.”
There.
“I treated your recovery like a character test.”
There.
“I told Colin that accepting help from your father meant he was failing as a husband.”
There.
“I canceled the grocery delivery because I wanted to prove you were capable of shopping.”
There.
“I was wrong.”
Then:
“I saw how pale you were that day and still thought you needed to finish dinner.”
There.
No:
But.
No:
You misunderstood.
Alessandra listened.
Then said:
“Thank you.”
Not:
I forgive you.
Not:
Come see Theo tomorrow.
Accurate apology.
Limited consequence.
The beginning of something, perhaps.
May you like
Not restoration.
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