The Apology That Wasn’t
Listen To The Following Reading
Maya and Jordan had worked together for weeks on a marketing project. Their styles were different—Maya liked to plan every step, while Jordan preferred to improvise. The night before the deadline, they disagreed about the final design. Voices rose, and neither wanted to back down. After turning in the project, Maya still felt uneasy, while Jordan convinced himself the argument had blown over.
Later that afternoon, Jordan told a coworker,
“I tried to talk to Maya after the meeting to clear the air, but she just shut down on me. Maybe I should’ve owned up to snapping at her, but she can be so intense sometimes. I didn’t mean to stir things up again, so I just joked around instead. I figured a little humor might smooth things over.”
That evening, Maya spoke to her sister, her voice tight.
“He told me I was too serious! That really hit below the belt. If he’d simply said sorry, I could’ve moved past it. But instead, he tried to laugh it off. It’s like he wanted to brush it aside rather than admit he hurt my feelings. I know he thinks he was trying to keep the peace, but it just made me feel invisible.”
Discussion Prompts
Explain what Jordan was feeling after the disagreement.
What did Jordan mean when he said:
clear the air
shut down
owned up
stir things up
Explain what Maya was feeling when she talked to her sister.
What did Maya mean when she said:
hit below the belt
moved past
brush it aside
keep the peace
What do their words and reactions reveal about how tone and timing affect the true meaning of an apology?
