The apology I wrote in a booth at the old diner on 5th Street

I was there three years ago, trying to write a letter to my dad about missing his retirement party. The words wouldn't come, so I just sat and watched the regulars. Seeing how they all had their own quiet routines made me realize my letter was more about my guilt than his feelings. I never sent it, and I still don't know if that was right. Do you ever feel like an unsent apology can be its own kind of answer?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_harris7d agoTop Commenter

Keeping that letter was a total cop out. An unsent apology is just a fancy way of doing nothing. Your dad probably felt hurt you missed his party, and your guilt was a sign you should have made it right. Writing it down but never sending it means you got to feel better without actually fixing anything. Real answers come from having the hard talk, not from writing notes you hide in a drawer. Leaving things unsaid just lets the problem sit there forever.

avery_ross7d ago

Hard talk" sounds like a lot for a missed party.

laura_schmidt827d ago

William_harris has a point, but sometimes an unsent letter is the only honest thing you can manage.