Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l'ai pas fait exprès.Nobody's really being serious. They are answering a serious question: "What do you think should change? What do you want to be different?" But everyone is joking around.
Translation: Pardon me, sir. I did not do it on purpose.
Who: Marie Antoinette
Note: As she approached the guillotine, convicted of treason and about to be beheaded, she accidentally stepped on the foot of her executioner.
"I want less food!"
"I want more backrubs!"
"Purple?"
There are serious requests, too. To darken the mood, I suppose.
"It's hard to make it to worship on time."
"Sometimes, I want to get away and have some 'me' time."
"It's too hard to clean the bathrooms by myself."
One girl speaks up. "I get way too many short jokes sometimes."
I fire back
"I'd tell you more, but they'd go over your head."
Stunned silence.
What? She wasn't being serious! I look at her face. She was being serious.
Dear goodness, everybody! She's never serious. Ever! She chooses NOW to actually mean what she says? I can't be judged for that! Besides, you guys were joking too! Come on, it was an amazing line, and you all wish that you were fast enough and clever enough to think of it. It's a one in a million happenstance! I could think for hours and not come up with something better than that!
I AM NOT TO BLAME!
Everyone castigates me with their silence.
She pierces me with her eyes.
If I were more polite, would you still chop off my head?
True story.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I know this is weird me right now, but that makes me want to cry.
ReplyDeleteThe sad truth is "probably."
Sorry. It's not my best work, but it gets the point across.
ReplyDeleteAnd she forgave me: not because I didn't mean it hurtfully (which was true) but because everyone expects it from me now. Ugh.
Ouch.
ReplyDelete