The extremity of her posture matched the extremity of my hurt. It signaled that my emotional distress was significant enough to warrant a total collapse of her pride.
It is almost impossible to feel embarrassed when someone you respect is willing to be "ridiculous" with you. the day my mother made an apology on all fours better
What happened after she rose? Slowly, painfully, with my hand under her elbow. She did not become a different person overnight. She still has sharp opinions. She still interrupts. But something fundamental shifted. The extremity of her posture matched the extremity
I thought she was going to the kitchen. I thought she needed a napkin or a tissue or any excuse to leave the suffocating weight of our unfinished conversation. What happened after she rose
I stood frozen, my purse still hanging from my shoulder, my keys still in my hand.
Let me tell you why it happened, what it cost her, and why that humiliating, heartbreaking, wholly unexpected apology on all fours was the single best thing that ever happened to our relationship.
I asked her where she learned to apologize like that. Who taught her.