The grudge Suzy Merk held against me for spying on her lasted all through grade 1. Every day she pretended I did not exist.
When we came back to school in grade 2 the same class was together again. I figured Merk had a whole summer to get over it, so when we arrived back in school I walked up to her and said hello. She completely ignored me. I tried talking to her. She simply walked away.
I was in disbelief.
She really was determined never to talk to me again. It bothered me. I thought Suzy was a nice girl. She had good reason to be mad at me for spying. I did feel bad for what I had done, but I wanted it to end.
I didn’t just want her to forgive me. I wanted to earn her forgiveness. That first month back, I did the same thing as the year before. I put her chair up so the custodian could sweep and mop. I brought her chair back down again the next morning. After a week of doing that she still acted like I didn’t exist. I gave up again.
When the same class reunited at the beginning of grade 3, she walked right past me. Trying to say hi to her seemed pointless, so I didn’t bother. I did, however, take part in the ritual with the chair again that year. At the end of school I put up her chair and the next morning I brought it back down.
One day when I put her chair up after school, she turned to me and said, “Thank you.”
I was flabbergasted.
“Oh my God, you said thank you. You talked to me. Hey guys did you hear that? She said thank you! To me! I think we’re making progress here!”
My classmates had been watching our feud from the sidelines for years and when that happened they started laughing.
Then Merk called me a jerk and went home.
I put her chair up two more times after that, but when she ignored me both times, I gave up again.
When we came back to school in grade 2 the same class was together again. I figured Merk had a whole summer to get over it, so when we arrived back in school I walked up to her and said hello. She completely ignored me. I tried talking to her. She simply walked away.
I was in disbelief.
She really was determined never to talk to me again. It bothered me. I thought Suzy was a nice girl. She had good reason to be mad at me for spying. I did feel bad for what I had done, but I wanted it to end.
I didn’t just want her to forgive me. I wanted to earn her forgiveness. That first month back, I did the same thing as the year before. I put her chair up so the custodian could sweep and mop. I brought her chair back down again the next morning. After a week of doing that she still acted like I didn’t exist. I gave up again.
When the same class reunited at the beginning of grade 3, she walked right past me. Trying to say hi to her seemed pointless, so I didn’t bother. I did, however, take part in the ritual with the chair again that year. At the end of school I put up her chair and the next morning I brought it back down.
One day when I put her chair up after school, she turned to me and said, “Thank you.”
I was flabbergasted.
“Oh my God, you said thank you. You talked to me. Hey guys did you hear that? She said thank you! To me! I think we’re making progress here!”
My classmates had been watching our feud from the sidelines for years and when that happened they started laughing.
Then Merk called me a jerk and went home.
I put her chair up two more times after that, but when she ignored me both times, I gave up again.
