LETTER 19
The Apology
A fictional letter from Management.
Written
When Management lifted our bag from the folding table, its strap caught the basket beside it. Clean washing slid onto the laundrette floor.
“We’re so sorry,” we said.
“It’s all right.”
She picked up a shirt.
“We feel terrible.”
“Please don’t.”
She reached for a towel.
“We’ve never done that before.”
She stood up to look at us.
“These things happen.”
We found a sock under the bench. She held out her hand.
“We’re not usually this clumsy.”
She waited with her hand out.
We gave her the sock.
She tipped the basket into an empty machine.
“We’ll pay,” we said.
She pointed to the price above the slot.
“Of course. It’s the least we can do.”
She held out her hand again.
We gave her the coins. She put them in and pressed the button. The display said thirty-two minutes.
She sat down.
We sat opposite.
“Honestly,” we said, “this isn’t like us.”
She watched the drum turn.
Management