Amy is an 18-year old girl who is friends with Betty and Cindy. One day when Amy was studying with Betty, Betty came across a question that she could not solve and turned to Amy for help. Amy did not know the answer as well, hence she jokingly mentioned that they should ask Cindy, since Cindy is a "mugger*".
The next day, Amy went to school and found Cindy ignoring her. Amy tried to ask Betty about Cindy's sudden change in attitude, only to be faced with a similar cold attitude from Betty as well. Later on, she heard from her classmates that Cindy was angry with Amy because Betty had told her that Amy was mocking her for being studious.
A few weeks later, Cindy eventually confronted Amy. Amy thought that Betty should join them as they clarify things, but both Betty and Cindy refused. Both of them felt that this is an affair that involves only Amy and Cindy. During the confrontation, despite Amy telling Cindy what she had said exactly, Cindy was reluctant to believe Amy's words. At the end of the day, Amy's relationship with Betty and Cindy remains estranged.
Looking at this situation, we go back to the question and ask ourselves:
- After the damage was done, what could Amy do to salvage the friendship?
- How could Amy have avoided the unfortunate incident?
*mugger (noun) - a commonly used term in Singapore to describe someone as a person who studies very very hard.
