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    Vera Says Sorry at the Ferry Terminal

    apologizing to a frienda ferry terminalCEFR A2
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    Vera arrives at the ferry early in the morning. She has a bag on her shoulder and a ticket in her hand. She looks around and sees her friend, Dana. Dana is standing near the ticket window. She looks unhappy. Vera knows why Dana is unhappy. Last week, Vera to meet Dana for lunch. But Vera . She did not call Dana. She did not send a message. Dana waited at the café for a long time. Then Dana went home alone. Vera felt very bad about it. She wanted to say sorry. She did not know how to start. But now Dana is right in front of her. Vera takes a deep breath. She walks over to Dana. She says, "Dana, can we talk?" Dana turns and looks at her. Dana crosses her arms. She does not smile. "Hello, Vera," she says.

    Her voice is quiet and cold. Vera feels . She says, "Dana, I am really sorry about last week. I our lunch. It was wrong. You waited for me and I did not come. I feel about it." Dana looks at the floor. She does not speak. Vera continues, "I know sorry is not enough. But I want you to know that I care about our . I made a big mistake." Dana looks up slowly. "Do you know how long I waited?" she asks. "Almost one hour," says Vera. "Yes," says Dana. "One hour. I felt so stupid." Vera shakes her head. "You are not stupid. I am the one who made the mistake. Not you." Dana . She is still not smiling, but she is listening. The ferry horn makes a loud sound. People start to move toward the gate.

    Vera looks at Dana. "I bought you a coffee," she says. She holds up a cup. "It is your favorite. Oat milk, no sugar." Dana looks at the cup. She looks at Vera. Then she says, "You remembered my coffee order." "Of course I did," says Vera. "I remember the important things. I just the time last week. I am so sorry." Dana takes the cup slowly. She wraps her hands around it. Then she says, "Okay, Vera. I you. But please do not do it again." Vera smiles. "I ," she says. They walk together toward the gate. They talk and laugh a little. By the time they get on the ferry, they feel like friends again. Vera is very happy. She knows that saying sorry is not always easy. But it is always worth it.

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    Key Vocabulary

    How to use these cards
    1. Read each word and its meaning.
    2. Tap “Cover the meanings”, then tap a card to check yourself.
    3. Tap “Quick quiz” for a short test. Tap “I know this” on cards you have learned.
    terminal
    /ˈtɝː.mɪ.nəl/
    noun

    a building at a port or airport where passengers arrive and leave

    "We met at the ferry terminal before getting on the boat."

    promise
    /ˈprɑː.mɪs/
    verb

    to say that you will definitely do something

    "She promised to meet her friend at noon."

    forgot
    /fɚˈɡɑːt/
    verb

    past tense of 'forget'; did not remember something

    "He forgot to send the message to his coworker."

    nervous
    /ˈnɝː.vəs/
    adjective

    feeling worried or a little afraid

    "Vera felt nervous when she saw her friend's unhappy face."

    terrible
    /ˈter.ɪ.bəl/
    adjective

    very bad

    "She felt terrible because she forgot the lunch."

    friendship
    /ˈfrend.ʃɪp/
    noun

    the relationship between two people who are friends

    "She said she cared a lot about their friendship."

    forgive
    /fɚˈɡɪv/
    verb

    to stop being angry at someone for something they did wrong

    "Dana decided to forgive Vera for forgetting their lunch."

    sigh
    /saɪ/
    verb

    to breathe out slowly, usually because you are tired or sad

    "Dana sighed but kept listening to Vera's apology."

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    Useful Phrases

    How to use these cards
    1. Read each phrase and its meaning.
    2. Tap “Cover the meanings”, then tap a card to check yourself.
    3. Tap “Quick quiz” for a short test. Tap “I know this” on cards you have learned.

    take a deep breath

    to breathe in slowly to calm yourself before doing something difficult

    "Vera took a deep breath before walking over to Dana."

    cross your arms

    to fold your arms in front of you, often showing you are unhappy

    "Dana crossed her arms and did not smile at Vera."

    I feel terrible about it

    a phrase used to say you feel very bad or guilty about something

    ""I feel terrible about it," said Vera. "I should have called you.""

    I care about

    to feel that something or someone is important to you

    "Vera told Dana she cared about their friendship."

    make a mistake

    to do something wrong or not correctly

    "Vera admitted that she made a big mistake."

    I forgive you

    a phrase used to tell someone you are no longer angry with them

    "Dana said, "I forgive you," and took the coffee from Vera."

    wrap your hands around

    to hold something by curving both hands around it

    "Dana wrapped her hands around the warm coffee cup."

    worth it

    good or useful enough to make the effort

    "Vera thought saying sorry was difficult, but it was worth it."

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