Ken started a relationship with Nat when they met each other in university. They used to spend much time together until Ken started having tuition assignments which packed his schedule apart from his school work. Hence, the time he could spend with her had reduced greatly. The only chance they could see each other was either in school for a short while or when they were with a group of friends.
Ken had to earn in order to support his single-parent family but at the same time, he did not want to compromise the time he spent with Nat. He tried his best to squeeze out time to meet Nat, and called her as often as he can. He explained to Nat about his difficulties and asked for her understanding. Nat seemed to be empathetic about his situation and reacted positively. Ken had finally found a night when he could meet Nat for a short while after his tuition. However, he was too indulged in his tuition and was late for the date. Nat was disappointed and angry. Ken was disappointed as well as she did not express understanding towards him. He was nonchalant to her as he was dead tired and this caused further unhappiness.
On the other hand, Nat expressed her understanding for Ken. However, she thought that the tuition assignments that he had taken were more than what he needed to. She did not express her real feelings to him about him being too focused in earning and neglecting the relationship. Nat was overjoyed when Ken could fork out some time to meet her for dinner. She truly wanted to cherish the time spent with him. She even reached the place earlier to wait for him. To her dismay, he was late for almost an hour and did not appear apologetic at all. She felt disappointed at how much their time meant to him. Furthermore, she was angry and sad as he did not respond much.
What Nat thought should be a precious time turned out to be a bitter date. Is there a breakdown in communication between them? Can Ken’s situation pull them closer together instead? How can they resolve the grudges they hold against each other?
You've detailed an interesting scenario here, Nappy. I look forward to seeing how your classmates respond.
ReplyDeleteDear Nappy:
ReplyDeleteIn this case, there is miscommunication between Ken and Nat. Although " Nat seemed to be empathetic about his situation and reacted positively ", it doesn't mean that Nat can accept the fact completely. She needs appreciation but Ken doesn't even apologize after the one hour late. Thus, Ken should express his appreciation on Nat's understanding.
On the other hand, Nat expect Ken to turn out on time but her hope is dashed. Nat should be more considerate because there are too many factors which can contribute to Ken's late. For example, traffic jam.
The conflict happens because Ken and Nat do not fully understand what the other think. They have assumptions on what other does and they expect each other to be considerate. Hence, they should be more straightforward in transmitting their messages so that further misunderstanding can be avoided.
Besides, Ken can try to date Nat on his free day or a few hours after his tution class so that he can make it for the date. On the other hand, Nat can give a call to Ken before she leave home so that she will not wait him for so long.
Cheers,
Zhi Peng
Hi Nappy~
ReplyDeleteI feel that the both of them have miscommunication too. When Ken was late for the date, Nat was disappointed. However, Ken did not call to say he would be late or seems apologetic. It was natural for her to feel disappointed and angry as she had been anticipating a proper date for a long while.
It seems that the both of them have different expectation and assumption on each other. Nat assumed that Ken was as excited as she was while Ken expected Nat to understand fully why his priority was to earn money.
Stuck in the loop of their own expectation and assumption, there were many things they did not talk about. Believing that they know what the other party is thinking about, but in actual fact no one can truly understand another person.
A quarrel occurs when there were too much misunderstandings. The only solution is to it, is to talk it out. Knowing the root of the problem, one can starts to be more self-aware and self-honest about their weaknesses.
=D
~ Yuanhua ~