A Slight Overreaction.

The other night a friend of mine cancelled an arrangement.

"Sorry," she texted. "Can't make it. Work problem. Speak soon."

She sounded... well... curt. Clearly she was cross at me.

But why? I couldn't think of anything I'd done. I wracked my brains, trying to work out if I had offended her in some way.

And then I remembered. Her daughter Tali had been at my house the previous day playing with my child. I had fed them some biscuits and let them play computer for two hours. Tali had been delighted.

"I wish my mum would let me do this," she said.

"Yes, well, clearly I'm a better mother than her," I told her. I was joking, of course.

But obviously, she thought I was serious.

And obviously, she had told her mum.

And obviously, her mum was furious with me.

And hell, why on earth wouldn't she be?

I felt sick. I texted my friend straight away. "Are you cross with me?" I wrote. "I'm so sorry! I really was just joking!"

There was no response. I felt even sicker. I paced. I drummed my fingers on the table. I thought about turning up at her house to apologise in person. Maybe I should send flowers? Or a basket of fruit? Or hire an aeroplane and write an apology across the sky?

An hour later, my phone beeped. "What are you talking about?" she wrote. "I really do have a problem at work. And I thought you were mad at me!"

We are going out tomorrow instead.

Do you ever overanalyse relationships????