Dear Urban Diplomat: is there any way to save face after acting a drunken fool in front of my boss?
Dear Urban Diplomat, My company has season’s tickets for Toronto FC. A few clients cancelled, so I scored some seats for my buddies and me, a row in front of my supervisor. Everything was going fine until the fourth or fifth beer (I can’t remember), when a member from the opposing team was in our corner, lining up for a kick. I stood up, shirtless by that time, flipped him the double bird and unleashed a string of expletives that I swear came from a body-snatching, foul-mouthed demon. I heard the next day that my supervisor was livid and left early. I’m mortified. Is there any way to save face? —Red-faced fan, ST. CLAIR WEST
Such grade A buffoonery will certainly cause your supervisor to question your judgment, in and out of the office. You need to apologize immediately: drop by his or her office and express your embarrassment, explaining that the combination of beer, homo-social bonding and soccer caused you to regress. Don’t overdo your penitence or make elaborate excuses—just take responsibility and promise it won’t happen again. If your supervisor is reasonable and has any experience with soccer culture whatsoever, he or she won’t hold a grudge and might even be able to laugh it off. On second thought, I doubt it. Sorry, dude.
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