The Hard Seasons

Answer side by side

Take our worst falling-out — or our longest silence — and give your full account of it.

The question sits across the top; you each answer on your own page. Whoever writes second reads the first answer before writing — agree, argue, or correct the record.

Why this question

What you said, what you meant, and what you were actually angry about, which is rarely the same thing.

And once you’ve both answered

Read the other page slowly. Then talk about the gap between the two accounts.

Answering it honestly

  • Whoever writes second reads the first answer before writing — properly, not a skim. Your page can agree, argue, or correct the record.
  • Be specific. Dates, places, what was playing, who else was there. Wrong details are welcome; they're evidence.
  • Don't negotiate a joint version. Two accounts that refuse to match are worth more than one polished one.

And the house rule, whatever the mode: leave a blank rather than write a lie. A blank can be filled later; a lie sits in the archive forever, and you both have to live with the paperwork.

More from The Hard Seasons

What's the closest this friendship has ever come to ending?

In the drift years — when life quietly shelved us — who reached back first, and how?

What did you forgive me for without ever mentioning it?