Amara was still in the process of blending into the extravagant world. Her mind kept wandering over many things; she imagined how many years it would take her to become as comfortable as those people she was seeing.
She was so lost in this thought when the glass of wine in her hand slipped from her hand it was too late for her to grab it. The glass cup fell on the floor, and Amara's eyes widened in shock as the wine soaked into the fabric of the woman next to her; the woman gasped, looking horrified at the stain now spreading over the elegant gown she wore.
"Oh no, I'm sorry ma!" Amara stammered for words, her beat faster".
"What is this, oh my gosh?" The woman exclaimed.
Amara was disturbed and didn't know what to say; all she kept saying was 'Sorry, ma'am ' to the woman.
"Don't give me this kind of consolation with your useless sorry".
"What are you thinking?" The woman shouted at her.
The woman looked at her burgundy dress soaked with red wine. Many people began to notice what had happened, but they didn't know how to come into the situation.
"I didn't mean to; it was never intentional," her voice was apologetic. "I wasn't so concentrated on where I was heading; I am very much sorry, ma." She said again, this time with much regret in her voice and expression.
"So you know how much this dress cost? This dress cost more than the whole of you summed up together." The woman said sarcastically.
This time, Amara was soaked with embarrassment. She wanted to speak and apologize again, but the woman shut her up.
"Please stay out of the way for me to pass. Be careful with your drinks next time, so you don't mess up people's dress as you did now" " the woman disgustedly said.
Amara's lips kept vibrating in an attempt to apologize once more, but the woman didn't bother to hear anything from her again as she walked away.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"How are you? What are you doing? Is everything ok with you?".
The voice sounded familiar. Amara turned, and it was Dennis speaking to her just a short distance. Dennis was curious to know what had happened to her, as her expression wasn't brightened.
"I... I didn't mean to," she stammered, still trying to process what had just happened. "I spilled wine all over her."
Dennis took a step closer, his voice calm and soothing. "Oh! Is that it, she will understand later that you didn't do it on purpose. She'll be fine."
The image of the woman's angry face is still fresh in her mind, and she felt her heart still beating faster in discomfort. "She looked like she wanted to strangle me." Amara's voice shook as she responded to Dennis.
"Some people take personal things like that, but don't let it get into you". Dennis smiled as he gave her his word of encouragement.
Amara felt a little at ease seeing the celebrant himself rise to the situation to calm her down and not the other way around. In her mind, she was thinking that Dennis would blame her for what had happened.
"I know, but... it's just embarrassing," Amara said, her voice very low and regretful. "I didn't mean to ruin her night. Or anyone's."
"It's not too much of a dress; what if the dress cost something around $5000? She will still not kill you, right?" Dennis said, jokingly.
Amara looked up at him, surprised by the kindness in his voice. "I'm trying, but it's not helping much."
"It's okay. Just relax. And if you want, I can help you out. I don't think she'll be able to enjoy the rest of her night anyway."
Amara laughed weakly, "That would be nice, but I don't think she's the type to accept any help from someone like me."
Dennis raised an eyebrow. "Maybe not, but that's her problem, not yours. You did the right thing."
Amara has never been in such an awkward situation before, hurting someone who is a total stranger unintentionally.
"Thank you for saying that," she said, her voice small. "I still don't think anyone would see it that way."
Dennis smiled softly. "Some people do, but you will find out that the more you help others, the more you realize that most people don't care about the little mistakes you made. What matters to them is the way you respond."
Amara begins to see the whole thing in a new light, Dennis's words lightened the burden in her heart. Now she stopped seeing the situation as a catastrophe.
"I guess you're right," she said, trying to let the weight of the situation lift.
Dennis looked at her with humor "You know, if it were me, I'd probably just laugh it off and get another drink."
"Really? That could have worsened the whole thing", she asked in worry.
She was thinking maybe because Dennis could buy 100s of her dress without feeling the hitch in his account.
"Yes, I am serious. The worst that she can do is to ask me to buy a new dress for her. And I will gladly buy her 100s of such, even a better quality, that cost more than the one I pour wine on". Dennis spoke with seriousness and a smile on his face at the same time.
Amara smiled for real this time, the tension easing from her body. "I think I might need a drink after all."
Dennis nodded in agreement. "There is a bar over there. If you don't mind we could grab one together, and both pretend this never happened."
"That sounds like a good idea," she said softly.
"I owe you one," Amara said, glancing up at him as they walked. "You've helped me calm down."
Dennis looked at her with that same easy smile. "No need to owe me anything. I think we're both in this together. A little more wine might make it all better."
Amara laughed genuinely again, feeling so at ease in the company of Dennis. She appreciated the presence of Dennis and had the conclusion that even in the most awkward of situations, some people are still kind enough to let out encouraging words.