📙 Part 2: Describe an argument that two of your friends had

This episode's vocabulary

Even-keeled (adjective) – calm and emotionally stable. → Most of my pals are pretty even-keeled.

Row (noun) – a serious argument or fight. → They don’t really get into rows with one another.

Spat (noun) – a short, petty argument. → The occasional light-hearted spat.

Blow-up (noun) – a sudden and intense argument. → Two of my friends had a massive blow-up.

Behind someone’s back (phrase) – without someone’s knowledge, in a dishonest way. → He said something behind the other's back.

Aftermath (noun) – the consequences or results of a bad event. → I just witnessed the aftermath of their argument.

Have a go at (phrase) – to criticize or argue with someone angrily. → They were having a go at each other over various things.

Pick sides (phrase) – to choose one person or group in an argument. → I didn’t want to pick sides.

Fall out (phrasal verb) – to have a serious argument and stop being friends. → They fell out after the argument.

Make up (phrasal verb) – to become friends again after an argument. → I hope one day they'll make up.

Disagreement (noun) – a situation where people have different opinions. → A small disagreement turned into a big fight.

Misunderstanding (noun) – a failure to understand correctly. → The whole issue started with a misunderstanding.

Confrontation (noun) – a face-to-face conflict or challenge. → There was a tense confrontation between them.

Reconciliation (noun) – the act of making peace after a conflict. → Their reconciliation made everyone feel relieved.

Grudge (noun) – a persistent feeling of resentment. → He held a grudge for months after the argument.

Questions and Answers

Maria: You should say when it happened, what it was about, how it was solved, and how you felt about it.

Rory: Well, most of my pals are pretty even-keeled, so they don't really get into rows with one another beyond, I don't know, the occasional light-hearted spat. But this one time I can recall two of my friends having a massive blow-up over something one of them had apparently said behind the other's back. This must have been about, oh, a year ago now? At least a year or so ago, I think, because I can barely remember the details. But as far as I'm aware, one friend hadn't been saying terribly nice things about the other when they weren't around.

As for what exactly it was they said, I have no idea, because I wasn't involved, I just witnessed the aftermath, the huge row that ensued when one of them found out about it. It was extremely awkward to be between two people having a go at each other over various things because I actually liked both of them, and I didn't really want to pick sides. We're all men in our thirties, so doing that would have been a bit like high school, and that's a bit silly.

As with all such things. It started off being about that, and then escalated as other past grievances were aired and people fell out with each other. I wish I could say it was all sorted out in the end, after everyone got it out of their systems, but actually, they haven't spoken to each other since then. Or about each other, aside from the occasional off-remark.

When it comes to how I feel about it, I'm a bit sad to be honest, because it seems like such a waste of a good friendship, and I don't really like seeing people falling out in general, but especially over things that we really should have left behind in our high school years. I hope one day they'll make up and we can all become friends again. If it hadn't happened, it would have avoided a whole load of stress for me and everyone else who was involved.