The Apology
“It wasn’t my fault.” “On my sweet unlying soul”. “I’m so so so so sorry.” “I’ve changed since those times.” “It wasn’t me, it was the alcohol.” These were all spoken by a world star, Adrian Lenis, the handsome main character of many blockbuster films, on the set of Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show. The lead of the romance hit “Heartstrings”, detective thriller “Shattered Glass”, the 22nd King Kong movie, and so much more, his face could be seen anywhere. Fans adored him. He would walk the red carpet with every single eye on him. Not a single person could have seen it coming.
Despite his devoted fanbase being enough to populate a small country, he fell into ruin. Before, his face sold movie tickets, soda, fragrances, and even toothpaste, with companies eager to have the popular Adrian Lenis represent their brand. And now, the brand had collapsed on itself. The internet exploded, with attacks in every single post. The picture-perfect face of Adrian Lenis became the thing that everybody hates. Everyone and their grandma could agree it was awful.
It took less than a week for Adrian Lenis to leap into action: 6 days after, a heartfelt apology video with puppy-dog eyes and tears shot in soft lighting. 8 days, the beginning of the charity tour. 2 weeks, a sleek, award-bait documentary named “Accountable”. Adrian’s PR team crafted a plan for Adrian to have “the perfect redemption arc”. All that the shining prodigy had to do was travel across the country: Los Angeles, CA; Des Moines, IA; Orlando, FL; Louisville, KY; Chicago, IL Adrian went to each and every city to get on his knees and express his deepest apologies to people he had never even seen before. “I’m so sorry” for things that he may or may not have done. To express how apologetic he was, millions were donated to charities, and fundraisers were spawned. Tears fell from his charming face on late-night talk shows. A big performance. Repentance as entertainment. It worked.
Adrian was more famous than ever. Book deals. Even more star roles. A redemption podcast. People who still did not like Adrian Lenis would be hit with a “how could Adrian Lenis, a person who had done so much good for the world, more than you, possibly not be sorry or be a bad person?” by his fans. Everybody loves a comeback.
Behind the face of the sorrowful apologetic, behind each and every public appearance, Adrian Lenis had not changed. When the entire world had called Adrian Lenis a monster, and Mr. Lenis had fought tooth and nail to prove his regrets, each teardrop was something that he was told to do. Each week was a rehearsal where he would practice his apologies, hollow, polished, soulless. If he didn’t have that plan by his team, would he have been able to tell the world that he was sorry and would change? It was all a careful manipulation of the public to make Adrian Lenis not the public enemy number one.
Nowadays, Adrian Lenis sits alone in a bathrobe in a luxury hotel suite, staring out of his window at a glowing city that loves him again. He lifts his favorite drink with a weak half-smile, “It’s all it took, huh?” he mutters. “Just a. ‘It wasn’t my fault.'”