Sorry For Disturbing You:
In life we face tough times and unstable phases both personal and in our relationships. We can’t control the outcome of all our choices and sometimes things don’t turn out they way we wanted. But everybody makes mistakes and as human beings the ability to realize our past mistakes and learn from them is crucial if we want to end up happy. To say sorry for our faults and hopefully start over again can change or perhaps even save a relationship or life. This short story called “Sorry for disturbing you” written by Richard Knight, depicts a fortuitous meeting between two strangers, our main character Ian and the old man Michael. The meeting ends up being much more powerful than expected and makes Ian rethink his entire life situation. Ian realizes the mistakes he has made but learns that it is not too late to set things right.

Ian is the main character of the story. He’s a father, who seems very loving and concerned about his family. He cares about his daughter’s safety and thinks a lot about his wife. But everything isn’t perfect in his life and family. E.g. Ian and his wife, Karen, aren’t living together at the moment: “Karen was staying at her mother’s for a while. They had things to sort out.”
This indicates that there might be some issues between them. However it seems like Ian cares a lot for Karen and is very attracted by her, which we see in his descriptions of her, where he talks about how she’s always smiling, laughing, hugging etc. We also hear that Ian wants her to get back home:
“He felt better now she was coming.” and “He missed her being at home.”
So Ian is described as a loving father and husband who really loves his family. They do have some problems though but he doesn’t seem to be aware of his behavior in the beginning. Throughout the whole story Ian keeps interrupting Michael so he never really gets the chance to talk:
“I’m so sorry, I…”
“Sit down.”
This makes Ian very dominant and unsympathetic. It seems like he doesn’t care about who Michael is and what he has to say. At the same time Ian instantly assumes that Michael is drunk even though Michael says, he is ill. And this shows his prejudices and thoughts about strangers. This way of talking could be why Ian has problems in his marriage as well, but this is not told though. It doesn’t seem like Ian want to help Michael, yet he still decides to assist him inside without really thinking:
“Ian’s hand instinctively went out to hold him”.
Maybe Ian feels a connection or some sort of bond between them that he wants to find out more about. And therefore this is the first step towards Ian’s “change”. On the other hand Michael has a very polite language. An important thing is how Michael keeps saying sorry for his disturbance throughout the whole story. Because he keeps saying this, we get an idea that something is wrong. So really Michael’s “sorry, for disturbing you” isn’t the case. In the end we understand that Michael is really apologizing for everything in his life and therefore his constantly apologizes should be seen as how sad he is for the way his life has turned out. And this is perhaps also was Ian realizes. Despite of Michael’s very incoherent answers, we get an idea about what has happened in Michael’s life and why he is so sad: ”I should have been at the wedding but I wasn’t allowed to go”, ”I should’ve walked her down…”
We hear that he should have walked his daughter down the aisle and that his life is now a mess: “George was angry. Quite rightly. My wife too. She couldn’t forgive me. We never speak now.”
And that is what makes Ian decide to help Michael. This is a man, who never got the chance to apologize and now he is ruined and his life is pitiful. And the effect of this stranger’s life makes Ian reflect about his own situation and makes him want to change his life. The black mark Michael sets on the wall in the beginning can also be seen as a symbol that shows the influence Michael is going to have on Ian’s life later on in the story:
“… and placed a hand on the bright yellow painted wall inside the door, leaving a dark print.”
Later when Ian notices Karen looking at the stain, she chooses to leave it there instead of washing it off - just as if she had known the importance of the meeting. Michael hasn’t just left a mark on the wall but on the entire family.

Everybody makes mistakes. But mistakes are human and can be forgiven if you are willing to realize, apologize and learn from your mistakes. This is what Ian learns - also shown in the text:
“He switched the television off, made two cups of tea and a glass of warm milk, and took the first careful steps up the stairs.”
When Ian returns to the house, he is determined to set things right and to try saving his marriage. The meeting with Michael has made a huge impact on him, and he is now ready to take the first “careful steps” toward getting his life and family back on track. With “Sorry, for disturbing you” Richard Knight tells us that sometimes it is the small things in life that make us open our eyes. And even though everything looks bad and hope is lost, it is never to late to try solving your problems and say sorry for your mistakes.

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[ 1 ]. p.1, l. 30
[ 2 ]. p.4, l. 132 & p.4, l. 149
[ 3 ]. p.1, l. 25
[ 4 ]. p.1, l. 17
[ 5 ]. p 2, l. 74 & p.2, l. 76
[ 6 ]. p.4, l. 159
[ 7 ]. p.1, l. 22
[ 8 ]. p. 5, l. 171