My husband keeps telling me that the only thing I can do is tell my side of the story:

I was volunteering at Market Day (a real bad a**, aren't I?), a  lady I was helping recognized me from karate. She started a conversation about possible reasons for a drop in attendance on Thursdays. "Maybe the weather is nicer,  baseball is starting...." she speculated.

 Trying to make conversation I said, "In my case, I'm cutting back on Thurs. because I re-injured my legs and can't advance until the adult class starts anyway." This statement also established the reason for my absence to be due to scheduling conflicts/injury and not disinterest in the program.

The  point was clearly made on this blog as well. I was advised to go on Thurs. so I could be given more instruction.  I readily complied. The instructor was not there and this time had not called to tell us that a Jr. black belt   was teaching.  I sure didn't mean to insult anyone, but I opted not to stay because again, I was seriously concerned about my shins and the kid does not know the the adult material for which I had come.  Out of the blue, I was told, "Shawn said he doesn't want to teach an adult class".  I was told that her reply to his statement was, "You can't just decide you don't want to teach a class after you've started".  I hid my shock . That remark really hurt and concerned me after we had worked so hard to get a blue belt so we could get into what was going to be an adult advanced class and then had been waiting for the adult class  that we had been promised for over a year.  I couldn't let it get me down.  I told no one, I just kept training.

Four days later, the lady I met at Market Day had the same conversation with a group of women at Team One. She, I believe innocently, repeated my reason, just to make conversation. At the other side of the room, I went about my business, completely unaware that I was the center of  gossip.  When Shawn called that night, we honestly thought it was about the shirts. Then we find out that an angry mob had gone up to him complaining and concerned about what I said. Just like that, we were both out and baffled.  That's when I told Joe about Shawn not wanting to teach an adult class. 

Could I have been misunderstood or misquoted?  Will people continue to avoid dealing with us or will they admit that mistakes were made in haste and we were truly wronged.  The whole thing is just bizarre.