Sorry for Disturbing You

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Sorry for Disturbing You Sorry for Disturbing You is a short story written by Richard Knight in 2008. It takes place in a house of a family, but the family is divided. All of a sudden, a complete stranger drops by and through a drunk and secretive conversation tells part of his story, one troubled family father to another. The meeting between the two strangers seems to be nothing but a coincidence. However, looking closer, it appears to be a wake-up call to the characters as well as to the reader. The story is told by a 3rd person narrator but from Ian’s point of view. The narrator tells the story after it has happened which makes s/he omniscient because the narrator already knows the ending and can tell how Ian is thinking and feeling about what happens. “The first thing Ian noticed, as the stiff door lurched open in his hand, was the icy rain running in beads down the man’s face. Now that it was all over, he was no longer sure if it had been rain or tears.” (p. 1, l. 1-3) The reader can therefor rely on the narrator and it is easier to relate to the characters when we hear about their thoughts and feelings. Ian is a father who lives with his daughter Corinne, referred to as Corry, in a house on 71 Hillside Road. His wife and Corry’s mother Karen lives with her mother for a while because Karen and Ian has something unsaid to sort out in their relationship. “Karen was staying at her mother for a while. They had things to sort out.” (p. 1, l. 30-31) On a rainy night, a drunk and very ill looking man knocks at the front door. His name is Michael Phelps and even though he doesn’t ask for it, he needs help. “”Are you ill?” It seemed obvious, but he needed to stop the silences. The man nodded, glassy-eyed, and looked at a space beyond Ian.” (p. 2, l. 64-65) He doesn’t talk much but through his mumbling, Ian finds out that Michael has been in their house

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