A Friend's Excuse for Missing a Mother's Funeral: "My Beloved Parrot Passed Away"

A 9-Year-Old Friend Who Did Not Attend Mother's Funeral
Long Excuse Sent... "Because the Parrot Died"

A story has sparked controversy after a friend of nine years gave an absurd excuse that they couldn't attend a funeral because "the parrot they were raising died."

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On the 6th, a post titled "A message I received from a friend during my mother's funeral" was uploaded to an online community. The author, Mr. A, said, "This is a message I received from a friend during my mother's funeral a year ago," and shared the messages exchanged with the friend, asking, "After receiving the message, I felt distant. I want to ask whether I am being too sensitive or if it was reasonable to feel distant."

According to the messages, friend Mr. B wrote a long explanation for not being able to attend the funeral. Mr. B said, "How shocked you must be. I sincerely pray for the deceased's happiness in the afterlife and will pray that they rest peacefully," but also added, "I don't think I can come. After work yesterday, I came home and found a little water in the washing machine, and my parrot had fallen in and died."

A long excuse message sent by a friend who could not attend the funeral.
[Photo by Online Community]

Mr. B continued, "The water was cold, and I think the parrot got wet wings, couldn't fly, and died from the cold," expressing sadness, "I raised it with great care for six years, and this morning I kissed it and said, 'Let's live together for 30 years,' but I never thought I would lose it so tragically." He added, "The shock was so great that I held and kept it warm all day yesterday, and today I am going to cremate it," and said, "I hope you understand my grief as well as your own. It was a bird I loved very much." Feeling apologetic for talking only about himself in such a chaotic time, Mr. B also said, "I have kindergarten group events tomorrow and the day after, so I probably won't be able to attend. Please send your mother off well, and I hope you take good care of yourself."

Mr. A explained, "We are neighborhood friends who have been meeting for nine years and also share membership fees for a club. On the night I received the message from Mr. B, other friends from the same group came to the funeral," and added, "We walked together as a group and have already collected condolence money," but he could not hide his upset feelings.

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "It would have been much better to just say sorry briefly," "I could somehow understand the parrot excuse, but the kindergarten one was a poor excuse," "If the parrot's death is that sad, how sad must the friend who lost their mother be? It seems like there is no empathy at all," "Is the friend a psychopath? Worse than an acquaintance," and "Comparing the death of a pet parrot to the death of a mother feels like an insult to the deceased."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.