The Price of public lies

A single post changed Deborah's life.

Initially it was a good idea.
She was an accountant for a logistics company that was expanding in Lagos. The company was known for being honest; Deborah was proud of that. She was diligent, respected and noticed details that others did not.
But one day when she was alerted to some strange transactions that had been connected to one of her colleagues, Kelechi, she became concerned.
The numbers didn't add up.
Money was going to accounts that she didn't know. Documents appeared incomplete. A number of records were found to be deliberately changed.
As she studied them more she felt more and more certain that there was something that was not being done right.
Deborah chose not to voice her concerns within; she made a decision that would haunt her.
One night she became frustrated and convinced that she was uncovering corruption, she posted it on the internet.
She did not name her name, Kelechi, but people could easily make out which one she was referring to due to the details.
The post spread rapidly.
In several hours, hundreds of people had shared it.
It was viewed by thousands by morning.
At the end of the week, Kelechi's name was trending.
People demanded answers.
Some called him a thief.
Some people wanted him to be arrested.
The company put him on leave pending an investigation.
Deborah's reactions were satisfactory.
She felt she was doing the correct thing...
She thought that she was shielding others...
She thought she was a whistle-blower....
She didn't know that she was mistaken...
Three weeks later, the investigation was completed.
This was real “suspicious transactions” but it was not involving Kelechi.
These two accounts were from two different clients who had been combined by an accounting software update. Several entries had been mis-assigned, giving the impression of fraud when in fact there was none.
Kelechi got a clean bill of health on an independent audit.
Every accusation collapsed.
Every suspicion disappeared.
All of Deborah's "evidence" was actually due to some sort of technical glitch.
By this time the damage was done.
Kelechi went back to his work, but all was not the same.
He continued to be treated differently by people.
Others were less enthusiastic about him.
Some people would crackle when he walked into the room.Some people would "crackle" when he went into a room.
As always, the internet had come up with a new outrage, but the stain was still there but Many people still believed that he was guilty, despite being found not guilty.
Bad news spreads quickly.
Corrections travel slowly.
The guilt came like a storm to Deborah.
She couldn't sleep.
In her mind she replayed everything.
The post.
The comments.
All the interviews she had given.
The air of strength in which she had been speaking.
Most especially, she recalled the expression on Kelechi's face when he was cleared in the investigation.
There was no anger.
No shouting.
No calls for "vengeance".
Just exhaustion.
It was just that it hurt worse that way.
A month later Deborah asked to meet.
Kelechi agreed.
After their work they met at a little café...
There was a pause for a few moments, during which neither spoke then at last Deborah, who had been silent, spoke up.
"I'm sorry."
The sound of these words left her mouth as if they were both weak and feeble.
Kelechi looked into his cup.
“As they say, after the damage is done.”
Deborah averted her gaze.
"I know."
He spoke softly, "You didn't just accuse me. You'd relayed the entire news to the world.
She felt every word in her body.
Since he was correct.
An error which could have been fixed, but was not, was a private mistake.
The charge had been made public and it was forever.
She softly said, "I wish I could take it back....
"You can't."..
"I know."
A gap opened between them again.
Then Kelechi sighed.
What went wrong for you?"
Deborah shook her head.
"My daughter."
Her heart tightened.
She returned home from school crying because another child said that her father was a criminal...
Deborah's eyes welled up with tears because she knew in her heart for the first time how much she had done.
Not only to Kelechi.
To his family.
To those who had not been involved in the situation.
Then, Deborah made another choice that evening.
This time, she wanted to get it right.
The next day she posted a public statement.
Not a carefully orchestrated corporate apology.
Not a legal disclaimer.
A genuine confession.
“You know, I was wrong,” she said.
She explained the facts to them.
She accepted responsibility.
Above all, she didn't excuse herself from making excuses.
There was a lot of criticism for her.
Others appreciated her integrity.
However, Deborah didn't want to fix her reputation this time.
She was attempting to patch up the truth.
Months passed.
Gradually, the interest waned.
Life moved on.
One afternoon Deborah and Kelechi were at work on a project together.
There was a bit of awkwardness initially.
Then easier.
Then almost normal.
This friendship that they shared was never truly renewed.
There are some things which, once broken, can never be put back as they were.
But a new thing began to sprout.
Respect.
Deborah frequently would remember this later in life.
She learned a lesson that she will never forget...
Not all lies are meant to hurt and Well-meaning intentions can have terrible consequences when impatience and the truth are let loose.
Yes, I think apologies are important but not all wounds can be cleared by apologies.
These are just the first two!
Real accountability starts after the words "I'm sorry" have been spoken....
After all, the most difficult part of an apology is saying it...
Living it out and proving it.

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