['Ever have those days when everything just goes wrong?', 'Yes, many. Would you like to tell me about it?', "Well if you're curious, I was on my way to work when my car broke down and I ended up missing a very important meeting about my promotion. I was devastated."]
Surely you were able to explain that this was out of your control.
My car broke down when I was travelling to work and I missed a very important meeting regarding my promotion. I was devastated.