Relatively speaking

It used to be fun times visiting our village for summer vacations. More often my cousins and us used to gather at our native house during vacations. One vacation it so happened that only me and my dad went to our native place. Our aaji (grandmother) used to stay there as she had her freedom there and did not like the chaos of Bombay. 

I anticipated the stay to be very boring and so it was, we had to attend a wedding. The weddings' in the village were not as appealing to me. If I think of it neither the urban marriage functions were of any interest to me. You have to behave and be smiling to everyone around you, most of them you do not know for who they are, each one will pull your cheeks as a kid.

So we attended the wedding ceremony, and I was literally melting in the scorching summer. We gifted the newly wed couple, blessed them, and off went to the exciting part of the function - the buffet lunch. Ate as many ice-creams as I could and then we were off to our home.

Came the evening, we got invite from the newly weds parents unplanned dinner. My dad politely declined but aaji was all set for the dinner, bummer. My dad said lets go out to hotel as there would be no food at home. Aaji had already started dressing for the dinner party. I did not understand the reason why we were going to a hotel rather than the dinner invite, I was happy though.

We went out to the hotel, and I asked my dad why we are going to hotel (risked asking this only after we reached the hotel). He said the people only bitch about others the newly wed did call us out of gratitude, but the people around them are not as easy to get along. It is best to avoid places where people have toxic mentality. I asked then why we went to their wedding as well ? He continued, going to the wedding was our duty, we should respect the relations and also avoid unnecessary indulgence.

So that is what it means to be crisp and clear with your approach towards a third person. Something which I never been able to handle, my dad's guidance for keeping up with relations, would sure have helped.