Uninvited Guests Crowded A Party

By: Lourdes G. Mon

 

Last month, I was requested to offer the prayers at the birthday party of the husband of my most favorite young couple in the community. The celebrant is a very well-reserved, low-keyed guy, that the party was almost cancelled, but with the insistence of his wife, he eventually acceded. If possible, he shies away from being the center of attraction. Even the planned party was simple, and the requested outfit was blue denim. He and his wife are well-known in the community and have many, many friends. Having said this, the party was standing-room only.
What happened? Many of the invited guests did not respond to the invitation, and to make matters worse, some of them brought along 2 or 3 friends, without informing the hosts. To me, this is not only rude, but unacceptable.
Assuming that most Filipinos in America know better, to practice good manners and right conduct, I was appalled.
Additionally, at the party, close where I was seated, there were two cameras permanently posted that a group of guests crowded so they can see themselves and their friends dancing, while making so much noise and laughing so loudly watching themselves on the cameras.
However, over-all, the party was a great success and much fun. The wife of the celebrant unexpectedly announced a special number to be performed. He had to dance with six ladies, representing six decades of his life. Not making a big deal, he accommodated, even if dancing is not his thing. He would rather just DJ. After each dance, he was given a lei around his neck. Of course, for the finale, his wife was the last lady to dance with him. That portion of the night was fun to watch.
This reminds me of an instance that happened to me in the Philippines. My siblings and I were orphaned very early in our lives. My mom died when I was a high school sophomore, followed by my dad, four years later. So, we were practically raised by our maternal aunt. In order to support our daily needs, she had a small store by our elementary store selling ‘pansit’, ‘guinatan’, cookies, candies and bottled drinks. She did this until I came to the United States, when I was able to send her a monthly allowance.
When she reached her 90th birthday, I went home to celebrate this momentous occasion. I wanted to give her a party, she never had in her entire life. My sisters took care of the invitations. I made arrangements with the hotel for the party, based on the number of people invited as well as members of my family. The day came, OMG and arriving at the hotel for the celebration, I was flabbergasted. I could not believe the sight of how many people crowded the dining room. The people invited brought along their parents, grandparents to grand children. My aunt was thrilled to see all the people. She went around greeting everybody. It seemed like the entire town came to enjoy the day. The party went on with a short program. My aunt was all smiles, looked so proud of the celebration dedicated to her.
Somehow, the restaurant has been experiencing similar situations in the past, so as people were coming in, the cooks estimated how much to prepare and indeed, there was enough food for everybody. Unbeknownst to my aunt, I was so shocked and fearful that I did not bring enough money to pay for the party. Indeed, I was short of money. Since we have stayed at this hotel several times in the past, the manager and staff were already familiar with us. Embarrassed, I apologized for the situation, and promised to be back to pay everything. The manager understood the situation. However, how could someone like me who just came from America be short of cash? My credit card was of no use because the restaurant did not have that option.
Luckily, my best friend who lives in town was with me, so she calmed me down and reassured the restaurant, we will be back to pay the difference of the bill. We went to her bank to withdraw the needed amount. I have never been so embarrassed in my life.
What is the lesson to be learned? I don’t have any answer, but be ready to handle unforeseen situations.