A Sign I’d Been Sitting Too Long! Our Hosts Started Tidying Up Right in the Middle of the Party

When people are friends, much like an old married couple, its only natural that disagreements arise sooner or later. The more people involved, the more quibbles and fuss one might expect.

I recall a story a friend once shared about how they rang in the New Year many years ago with their circle of friends. Typically, three families would celebrate together at one of their homes, but last year, one of the families declinedthey chose instead to spend the holiday with their parents.

So, the remaining two families decided theyd split their evening, spending part of it at one home and the rest at the others. As was their custom, food was bought together and the costs shared, with everyone pitching in for drinks and whatever else was needed.

On New Years Eve, they all turned up, children in tow. They dined together until the stroke of midnight, and then something rather peculiar occurred. The hosts, rather abruptly, began clearing the dishes and putting all the leftovers away in the fridge. At first, their guests were baffled. But when the hosts wheeled out the vacuum cleaner and set to tidying right under everyones feet, the message was unmistakeableit was time to go. A subtle hint, perhaps, though by English standards, not the most gracious behaviour.

The funny thing was, when they all moved on to the next friend’s house later that night, there was no sense of hurry about leaving. They all stayed until dawn, sharing food and drink long into the small hours.

Perhaps the vacuum cleaner did its job for my old mate that evening, but truth be told, he was simply too polite to make a fuss about it.