Uninvited Guest

This is an embarrassing story, yet as I look back can relate to a fundamental that later in my corporate life have been preached over hi-profile trainings and shared during offline experience.

My music teacher had a daughter around my age group. I was in my early teens when he invited all his students to celebrate her 10th birthday. It was more than an usual way of invitation. Being a creative person he had personalized invitation card in name of each one of us. While I was thrilled and was preparing for the evening, my brother who was around five years expressed his wish to join me.

As elder sister I always shared a wonderful relation with him but this was bit unacceptable when he adamantly wanted to join me in this party. So simple a request - a brother willing to join his sister to a party, turned the late afternoon hours into a tense situation in my home. The fact that I was the only named invitee in the card made me bother ethically - probably more than required. I was in my growing years - the self awareness was building - concepts of what I felt the right and the wrong way of doing things were shaping up. In this case I firmly felt that the evening party was meant for my participation and the host would not expect me to have my brother along. I kept explaining my brother but in vain. He cried for a while and then started coaxing my mother to dress him up.

We both dressed up , me with strong conviction that he is not joining me ... and he was with a strong will to be with me. As I look back probably that was too natural of him at his age. To term self - a rude, would be very difficult but I just wanted to go by the books and ensure I don't embarrass my host.

Mothers always know how it works better... My classmate knocked my door as we planned to go to the music teacher's house together. Being the youngest kid in the neighbourhood my classmate fondled my brother a lot! She repeated it once more. It gave my mother assurance to ignore my resistance and share the cause we had been debating for a while. I was annoyed. This should have been all within the family.

To all my surprise, my classmate broke the uneasiness in one stoke. She volunteered to take my brother along and frowned at me for my hesitation. With a hitch in my mind,we three reached the party venue. My music teacher was curious to meet the uninvited guest ( I still thought that). My brother had stole the show in the party - you know how healthy jolly kids turn out to be head turners in such gatherings.

When we were about to leave , my teacher came and appreciated me saying - " I never knew you had a brother, I should have invited him. It was great that you had him along or else we would have missed a lot of fun!" It was not me, my classmate deserved it!..I felt stupid knowing how I objected this.

I was stuck with a self defined moral dilemma and at one point didn't like to take this openly with anyone. Good that Ma had opened up the problem very lucidly before my friend and she did the best that evening could offer to many....

Gyan #11 - We love to keep ours assumptions and mostly the wrong ones in personal closet.. Open up ! Others can correct your thoughts.