They asked about the dead rat. Well, in Sinhalese, and Fahim told me later, and I’m sure they were much more polite about it than that. It’s just that Fahim and I are calling it the dead rat. I think they asked what the smell was.
So Fahim told them, and they instantly understood. I guess they had a problem with a dead rat in a carpet once, too.
Whew!
They didn’t stay long – only for a couple of hours. I didn’t have to cook for them – less pressure for me. I mean, I’m a good cook and all, but that doesn’t mean that they will enjoy my non-standard Sri Lankan cooking.
Oh! It was Fahim’s mom and dad and brother. And I made them tea the way I always make it for Fahim – in a big mug. Turns out, they’re used to drinking about 1/2 to 2/3 that quantity, and they’re used to more milk and sugar. So*, one more thing to work on. And no, they didn’t complain. 🙂 They’re very kind.
But they did razz me about it. 😀
I wish I’d known sooner – as in, several hours before, that they were coming over. If I had, I would have made brownies for them since I was planning on that anyway. I would have loved to have seen their reactions to it. As it is, I’ll have to make it one of these days and Fahim and I will invite ourselves over to their house and…
I showed them our big picture book on Canada (thank you, Kim). It was a big hit. Lots of visuals.
And Fahim’s mom brought the blouse that goes with the sari she gave me. Drat! Now I no longer have any excuses and have to sew the underskirt that the sari gets tucked into.
I also tried the sari blouse on, and yep, I can entirely see why too loose isn’t good. The seamstress isn’t used to me, so she made it looser than she ordinarily would, and the hooks & eyes thingies come undone far too easily. So that’s why I have no choice but to take it in so it’s, while not quite tight, at least snug.
And they brought over some oranges, too. It’s all about social conventions when you’re expected to bring something as a gift to the people whose house you’re visiting. Well, they don’t actually need to bring us anything – Fahim’s their son! But social conventions… And I suspect that, while there are normal social conventions covering what you do when you’re visiting family and friends, none of them quite cover visiting your son and his wife at their home for the first time since they got married a couple of years ago, with whom you’re recently in contact with again after disowning them.
Because, of course, according to normal social conventions here, Fahim and I would have lived in their house for at least a few years after we got married. That didn’t happen, so what rule do they follow? Err on the side of bringing something.
That, however, is all speculation on my part.
