It was a summer night, one where it was neither hot nor
cold, and Ben sad on his back porch. The breeze was blowing as he enjoyed his
drink. It had been a long day, and his cocktail proved to lift his spirits.
Ben was a wealthy man, but he was also quite lonely. He
reflected on his life – his recent separation with his wife Martha, and how she
had taken their twelve-year-old twin sons with her to her mother’s house. He
missed them a lot.
Suddenly, his face lit up. He summoned his personal assistant
to the back porch, and said, “I want to have a party – a midsummer night
party.”
“But midsummer is tomorrow, sir,” his assistant replied.
“Don’t you think there would be a better response to the invitation if we
planned the event a few weeks in advance?”
“Nonsense,” Ben replied. “I must do something to get my wife
and kids back.”
Thus, the party was planned. It was to be the party of the
year (and even possibly the party of the decade). He invited his entire family:
his wife and kids, her mother and father and aunts and uncles and cousins, his
immediate family, his first and second and even third cousins, and at last,
every single employee from his company. Not only that, he invited his
graduating class from high school, every member of his fraternity in college,
every member of his wife’s sorority, and every friend he’d ever had on any type
of social media. The party, dubbed “The Festival”, even made the newspapers. It
was predicted to be “a modern day Gatsby party” by the New York Times.
Not a single person turned down the invitation.
The night of the party came. The food was unparalleled.
There was a table for every country of the world, with homemade food from
someone from each country. There were five bands that played, from classical
music to reggae to funk, even swing music was played.
He got up to make a toast. “This ‘Festival’, as they call
it, is a celebration of thanksgiving for what good fortune we have all had. It
will be a long and excellent celebration – so eat, drink, and be merry, my
friends – for life is too short to not be happy.”
A cheer erupted and Ben walked up to Martha. She embraced
him, he apologized, and they agreed to work on their marriage. They lived
happily ever after.
Author’s Note: I took this story from an Buck’s portrayal of
the Festival (on page 401). However, instead of Rama not inviting Sita, I let
Ben invite his wife and children back (in order to make a happy ending).
Bibliography:
Buck, William. Ramayana:. Berkeley: U of California, 1976. Print.
