Zosia is my cousin on my mother’s side. She lives in Pomerania and we see each other quite rarely. We had frequent contact as children, because I usually spent a large part of my holidays with my family at the seaside. But since we both grew up, our contact has loosened up a bit. I moved to Warsaw and we hardly saw each other anymore. But they are still family, so I was happy when I got an invitation to her wedding. I had the opportunity to meet Zosia’s future husband earlier, at a family reunion to celebrate our grandmother’s 80th birthday. As you know, a wedding is an expense not only for the bride and groom, but also for the guests. I am also a family man, so I knew from the beginning that my partner and I would have to put more than 500 złoty in the envelope. I will add that neither of us earns a fortune, we are 28 years old and we are trying to support ourselves somehow.
Instead of an envelope they gave a gift. “We were shocked”
We calculated how much it would cost us for gas and accommodation. And we were shocked… Because I have to add that my cousin hadn’t planned any accommodation for us – neither in their family home nor in the place where the party was. That surprised me a lot, but okay, I said to myself – we didn’t have that kind of contact, I’m not her closest family either. Then it dawned on me that I have two more weddings this season and a hen trip in mid-August.
I came to the conclusion that if it was going to be such a big expense, we would simply give up giving money in an envelope and buy some great gift. I already knew what she liked and what she might like. We decided on a porcelain coffee set. We wrapped it in a beautiful box, and I added a decorated greeting card. And of course, good wine and flowers.
‘It is worth adding, however, that a wedding is an expense not only for the bride and groom, but also for the guests. I am also a family man, so I knew from the beginning that my partner and I would have to put more than 500 zlotys in the envelope,’ writes our reader/Illustrative photo ‘It is worth adding, however, that a wedding is an expense not only for the bride and groom, but also for the guests. I am also a family man, so I knew from the beginning that my partner and I would have to put more than 500 zlotys in the envelope,’ writes our reader/Illustration photo/Photo: Shutterstock/Great Pics Worldwide
The wedding was great, at least that’s what I think. Piotrek and I spent a lot of money on this trip, but I thought I had gotten out of this situation gracefully. After returning to Warsaw, I was in shock. My mother called me, who had decided to stay with her sister for another week after Zosia’s wedding. And she told me that there was a scandal… that Zosia was offended, and so was my aunt, because “I came to the wedding, had fun, ate for free, and instead of an envelope I gave a present.” My mother added that Zosia and her aunt had badmouthed me in front of the whole family. That I was stingy, that I was generally impertinent, that I should have given money…
“For me this situation is a misunderstanding”
It boiled inside me. I also thought about my poor mother, who had to listen to this. The gift wasn’t cheap, that’s for one thing. Secondly, we had already incurred significant costs, no one had offered us accommodation yet. For me, this situation was a misunderstanding and I only realised that perhaps our contact had been cut off for a reason. I was so angry that for a moment I wanted to call Zośka and my aunt and tell them everything. But I calmed down and said: “not my circus, not my monkeys”. Piotrek also told me to let it go and not worry about it. I decided that this was a better solution.
Agata.
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Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
