There's a fifty-fifty world out there

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE

The general public in the World can be divided into two broad categories — the suckers and those who feed on the suckers.

 Srinivasan set out on a trip to Chennai, with his wife, son, grandson and daughter-in-law in their new Maruti Omni. While at Chennai, he would always stay with his brother Swamy. His wife’s kith and kin who had come to see her, proposed a trip to the beach and persuaded Srinivasan and family also to accompany them. Two more cars were needed to accommodate the big crowd.
 
On reaching the beach, people began to play vigorous games which made them feel hungry. Someone suggested ‘Woodies’ for a meal. The big group of 20-25 had a sumptuous repast. When it was time to pay the bill, there was no offer from the ‘host’ group, saying that none of them had brought their purses. Obviously, the only one carrying a purse was Srinivasan’s daughter-in-law.

Driven to a corner, she offered to foot the whole bill. But,  Swamy’s sister solicitously came to her and said, “You, poor thing, why should you pay the whole bill? You pay half the bill and I shall ask one of the men folk to foot the other half”. Accordingly she paid 50 percent of the bill.

But, when she came home, she was chastised by her mother-in-law for being a sucker. Mrs Srinivasan also asked, “I wonder who paid the other half”. Then Srinivasan revealed sheepishly, “I did!”

As if this was not enough, the well grown babies who had been allotted the Maruti Omni, had been divested of their diapers so as to leave them free to wade in the sea. Not being toilet trained, the floor of the Omni had been used as a free-for-all out puts, which necessitated the washing by pouring bucketfuls of water by the Srinivasans, as a lesson well learnt.