The stage: the house is cleaned, the furniture disposed in a more convenient order, thought is given to plates and glasses, attention is directed to the complete satisfaction of the guests: only the best foods and drinks are to be served and the supply must be uninterrupted and plentiful. The music must be carefully chosen and someone must be in charge of it. At least until the hour prescribed for the party to end. For the party must end. The end is as a part of a party as it is a part of all things.
The play: it is always the same plot with little variations. The guests arrive, all dressed up and proper. Good manners and a certain restraint is to be observed in everyone. As the night proceeds, however, the social varnish is slowly removed by the alcohol and all sorts of small subplots take place. Nothing outside the absolutely usual, mind you, there will always be the happy ones and the sad ones, the loud ones and the quiet ones, the rejecting and the rejected, the ones that just observe, observing, the ones that are there just to be seen, just being seen and, of course, the ones in love and the ones out of love, for otherwise it wouldn’t be a party worthy of the name.
The end: the end is a pile of dirty dishes, half eaten food, the bottles empty and the ashtrays full, bits and pieces of stories still hanging in the smoky air and one or other guest walking around wondering where has it all gone.
To the host is allowed a little tear, but only after the doors are closed, the main lights are finally out and there are no witnesses.
