15 Awkward Visit Stories That Sound Like a Joke but Are Actually True

Probably everyone has had situations when they just wanted to get home quickly or see their guests off — because perfect guests don’t exist. Casual hangouts with friends, weddings, anniversaries, and other gatherings can all go off-script.

• I had a fight with my boyfriend and spent a long time crying on my friend’s shoulder, who supported me as best she could. Nothing unusual, really, but my friend never forgot it.
  One time, my boyfriend and I were at her place, and she decided to get back at him for me — without telling me. My boyfriend really hates tomatoes, can’t even stand the smell.
  Guess how many dishes had no tomatoes? Exactly one salad — and it was horribly over-salted. Even though I was mad at my friend then, I would’ve done the same in her place, too. © Caramel / VK
• I was invited to a wedding. The invitation only mentioned the time and place. At the event, it turned out everything was outdoors, and the heat was unbearable.
  After the ceremony, where hardly anything could be heard, I went searching for water. When I finally reached the waiter after waiting in line, I found out all drinks should be paid for — even water. Well, I took out my card, only to hear, “We accept cash payments only.” I scraped together some change and finally got a drink.
  During the reception, they served homemade food. Everything would’ve been fine — if it weren’t for the flies competing with the guests for the food. The same went for dessert.
  The strangest part was that when the cake was served, they took away all the cutlery, and guests just held their dessert in their hands. I left right away, so I don’t know how it all ended. © According-Citron-825 / Reddit

• Once, we were visiting my brother and his fiancée. We were sitting in the living room watching a movie. During a break, a commercial aired about a super-easy loan you could get with no hassle.
  My brother and his girlfriend decided to take it and immediately started discussing which car they’d buy with the money. What started as a calm conversation turned into an argument, then into a pretty serious fight. They never got the loan — and they broke up. © Overheard / Ideer
• I was at a friend’s birthday party and stayed overnight. We slept in the same room — she and her husband on the bed, and I was on the couch. Her husband fell asleep and started snoring like a herd of mammoths.
  But when my friend finally fell asleep, it was even worse, like they were competing to see who could be louder. After an hour, I couldn’t take it anymore: I pushed, kicked, and shook him. Nothing helped.
  A few minutes of silence, then even louder! In the end, I sat on the couch waiting for dawn and the first people outside. At 6 a.m., I rushed home like a bullet. Now, even light snoring annoys me. © Overheard / Ideer
• I came to visit friends for the first time, and they have a cat — fat, fluffy, and cozy. We were sitting, drinking tea, when suddenly a little girl bursts into the room, laughing devilishly, and yells, “Where’s my Grave?!”
  She throws a ball, the cat runs after it, and the two of them dash off. The parents explained that the cat’s name is Gravy, but the daughter can’t pronounce it properly... © Overheard / Ideer

• My husband is a chef by profession. He doesn’t work in the field but often cooks at home. Recently, his mother came over, and he made dinner for her.
  Throughout the meal, she kept nagging him: “This is too salty, that’s under-salted, this is inedible, too greasy, tastes awful.” My husband sat there, almost in tears. You could tell he was hurt, he tried so hard. It wasn’t the first time she ate his cooking, and it had been fine before.
  At the end, she said, “Well, now you understand how it was for me. All childhood, I couldn’t make you eat anything, all food was ‘tasteless’ to you. Now I feel better.” Imagine how long she’d been planning this... © Mamdarinka / VK
• Late at night after university, I was heading to a friend’s place. A suspicious guy followed me into the building. We got into the elevator together. I was standing facing the elevator doors when he said, “Hey, babe, wanna come to my place?”
  My heart sank, and my legs turned to jelly. Then he added, “If you come over, bring some bread and dumplings.” He was actually talking on the phone. © Overheard / Ideer
• I’m visiting my grandma. As always, she feeds me until I’m full and asks when I’ll find a fiancée. But last night she asked me to go out for a walk, leave at 6 and be back by 10. So I did.
  I got home at 10:15 and there was a full house of seniors, music from their youth playing, and they were dancing and drinking tea. Grandma introduced me to everyone and invited me to join, saying their party was in full swing. I had no idea my grandma was such a party animal. © Ward 6 / VK

• We came to visit friends — a married couple — with my boyfriend. Before we arrived, they called us about 5 times saying how much they were looking forward to seeing us.
  But when we finally met, they made it clear there was nothing to eat at home, and if we were tired from the trip, we should buy something ourselves. In the end, we ate dumplings we bought at the supermarket. It wasn’t a big deal, but we felt slightly disappointed. © Overheard / Ideer
• At a friend’s wedding, the moment came to catch the bride’s bouquet. Someone said, “So, who is not married here?” The mood was great, and I wanted to give my purse to my boyfriend, so nothing would get in the way.
  But he loudly joked, “No-no-no! You don’t need to catch it!” I wanted to disappear on the spot... © Overheard / Ideer
• Visited my parents with my son. We were sitting together, building a tower from blocks. Meanwhile, Grandpa walked by, yawning, and said he was going to lie down.
  My son immediately jumped up, dropped the pieces, and followed him. I asked, “Where are you going?” He seriously replied, “I’m going to help Grandpa sleep.” Yeah, like Grandpa couldn’t manage without him. © Mamdarinka / VK

• I went to visit a friend when I was a kid. While she was getting dressed to go outside, they told me to wait in the kitchen.
  I looked around and saw a stool with a towel on it. For some reason, I thought that one was meant for guests, so I sat on it. As I was sitting there, I thought, wow, it’s so soft, you’d never guess by looking at it.
  Turns out I had crushed an entire tray of dumplings the whole family had just made. Nobody yelled at me, but I still remember the shame and feeling like a bull in a china shop. © Overheard / Ideer
• My husband, kids, and I live in an apartment almost in the city center. His parents live in a house out of town, so we’re the ones who always go visit them. We also bring the kids on weekends so they can at least get some fresh air.
  And it drives me crazy that his parents never clean up before we come. There’s always dust on the shelves, dirty floors, dishes in the sink. And they seem totally fine with it.
  The beds aren’t even made — they just leave the linens in a pile like I’m supposed to do it myself. There’s barely any food in the fridge until we go to the store. The kids have a great time there, but I feel sick just thinking about those visits.
  I asked my husband to maybe drop a hint to his parents that it wouldn’t hurt to clean up a little, so the kids aren’t running around in filth. And this genius tells me, “Well, we’re going to them, not the other way around. What’s the big deal?” Wonderful. So I’m also supposed to thank them for letting their own son and grandkids into their house. © Overheard / VK
• I live in a small town, and my sister lives in the city. I visited her recently and stayed the night.
  Before bed, I went to take a shower. She hadn’t warned me that I shouldn’t use it because the mixer breaks and floods the floor instantly. And that’s exactly what happened.
  While I was cleaning up the mess, her neighbors came over — water had started dripping from their ceiling. “Sorry about that, my sister’s visiting and doesn’t know how to use modern plumbing, so she flooded the place by accident” — that’s what I heard her saying through the door.
  It really hurt. Why defend yourself by throwing someone else under the bus? © Overheard / VK

Do you enjoy hosting guests? If so, you’ll definitely like these stories about people whose guests really tested their patience.