Although my French is pretty limited to simple phrases such as ‘beau cul’ or ‘santé,‘ I am aware of the French turned English term, ‘RSVP.’ Translation: répondez s’il vous plaît. It seems many Americans have no idea what either mean. Just in case you are in that group of many, RSVP or répondez s’il vous plaît simply mean please respond.
Yes. No. Maybe. Attending. Not Attending. Seems simple really. Unfortunately, for Tree, this type of simplicity isn’t regularly practiced by others. “It can’t be that difficult for someone to let me know if they’re coming or not, ” Tree told me with great frustration. “How am I to make a dinner reservation if I don’t have a headcount?”
I really had no suggestion other than to send a RSVPlea to those he had invited and, hopefully, they would respond this time. Lucky for both of us, this plea worked and he was able to make reservations for four: him, me, That’s Not Chinese and Better Have.