The wife got a bit annoyed at me and finally said I didn't have to go and should have just told her I didn't want to attend in the first place. (I did, repeatedly, say I was far from enthused, and she argued it would be good for me.)
She went and returned in a huff. She'll get over it.
The problem is when I say emphatically NO I DO NOT WANT TO GO, she starts arguing why it would be good for me. She wants to go to some van Gogh exhibit here and asked me repeatedly to schedule it. I have not done so, as I told her I was not interested.
I think I'll reiterate that point this AM as she says I don't communicate clearly. I'll be clear and get into trouble.
I'm often amazed how I can be CLEAR and others will think I don't really mean it. The wife actually is not bad about this compared with others.
I finally get monosyllabic and terse, and "they" finally seem to understand, but they start arguing with me, which I dislike immensely.