Advice from Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin.
If guests leave stray items behind -- an umbrella, for example, or, more frequently among the younger generation, their expensive refillable water bottles -- how long am I obligated to hold on to these items for the owner to retrieve?
I have a drawer teeming with water bottles no one ever reclaims, plus the odd umbrella or glove by my front door. But if there is no response, or a reasonable amount of time passes without retrieval, Miss Manners gives you permission to dispose of the objects. At which point you may say, if asked, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought you had given up on that bottle.”My friend “Agnes” and her husband wanted to see my friend “Axel,” as well as his house. So Agnes asked me to ask Axel to have the three of us over for dinner.
I worried that this would greatly hurt Axel’s feelings, so I asked Agnes if I could instead say that her husband was ill. Well, Agnes got very angry and said that anyone would understand that having a daughter visiting would be a perfectly valid reason for canceling a date.GENTLE READER:DEAR MISS MANNERS:
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Miss Manners: My friend’s husband is a despicable human. How do I stay clear of him?Advice from Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin.
Read more »
Miss Manners: When can I toss items guests leave at my home?What’s the host’s obligation when a guest leaves an item at their house?
Read more »
Miss Manners: What’s the correct response to a critical unsolicited letter?I periodically receive long, scathing letters from people I’ve never met, and from distant family members who think I should give my parents another chance.
Read more »
Miss Manners: I tried to finesse her short-notice cancellation, and she blew up at meWanting to spare another friend’s feelings, I suggested a better excuse.
Read more »
Miss Manners: I love to cook for others but I have no recipes to shareI'm not trying to keep my creations’ ingredients secret; I just don’t have the time, energy or memory to remember everything that went into a dish.
Read more »
Miss Manners: I’ll no longer tolerate being around my friend’s despicable husband(He) hit on me when we were at dinner a few months ago.
Read more »