Q. We were invited by the son of an old
friend to celebrate his 50th birthday at a party at his house. It was a 'landmark' birthday, so we took a bottle of very old and very expensive brandy as our gift. Although we didn't know many people there, we had a very pleasant time and left after a couple of hours or so. We see him only once or twice a year and our problem is we haven't received any acknowledgement of our gift.
Our questions are: (a) did he actually receive the bottle? (It was a very big party!) (b) was it 'mislaid'? (c) is he just forgetful? We can't possibly inquire and we don't see him often enough to make a casual inquiry. We don't want to risk our friendship (or that of his parents) by asking a wrong (and crass!) question. Can you help?
Name and address withheld A. Ring up your friend, thank him once again for his party and then say chat* that you want his honest opinion on something. The brandy you gave him came highly recommended and you have been happily making a practice of giving it when the occasion demanded a decent present and were thinking of buying in a supply for this purpose. However, the last person to whom you gave a bottle reported back that, in his opinion, it was really nothing special. Has he opened it yet? You would love to know what he thought because, of course, for obvious reasons you have never tasted it yourself
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