YOUR PROBLEMS SOLVED
Dear Mary.. .
Q. Every time I come to London I find other pedestrians bump into me in the street rather a lot. How can I go about pre- venting this annoyance from happening?
C.B., address withheld A. Simply buy ten copies of the Big Issue as soon as you arrive in the metropolis. Carry these as you walk along. You will find that other pedestrians give you a wide berth.
Q. I had invited five friends to lunch in a hotel and had reserved a table for six. Before all of my guests had arrived, a per- son whom I had not invited and do not par- ticularly care for appeared, saying that she had heard there was a luncheon party and thought she would come along and join it. `I was told it was Dutch,' she said, 'isn't it?' To this I coldly replied, 'No'. As she could see a table for six, I assumed she would excuse herself, but to my shock she simply sat down. I was dumbstruck, and in the end — stupidly, I admit — paid for her lunch as well as those of my invited guests. I wonder how, without making an unpleasant scene, I might have made it clear that it was a pri- vate party to which she was not invited?
B.F.D., Jeddah A. You could have gasped in astonishment and cried, 'How absolutely extraordinary! You must be psychic. I was thinking of hav- ing a much bigger lunch party today and you were going to be one of the guests. But I decided it would be much better to keep this as a tiny private celebration and have a big- ger party, something much less intimate and personal, later on. And that's the one I'll be inviting you to!' But how extraordinary that you should be so psychic!' you could have reiterated as you showed her to a taxi.
Q. I am the owner of a small shop selling various furnishing items. Without going into too much detail, a certain society fig- ure, very popular, very social etc., ordered a certain variation of one of my designs. We made it up and delivered it to him. It wasn't very much money but he has so far failed to respond to any of my four invoices. What should I do? It is very embarrassing as we have a lot of friends in common.
Name and address withheld A. Get one of these mutual friends to ring him saying, 'I saw those wonderful shelves you had made up by X's shop and I thought they were really beautiful. X tells me you haven't yet decided whether you like them or not, so I wondered if I could buy them off you if you don't want them? Can I pop round and collect them? And should I make the cheque out to you? Or should I make it directly to the shop?'
Q. I am bored to tears by a neighbour who keeps referring to how awfully cold the weather is getting. How can I shut her up as I am nearly distraught?
Name withheld, Twickenham A. Lash back at her by saying, 'Oh really? I find it extremely warm.' Then add, 'Are you sure you're not sickening for something? I would have a check-up if I were you.'
Previous page
