Dear Queenie,
A friend of ours who has a lot of friends got engaged a couple of months ago and the other day we all received a note from his fiancée asking us to contribute money for the surprise birthday party `she is planning for him.
Queenie, how to deal with such an outlandish request?—Flabbergasted
Dear Flabbergasted,
Reply in writing to this bad-mannered woman, telling her that you have other plans for the day and are unable to contribute to the occasion.
Do you think your friend knows what his fiancée is up to? If he does not, you might want to send the birthday boy a gift with a note apologising for your failure to contribute to and absence from the event his fiancée was planning. He should have the chance to prevent her from alienating his friends with this kind of behaviour.
