Dear Queenie,
My husband likes to sneak up on me when I’m not looking. He thinks it’s funny to surprise me. I’ve told him I don’t like it, but he won’t stop.
Queenie, what do you suggest?—Startled wife
Dear Startled,
I suggest you keep some sharp object – a large nail file, or a cooking fork or even a carving knife, for example – in your hand at all times when he is likely to sneak up on you. Seeing that you are prepared for his surprises may dissuade him from sneaking up on you. And if he still does so and you are so startled that you reflexively happen to stab him with said sharp object, especially in some very sensitive spot, it may forcibly teach him to be more considerate.
