Dear Queenie,

  There is a group of us who meet for dinner once a week. My boyfriend got friendly with one of the other women in the group and she started making flirty jokes with him and he started answering the same way.

  I knew nothing was really going on between them, because they would refer to something that happened when him and me were together, like “last night was just wonderful!” when he had been with me the whole night.

  However, I got sick of this joking and after a couple of weeks I told my boyfriend how rude I thought it was and if I heard any of it again I would be done with him. He acted surprised and said nothing was happening between them and he would stop, He apologised said if I had said something to him sooner he would have stopped then.

  Queenie, was I wrong to speak my mind?—Offended girlfriend

Dear Girlfriend,

  You were not wrong to find this rude, to be offended by it and to speak up.

  However, you should have spoken up the first time it happened instead of letting it fester until you were so angry you would threaten to break up with your boyfriend.

  He has said nothing but joking happened, which you knew anyway, has apologised for offending you with the joking and said he would stop it, so forgive him, as long as the offensive joking stops.

Dear Queenie,

  A very good friend of mine has been arrested for a very serious crime, one I strongly disapprove of. He never said anything about it to me, but as far as I know he is not claiming to be innocent either.

  I know friends should stick to friends, but like I said, I strongly disapprove of what he is accused of, plus being associated to him could cause me serious problems at my job and socially.

  Queenie, what should I do?—Worried friend

Dear Friend,

  All you can do is wait and see how this mess turns out. Even if your friend is found not guilty at trial, there may be some doubt, depending on the reasons for the verdict. Remember, there is a difference between “we do not have enough evidence to prove him guilty” and “there is proof that he is innocent.”

  Until then, and maybe even afterward, sorry to say, it would be best to keep your distance from your friend.

Dear Queenie,

  Last time I was at the Government Building a man who was walking ahead of me stepped aside and motioned for me to go first through the door, so I ended up ahead of him in the Receiver’s line.

  It doesn’t seem fair that he should have to wait longer because he was so polite.

  Queenie, what do you think?—Chivalry Etty Ket

Dear Etty Ket,

  I think you could have offered to let the gentleman go ahead of you in the Receiver’s line, but even if you did, he might not have accepted your offer.

  Am I being cynical for thinking that if you are an attractive young (or even no-so-young) woman he might have been enjoying the view from behind you?

Dear Queenie,

  My parents are very well-off financially-speaking and when we go out for a treat they insist on paying for everything, even though I am also quite well-off and can easily afford to pay my own way. I wouldn’t mind so much if they would let me treat them on special occasions, but even on their own birthdays they insist on picking up the check.

  Queenie, I would like to  give them a treat at least once at least in a while, but how can I get them to let me do it?—Not broke son

Dear Not broke,

  When you want to give your parents a treat, arrange for payment in advance. For example, when planning a party at a restaurant, give your parents a gift certificate from the restaurant for a meal for however many persons the event will include, and then let your parents “pay” for the occasion with the gift certificate.

  Or, if you plan to go to a certain restaurant, arrange for payment with the manager when you get there (or even at the time you make the reservations). Then when you are ready to leave and your parents want to pick up the check, the waiter/waitress or the manager can tell them it has already been taken care of and he (or she) hopes they enjoyed the meal.

  However, be prepared for a possible less-than-pleasant reaction from your parents. Apparently they take great pride in being able to pay their own way and even give you a treat. Why deny them the pleasure? That too is a kind of gift.