Q. A university friend and I want to get an invitation to a very good shoot owned by a colleague of my father. To this end we thought we could make better friends by inviting him to my club for lunch or dinner. This club is the sort of stuffy, traditional place he would approve of. I was only able to become a member because they had a special five-year deal for people who joined it the year they left school. The problem is that, as the member, I am the only one allowed to pay. How can I make sure that my friend, who is vague and disorganised, pays me back his share of the bill?
— Name and address withheld
A. Tell your friend that you’ve been told the club has a special offer on the day/night in question. They will give you a 15 per cent discount if you settle your bill in cash. Ask him to make sure he has an appropriate sum on him and that he hands it over to you in the lobby before your guest arrives.
Q. A pair of old friends came to supper recently and brought with them a box of dark chocolate mints as a present. When I opened the box I found the chocolates were white with age and tasted disgusting. The ‘best before’ label indicated they were six months out of date. When I invite people for supper I look forward to their presence, not their recycled presents. Should I rewrap the box and keep it to one side in the hope that my friends invite me for a return supper, at which point I can hand the mints over, or would that be churlish?
— A.S., Hungerford, Berks
A.
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