DEAR MISS MANNERS: I went to a fabric store/upholsterer to order curtains. While looking for fabric, a woman stopped me, told me her name was Elaine, and asked if I needed help. I said no.

If it were Miss Manners, she would prolong it in a different way: “Let me think,” she would say. “Well, Lily is certainly real. She is finishing college and going on to take a master’s.

Generally, if I am inviting guests for dinner, I ask them to please arrive at a certain time, with no ending time given. But for a child’s birthday party, one would invite guests from, say, 2 p ...

But when I am with a group of friends and mention something about the kids, I am often asked which of them are my “real” grandchildren. I find that question to be extremely rude, and I reply ...