DEAR ABBY: We are one of three couples who dine together at least once a week. We and one other couple are retired and on a fixed income. The third couple is also retired, but own many properties and have no money concerns. We like their company, but the wife is peculiar. She often hands strangers $50 bills when we're at a restaurant, simply because she thinks they are "nice" or on a first date, etc.
The other night we all had dinner together. When the server asked what she would like to drink, she inquired about how much the iced tea cost, and then said, "I'll just have water!" Then she asked the server to bring her a bunch of lemons, squeezed them into her water and added sugar! We were so embarrassed we wanted to crawl under the table. How should we handle this behavior in the future? -- FRUSTRATED IN THE DESERT
DEAR FRUSTRATED: Because the woman's behavior makes you uncomfortable, perhaps you should dine with the couple less often. What she did by making her own lemonade should have had no effect on you because it was a reflection only on her. However, when someone is with friends who are on a fixed income and hands out $50 bills to perfect strangers -- assuming "Lady Bountiful" hasn't slipped a few cogs -- the natural assumption is that she's grandstanding. And that kind of behavior is rude and inconsiderate.