DEAR ABBY: My mother-in-law lives with me part of the year. We do not get along and can't stand each other. I can't afford to send her to a nursing home, so I'm stuck with her part of the year.
My problem is whenever she comes back to live with me, she'll ask, "Did you miss me?" I am tempted to reply, "Not one bit!" but this would only cause more friction in our already strained relationship.
How can I tactfully answer this question without sounding too impolite? -- SPEECHLESS
DEAR SPEECHLESS: You can avoid the question, "Did you miss me?" by greeting her with, "Hello ... would you believe, I really missed you?" (If her answer is, "No," she'll be right on target.)