DEAR ABBY: I recently started a relationship with "Chase," a man I've known for a year. We don't have time to see each other during the week. I have two jobs; he has one. He works Monday through Saturday. He's also in a sports league that gets together for practice and games on Sundays.

The problem is, every weekend for the past six weeks he's said he'd try to come see me, but by the end of the weekend, something always happened, so he didn't. To be brutally honest, I've seen "friends with benefits" guys every week for years more often than I've seen Chase.

I don't like having to wait this long to see him, so I recently suggested going back to being just friends. What's the point in being in a relationship with someone I rarely see? I don't think I should continue waiting. Do you agree? -- IMPATIENT IN NEW JERSEY

DEAR IMPATIENT: If Chase was truly motivated to see you more than occasionally, he would make the time. You have my permission to quit waiting for him. And, as you move forward (and on), assume that you have been "just friends" from the time he stopped showing up when you were available.

DEAR ABBY: I need advice regarding my husband's friend and how I should handle a delicate situation. My husband has a woman friend. (She has a boyfriend.) They recently helped us move, which we really appreciate. She likes to make sexual jokes, and my husband does, too. I'm not a prude, but I don't enjoy the kind of flirty vibe she puts out.

When they were helping us move, we went out for meals. She and I had privately shared that my husband and her boyfriend would sometimes forget to zip up after using the bathroom. Well, while we were walking to the car, she zipped up my husband's zipper for him! I laughed it off, but it kind of caught me off guard. Later, my husband told me he thought it was weird, and so do I.

Should I tell her it was crossing a line? She seems pretty clueless, but I don't want it to happen again. -- AWKWARD IN THE WEST

DEAR AWKWARD: Your husband's friend appears to have a difficult time understanding boundaries. Because it made your husband uncomfortable, he should tell her that what she did was weird and, if he forgets to zip up in the future, she should tell him his zipper is open so he can fix it himself.

DEAR ABBY: I'm Spanish, and my husband is Indian. I have a daughter from a previous relationship, and I also share a baby boy with him. Most of the time, he speaks to the baby in Telugu, which is fine with me.

I would love for my baby boy to learn the three languages -- English, Spanish and Telugu -- but every time I speak with my daughter in Spanish, my husband thinks we're talking about him and gets mad, which I think is unfair, as I can't prohibit my daughter from speaking her language. Could you please give me some advice? -- TRILINGUAL IN THE EAST

DEAR TRILINGUAL: I'm sorry you didn't mention how old your daughter is. She should practice her English as well as her Spanish. Point out that her stepfather feels excluded when she speaks extensively to you in Spanish, which leaves him out of the conversation, and to please be more sensitive to his feelings.

DEAR ABBY: I invited a friend to spend the weekend with me on my parents' boat. She insisted that she must shower twice a day, as that is her usual routine. She said she can't wake up without a shower, and needs to shower to be clean at the end of the day. I believe showering twice a day is excessive. Even showering once a day isn't necessary unless someone has been working or exposed to dirt.

I have been criticized for "judging" her hygiene habits. They say she may suffer from a germ phobia. I have known her more than 10 years, and she has worked as a professional cleaning lady. I don't think she's a germaphobe but high-maintenance and vain.

I suggested she could wash up with face cloths and wipes, and shower once a day. The lake is so clean you don't need to shower after a swim. (For anyone who doesn't understand why I'm questioning this, it's because fresh water on a boat is in limited supply.)

Should a guest be asked to comply with the host's requests, or must the host comply with the guest's unusual demands? How should this be handled? -- GO JUMP IN THE LAKE

DEAR GO JUMP: Gracious hosts will do whatever they can to ensure their guests are comfortable and provided for. Gracious guests will comply with whatever "house rules" are instituted by their hosts. In your case, this should be handled by not inviting this particular friend to any more overnights on your family boat.

DEAR ABBY: Since my husband's death eight years ago, his family has continued to include me in their family gatherings. We didn't have children together, but I have three adult sons from a previous marriage.

A year ago, I started dating someone, but broke it off after six months. Six months later, I received an invitation to a very nice wedding. I live about 45 minutes away from the venue. Nighttime driving is not an option for me, and the neighborhood is no place for a woman to maneuver alone. My invitation was for me and a guest. I was delighted that I could possibly ask one of my sons to escort me.

The mother of the groom (my sister-in-law) texted me to explain that the "guest" on my invitation was meant to be for the gentleman I stopped seeing six months prior and not my son. She had never met this gentleman, and my son is appropriate in appearance and manner.

My feelings are seriously hurt. I feel an invitation that includes "and guest" should not be at the discretion of the sister-in-law. I was also hurt that the decline of my "guest" was via text rather than a conversation. What are your thoughts? -- DISAPPOINTED IN MISSOURI

DEAR DISAPPOINTED: Oh my. I think what your sister-in-law said was rude, insensitive and ridiculous. "And guest" is a thoughtful, inclusive gesture to ensure that the invitee isn't left sitting alone at a table when couples are off dancing. I remember my late Aunt Eppie (Ann Landers) once telling me that if she received a solo wedding invitation, she would send her regrets.

DEAR ABBY: Regarding "Tall Person Sympathizer" (Feb. 28), whose very tall husband and son hate the comments they receive, I am 6 feet, 8 inches tall, so I can relate. One does feel like part of a freak show and have to deal with things most average height people don't think twice about, like, "Can I fit in that car?" or "Where can I buy clothes that fit?" And that tired basketball question. Yep, even at my age of 64 I still hear it.

But the questions don't bother me much anymore -- except for "How's the weather up there?" Now when someone asks the height question, I quickly respond with the obviously wrong answer of 5 feet 6. It always gets a laugh, and there usually is a little small talk after that, and I may even ask them their height. Then I tell them, I am 80 inches tall, which is true, and let them figure it out.

Seriously, though, most people look favorably upon you and wish they themselves were taller. I'll add, from my memory of my youth, it sure didn't hurt in attracting the ladies. -- JAMES IN DELAWARE

DEAR JAMES: I received a "tall" stack of responses about that letter -- almost all of them upbeat and fun. Several suggested the helpful retort when asked if they play (or played) basketball:

Short person: "Do you play basketball?"

Tall person: "No, do you play miniature golf?"

Most readers emphasized the positivity of accepting all of our unique differences. Read on for another gem:

DEAR ABBY: My granddaughter was 6 feet tall by the time she was a sophomore in high school. And yes, she received a lot of comments about it. She told me that when she was 15 she decided to embrace her height. And she did.

During her senior year, she auditioned for "Miss Local High School" and performed a monologue about what it was like to be a 6-foot-tall girl in high school. With jokes and good humor, she addressed the questions of playing basketball and volleyball and said she did neither. But she finished by saying that the best thing about being so tall was that she was able to help all the old, bent-over folks in the grocery store when they needed an item on the top shelf.

She didn't win the contest, but she did bring laughter to the audience. Today, she's a successful businesswoman with a boyfriend who is even taller. She has never considered her height a problem, so it isn't. -- CAROL IN FLORIDA

DEAR ABBY: I have a dilemma. A decadeslong friendship ended last year after an unfortunate, painful event. I have items he loaned me. What do I do with them, as we are no longer in contact? Should I ship them to his house? Donate them to charity? Neither seems like a good idea. I'm not angry, but I can no longer let this person be any part of my life. What is the right thing to do? -- AT A LOSS IN THE MIDWEST

DEAR AT A LOSS: The right thing to do would be to send the items to his house. They are not yours to donate; they are his property.