DEAR MISS MANNERS: An old friend, but one I had not kept in touch with for more than 15 years, called to say he's visiting from the opposite coast and asked if we could get together.
I was delighted to hear from him, and in the course of catching up on each other's lives and arranging dinner, he inquired about my wife: "So are you and Jane still together?"
Well, neither has left the other for an upgrade; why, just this very morning she yelled at me for giving the dog too many treats. And neither of us has been hit by the proverbial bus.
So the question seemed a bit off-putting. On the other hand, given how fragile relationships and life are, the inquiry doesn't seem completely inappropriate. Could it have been worded more artfully?
GENTLE READER: Yes. "How is Jane?"