Dear L.A.Plume,

A friend of ours needs work, and I have plenty for him to do around my house. The problem is that he refuses to set a price for his time, and at the end of a job he tells me to pay him what I think it is worth. I can estimate what a professional would charge for the job but my friend takes lengthy and frequent cigarette breaks, breaks to chat, time out for lunch, etc. He also comments that other people don’t pay him adequately for his work. He is excellent at what he does but I just don’t know how/what to pay him in a way that is fair for both of us. I would appreciate any suggestions, as the friendship is important.

M

Dear L.A. Plume,

My friend and I went out for dinner recently and when we were seated at the table, the waiter whisked the napkins off the table, unfolded them, and presented my friend with her napkin. But he exchanged the white napkin in front of me for a black one! What was that all about? My friend was wearing beige and I was wearing black - was this a fashion-forward thing, did it have to do with he fact that I was wearing red lipstick and the restaurant didn’t want stains on the napkins? Quite frankly, my first instinct was to be a bit insulted.

Confused