Betrayed wife walks the road toward recovery
Dear Free Bird: If you decide to willfully ignore your sister's reasonable and understandable boundary, then you should contact your brother-in-law on your own behalf, making a simple and respectful "ask," and understanding that when you do so you run the risk of seeming like an entitled family fence jumper.
Your brother-in-law might be happy to help you, or reluctantly willing to help you, or he may tell you he donates his passes to a charity that makes it possible for family members to visit wounded servicemen and women in military hospitals. He may ignore you, or simply ask you to go away and then complain to your sister. No matter what, you should graciously thank him for considering your request and express gratitude for his involvement in your family's life.
Dear Amy: Your answer to "Recovered," the lady who didn't want to go to her friend's filthy house, wasn't sufficient.
This friend kept birds, and the birds are suffering in the filth too. Recovered should say, "I love seeing you, but I got horribly sick from a bacterial infection at your house. It's filthy. For the sake of you and your birds, I'll visit again when it's all cleaned up. Until then, let's meet elsewhere."
-- Bird Lover
Dear Bird Lover: Thank you for your no-nonsense response.
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(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Amy Dickinson, c/o Tribune Content Agency, LLC., 16650 Westgrove Dr., Suite 175, Addison, TX 75001. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)
