Friend playing Cupid neglects to mention drug habit
9/21/20
DEAR ABBY » My hairdresser, former neighbor and friend recommended her unemployed brother to do some minor repairs to my home. He and his sister were trying to push me into a relationship. I am a widow with no children. I have no mortgages, car notes, etc. I’m not wealthy, but I am well set.
My hairdresser recently mentioned that her brother was using crack cocaine again. I’m furious that she didn’t disclose her brother’s addiction sooner. Should I let it go or confront her about this? I really don’t want to lose my hairdresser.
Bridge
Holly Lisle, a novelist who also gives classes for budding authors, wrote, “If you don’t accept responsibility for your own actions, then you are forever chained to a position of defense.”
When a bridge player is on defense, he usually takes responsibility for his actions — although sometimes he needs to be guided by his partner.
Today’s deal occurred during the bronze-medal playoff in the Polish
League Final Four. This was the first live bridge event in Poland since the coronavirus lockdown. It was played in Warsaw over the last weekend of June.
Sitting East and West were Wlodzimierz Starkowski and Michal Kwiecien. They defeated four spades. Looking at all
DEAR STYLED » You are certainly free to ask your hairdresser why she didn’t tell you her brother had a crack habit before recommending him to do repairs in your home. It’s a fair question, if nothing is missing and the repairs were done properly. Refrain from doing it while you are angry. If you hang onto your temper, there is no reason why your relationship with the woman should end.
As to a relationship with the brother, no law says you must have one with him. You don’t have 52 cards, can you see how they did it after West led the diamond ace?
East’s three-diamond response was preemptive. With game-invitational values or more, he would have responded two notrump. This pushed NorthSouth to be confrontational, but be less available. As you spend more time with other people, he will get the message.
into the thin game.
Upside-down signals have been the norm in Poland forever. They even lead low from doubletons and the middle card from a tripleton. (The first time I used those methods, I was amazed how well they worked.) Under West’s diamond ace, East signaled with the 10, the high card showing an odd number and the very high card being a suit-preference signal for hearts. So, at trick two, West shifted to a heart.
Declarer played a trump off the board, but East hopped up with the king and returned his second heart. Then, when West got in with his spade ace, he gave his partner a heart ruff.
Brilliant!