All of my guests came down with COVID

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I had a dinner party for eight people. Six of them, including my spouse and me, later tested positive for COVID.

Prior to the party, we all tested negative, but obviously one or more of us was not symptomatic at the time. Five days after the party, the first person reported that he tested positive, and I contacted the rest of the guests and let them know. Over the next week, most have confirmed that they have the virus.

I feel certain that the party was the event that precipitated this, and feel terrible that my guests are ill because of it. What is the right thing to do now?

GENTLE READER: You have already done the right thing in notifying people immediately, and, Miss Manners trusts, telling them how terrible you feel.

There are two more things for you to do — or, rather, one to do and one not to do:

You should check up on your guests occasionally to see how they are doing, and you should refrain from any speculation about who was the carrier.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I asked my fiance, via text, to please call me before he left a party. His response was, “Why?”

I found this extremely rude, inconsiderate and disrespectful. He disagrees, and says it is a way of saying, “What do you want?” which I still find offensive.

Am I wrong to believe he should have instead said “OK” or “What’s up?”

GENTLE READER: Let’s settle this before you are married. Otherwise, there will be bad times ahead.

It is no more clear to Miss Manners than it was to your fiance why you wanted him to call at that particular moment. So his question does not seem unreasonable to her, although perhaps it could have been interpreted

with a challenging tone.

But that would be looking for trouble. Which is what you seem to be doing.

You denounced his response as if he had told you to go to the devil and then refused to accept his benign explanation.

One question for you: Why? DEAR MISS MANNERS:

There was a time when it was considered bad manners to bring a gift to a wedding. Rather, gifts were to be delivered prior to, or even after, the wedding day. When I was a kid, there were no gift tables at receptions. It simply wasn’t done.

GENTLE READER: Nor should it be, ever.

People having a wedding are too preoccupied to accept presents in the usual gracious manner. Those gift tables are notorious for losing cards and, in semi-public places, even losing packages.