Dear Mary | 3 January 2009

Q. I moved down from Scotland to London about two years ago with my family. When my husband is away or working late, I regularly have dinner with a (platonic) male friend who used to live near us up north. He now lives in north London and I live in south. We always meet at the same restaurant, which is exactly halfway between us. We always really enjoy the chat. We always split the bill. The only trouble is that he drinks — not very much, but enough to preclude him from driving — and I have recently given up drinking so I always have my car outside. He used to get taxis back but the last three times we have met he has expected me to drive him home. Without wishing to seem mean-spirited, this extra 40 minutes on my journey home is beginning to impact on my enjoyment of these dinners.