Q. Scrolling through my WhatsApp contacts, I have found a name I don’t recognise but when I click on the profile I can see it is a very pretty girl. I suspect I may have met her on a night out when I might have had too much to drink which would account for me not remembering who she is. Because I don’t know how long ago this meeting was, or even where it was, I’m not sure if I can now send her a message and start a conversation. What do you think, Mary?
– E.L., London SW11
A. Send a lunchtime WhatsApp saying, ‘I’m standing outside the Wolseley [or similar desirable hotspot]. Where are you?’ This will prompt an urgent confused response. Text back, ‘So sorry. I meant to send that message to someone else. He’s just arrived. But how nice to hear from you. What have you been up to?’ Her answer will give you a clue as to where you met and pave the way for you to take things further.
Q. We have a daily woman who comes once a week to our London flat. We tend to leave very early in the morning so we rarely overlap with her. Our problem is that neither of us knows what her name is – we pay in cash which we just leave on the kitchen table – and since she has been coming for at least six months, we feel we cannot now ask her. What should we do?
– Name and address withheld
A. Invite a friend to stay the night in your flat and make him- or herself at home there the following day. That person can be the one to elicit the name when they have to introduce themselves since you will be out.
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