Ask Emma

Question: For the last six years, I used to come celebrate Labor Day at a friend’s house with a large backyard and a pool. Every time, there is the same stable company of people who I don’t communicate with much otherwise. It happened that recently my relationship with one of those people has soured for some reason, and now we are barely on speaking terms with each other. This person happens to be our hostess’s best friend. As the Labor Day approaches, I still don’t have an invitation, which is pretty unusual, unless it got lost somehow. What should I do – wait a little more and make other plans or ask the hostess at the risk of looking desperate?
Answer: If those people are not your good friends and you have a problem with one of them, why would you be so desperate to get there in the first place? You can call the hostess and risk being rejected and/or exposed to some lie. Is that what you want? It happens that invitations get lost, but most of the time when they are not sent. Start looking for another pool party right now.