DEAR MISS MANNERS: Last night, my wife and I participated in a trivia night event at a local establishment. It was our first time there, and neither of us cared about winning the competition. We were really there to support the host, our daughter’s boyfriend.
It was a small event, with five teams of two to three people per team. My wife and I were one team. In the middle of one of the rounds, I received a call back from someone I had left a message for earlier in the day -- someone I knew years ago socially -- about recommendations for a personal trainer in my area.
When I returned to our table about five minutes later, my wife -- usually a rational and levelheaded person -- was uncharacteristically angry. She called my behavior rude and said I should not have taken the call, but rather let it go to voicemail.
We got back into the game but argued about the phone call again on the way home. We eventually agreed we just cannot see eye to eye on this situation. I am perplexed. Was I wrong to take this call?
GENTLE READER: You left your wife to answer trivia questions on her own? Unacceptable! While you may not have felt particularly competitive, it is still painful to be left solely responsible for what was supposed to be a team effort.
Miss Manners believes that in this case, your phone call was far more trivial than the trivia. She suggests you apologize to your wife.
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(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)
