Dear Eric >> Tthe father of my goddaughter has been cheating on his wife for almost the entirety of their 30-year marriage. For some reason, the wife has decided to stay. My goddaughter’s destination wedding is coming up soon. I don’t want to be in a room with this man, let alone hug or converse with him. Any tips on how to remain civil over the course of the weekend?

— Disgusted Godmom

Dear Godmom >> You can respect your goddaughter’s mother’s choice while drawing a personal line with the father. Either before the wedding or in a private moment on the day of, tell him the truth. “I find it really hard to accept this new information I’ve learned. Your marriage is your business, but I can’t have a relationship with you. For the sake of your daughter, I’m bringing this up now so that we can be civil while still giving each other space.” Weddings are busy events with a lot of different interactions. You won’t be able to avoid taking photos with him, but by being clear upfront, you can avoid small talk.

Dear Eric >> My favorite pub has wonderful food except for the fries. They take up half the plate and are inedible. My last chicken sandwich was flanked with a huge serving of flaccid cardboard-tasting fries served cold. The owner would probably save money and keep customers if they served bagged frozen beer-battered fries which are predictable and cheap. Three meals at this pub over a month with no improvement in the fries is my limit. How should I let the owner know his soggy fries are running me off? Just serve potato salad if you like them wet and cold like that. Reliable, delicious fries are one of the pillars of a good pub feed and a trusted bar.

— French Fry Flop

Dear French Fry >> I love low-stakes drama, and I love French fries, so I’m eating this question up (with ketchup and sometimes ranch). A simple path: Just tell the owner what your experience has been and what you’d like to see coming out of the kitchen. They’d surely appreciate a direct conversation with a customer willing to give them another chance more than a stranger leaving a scathing online review.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com.