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ASK AMY

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I was driving home from work the other day when my car got a flat tire. I didn't have the slightest idea of how to fix the thing.

Just as I was about to call the auto club, a nice man showed up and offered to change it for me.

I said okay, and in no time flat (pun intended) he had my car ready to go. I appreciated the time and effort he took to help me out, and I told him so.

When I got home, I got a call from one of my girlfriends who saw me on the side of the road.

She said it was rude of me to be sitting down relaxing while this guy changed the tire.

My friend thought that it would have been more appropriate for me to stand at attention, with at least a facade of looking gratefully helpless.

While it is true that I took a beach chair out of the trunk and sat in it while the guy changed the tire, and yes, I was drinking a soda, which for the record I offered to him first (he declined), I still don't think that this behavior rises to the level of rudeness.

Could you settle this matter?

Pauline in Malibu

I don't know how people do things in Malibu, but in the Great Frozen North, where I live, we take our neighborly roadside assistance very seriously.

First of all, this presents some security risks for you, which is why you should have called and waited for the auto club. However, if you are going to play the damsel in distress, my dear, then you shouldn't do it halfway.

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