Bad way to give advice

Not very long ago an old friend from school told me that she could be anorexic. Her doctor said she's displaying the symptoms. Anybody who knows her would see this as no surprise at all. She's really, really, really slim. For her height.

I think I'm not the only one who's worried about her. Then I remembered that I have this book about an anorexic and I lent it to her. You'll relate to it, I said, wihtout telling her what the book is about and hoping that she wouldn't catch my hidden intention. Innocent lass that she is, she thanked me and took it home.

That was probably one of our last conversations. We didn't get along well after that. Showing up at her wedding was torturous. I feared the groom might come up to me and punch my lights out for having the nerve to tell his lovely bride that she hasn't enough meat on her bones. ("I didn't say anything! It was the doctor who did!") She returned the book shortly before the event. Her silence about it was especially disturbing. It's either she never touched the book or the book touched her, in a hot iron sort of way.

No more advising people using books. I've learned my lesson.