Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:

My husband is retired but I am still working as a teacher. There is a fascinating,
once-only art class from a fabulous teacher I met this summer that I want to take
at the university craft center. Problems: it’s on a weeknight, from 6:30-9:30.
Parking on campus is bad; I am afraid about walking alone at night; and I have
no friend who wants to take the class with me. I asked my husband if he would
consider being my chauffeur, dropping me outside the door and picking me up at
class end, suggesting that he could take a different class or putter (or even nap)
inside the university library while I get to enjoy my Paint Like Van Gogh intensive.
He is underwhelmed but agreed to abide by your say-so. What is your verdict?

Teacher and Student

 
Dear Teacher and Student:

I’ll confess my biases up front: You’re working; he’s retired. You&'re a woman
concerned about safety; he’s the man who could eliminate the problem. You
want to do something more with your evening than stare at a screen; he could
expand his horizons, or at least his locale. So my vote is with your very wise
suggestion. The alternative, which I hope is not a severe budget constraint, is to
take a cab/Uber, or pay a local high-school kid with homework to do exactly what
you are asking your husband to do. The very idea that he might be judged by
neighbors might inspire him to say yes to your plan.
The greater challenge, at least based on most folks I know of a similar age, is
staying awake and functional past 9:00 PM. You might ask the teacher if it is truly
a once-in- a-lifetime event, or is s/he might repeat this summer, in daylight hours.
Happy painting.