DR. WALLACE: I'm a girl who will be a senior in high school here in a few weeks when school starts. I have a lot of friends, both guys and girls and I've had really good luck having some excellent guy friends who are completely platonic.

One guy in particular has been very loyal and reliable, but I kind of feel for him because he doesn't seem to have much luck in the dating department. I think part of it is that he uses a lot of awkward phrases and sayings. For example, this summer he has picked up what I feel is the bad habit of constantly saying to me, "I'm at your disposal" when what he really means is that he's available to help, like when I was arranging a fundraiser, doing some volunteer work, cleaning up a local park or even helping my older sister pack up her belongings to move away for her upcoming move to an out of state college. Every time he uses this phrase, I have a mental image of scraps going down a garbage disposal, which is not the best visual to associate with the word "disposal."

Do you think I should say anything to him or just let it go? He's a nice guy, and I'd like to help him, but I don't want to appear to be condescending. — My Friend Speaks Awkwardly, via email

MY FRIEND SPEAKS AWKWARDLY: Obviously you do want what is best for your friend, and you're considerate enough to think about it from both perspectives and you also took the time to write to me about this issue.

Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to speak with him, but be very careful and casual in how you present your suggestions to him. And if you're going to truly try to help him out, go beyond just this particular word you don't like and help him with any other phrases you find similarly awkward. Then go a step further and give him some ideas on open-ended questions he can ask potential dates and so forth, as this may be the silver lining he'll benefit from most, should you choose to address the underlying issue.

HE'S LITERALLY DEALING BLACKJACK IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!

DR. WALLACE: I'm an 18-year-old girl, and I still live at home with my parents, but my question today involves my 15-year-old younger brother who is a bit of a hustler, to say the least!

He has always been the type to try to figure out an angle to make some money somewhere, or get someone to give him money so that he can spend it on things he likes. He always seems to have a huge wish list of ways to spend any money he receives, be it legitimately or in a dicey manner.

Lately he seems to have had a lot of money, more than I recall him having and so I asked him where he's getting all the cash. He pulled out a huge fistful of coins and a few bills from his left pocket and then he pulled out a deck of cards from his right pocket. He told me he learned the rules of blackjack and how to deal it on the Internet, and he's letting all of his friends play blackjack where he is the "house" as the dealer. This is a card game also known as "21" which is available in most casinos in certain states.

I asked him who in the world would play blackjack against him and he named several of the neighborhood kids, some that I'm aware of. I wasn't sure if any of this was true, but I ran into two of these kids at the mall yesterday and I asked them. Both of them said they did and they gave me long faces, saying that they lost all of their money to my brother because they were unlucky.

Now I feel I have a dilemma, as I'm aware that this is going on and I now know it for sure. My parents wouldn't be happy with this situation, so should I say anything or just keep silent? — Little Brother is a Card Shark, via email.

LITTLE BROTHER IS A CARD SHARK: I feel you do have an obligation to say something now that you have confirmed for sure what is going on. Think of it this way: Things are not going to end well either way for your brother and his friends. Either they will continue to lose money to him, and at some point their parents will likely find out about this and confront your brother.

Or, eventually they will beat your brother and cause him to lose all of his money or perhaps even go into debt to some of these other kids. Either way, there's no good outcome and it won't be long until word gets around anyhow that this is going on. 15-year-old boys should not be playing blackjack for money, so you owe it to all of these boys, including your brother, to diplomatically tip off your parents so they can intervene and put an end to it.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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