DEAR MISS MANNERS: My neighbor, with whom I have friendly chats, sent a group text to several women, including me, inviting us all to meet for dinner at a local restaurant, followed by a yoga class. I responded that I would love to come to dinner.

When I showed up at the restaurant, she looked at me and said, “What are you doing here?” I was shocked and didn’t know how to respond and blurted out that she had invited me.

I still feel awkward and don’t know how I should have responded in that moment. Now I just feel uncomfortable around her. What should I have done?

GENTLE READER: Your neighbor’s statement is too hurtful to be excused, so you are going to have to reinvent it out of existence.

Miss Manners is not suggesting you pretend your hearing aid malfunctioned — that might actually elicit a repetition. Instead, treat it as a joke.

Before you object that this is disingenuous, consider how grateful everyone present will be to be given this graceful way out — including your neighbor, though her gratitude may require time. If that process is going to be measured in units larger than minutes or hours, then you might wish to space out your future interactions with her accordingly.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com, by email to [email protected], or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.