I assumed it was 50%, as in half the fee up front, half on delivery.

No, it was definitely a PowerBar, in a light blue/aqua wrapper. You get major points for finding that, though. What possessed these people, to make this?

You're welcome - have a great time. PS Mr. Lucky says the good thrift neighborhood is 4th Avenue.

And the more time has gone by, distorting your memory and making you forget all of the help you had on the way.

Tracy's advice covers it. I would only add that I've heard that bereavement fare policies often only apply to full-fare tickets. You can often get a better price by buying an odd-time (red-eye or early morning) mid-week ticket.

So sorry for your loss.

This is such an excellent answer. I would only add that if you want to sound like you know what you're doing, order that glass of water as a 'water back'. And have a standard drink in mind for those places that don't have a drinks menu.

So, faced with no drinks menu, you might ask 'may I have a rye manhattan with a water back?'

And don't get me started on Crush. Worst service in the city, from maitre' d to bartender to servers to Wilson himself.

We finally tried Le Gourmand recently and were sooooo very disappointed. They lost our reservation, my dinner was undercooked and the service was dismissive and blah. On the upside, we had talked about going there for years, and now we're over that.

I think three dishes is too much for any hostess to ask, even of family. You could get back to her and say "my offer to bring drinks & dessert still stand, but three side dishes is too much, what with needing to wrangle the kids, the long drive, working the day before etc." Or, offer to make one of the side dishes. Bring drinks regardless, because the hostess can always use a glass of wine when the turkey "has been cooking for X long and still the thingy hasn't popped out!"

Did you already agree to make the three dishes? I wonder (since it's your brother's girlfriend) if she is just intimidated at trying to cook a large dinner for her boyfriend's family, and asked you to help because she thinks you're a super capable host? If so, maybe the gracious thing is to make the three dishes. But then next time, when she asks you to bring all the side dishes to Easter dinner, stick to your guns on your offer to bring just drinks & dessert, or a single side dish.

Asteria gives great advice. I'd only add that the contract should contain a statement whereby he acknowledges the debt, including the interest (at whatever rate your credit card charges - specify it). Then, if/when he breaches the agreement, you can bring the claim in small claims court for up to $5000 (in Washington), and obtain a judgment. You don't need a lawyer for small claims court - you actually can't have one represent you in small claims court. You may want to hire a lawyer to help you collect on the judgment, either through garnishment or a lien against his property. Good luck!