To recap: In the last column, we met Mira, who had just spent a looooooong Saturday with Alex, a date she was set up with.

She told her tale of woe to her friend Chuck. In the interest of male solidarity, Chuck offered words of advice to Alex — and all the other Alex's out there...

He said: "Your first mistake was not meeting Mira for drinks when she invited you. There's a 50-50 chance you would have caught her feeling good and relaxed. Whenever there's alcohol, a woman and a Friday night involved, go, no matter how tired you are.

"You don't have to dress like you're going to be on the cover of GQ, but you have to have some style. Lose the mom jeans, and lose the Old Spice. Men should never wear Old Spice, unless they're over age 75.

"You should've ordered a round of drinks for the table when you got there. You would've looked like someone with style who has the potential to take care of a woman. At the end of the night, you should have walked Mira to her car, given her a simple kiss on the cheek and told her you looked forward to seeing her the next day."

(To this, Mira said: "Wow! If he would've done that, I'd have approached Saturday with a completely different perspective.")

Chuck continued: "After the Saturday morning pancakes, you should've thanked her for preparing a wonderful breakfast and said you hoped to cook breakfast for her someday. It's important to say thank you, no matter how small the deed. If a woman thinks you're taking her for granted on a first date, just imagine how she thinks you'll treat her after a month.

"You should've realized Chicago was her city and taken her suggestions. When you're on a woman's home turf, listen. Otherwise you'll look like an idiot. If you had taken the taxi, you would've gotten to the boat in time to talk and relax.

"Even if you're not thirsty, ask your date whether she needs anything. After all, she had just worked up a sweat giving into your demand. Once again, you show you care and can take care of the little things.

"You should never have let Mira pay for the drinks. And if she ordered a beer, you should've ordered a beer. If a woman can't drink with you, she's not going to sleep with you.

"Pizza on Saturday night is OK if you're on a fourth or fifth date. And always offer the lady the leftovers. Burping and farting should not occur for at least six months. If it accidentally does, 'excuse me' is appropriate.

"You should've suggested returning to the suburbs so you'd both have time to shower before you got together later for a nice dinner. It would have given you both a chance to get ready for what might have hopefully been a long evening.

"While you were at your hotel, you should've asked the front desk to make a reservation at a nice restaurant. You would've earned some major style points. At dinner, you could've had some wine, and talked about the day and the boat tour. After dinner, you could've asked Mira whether she wanted to go for drink. Who knows? Maybe she would have invited you to have a night cap back at her place."

What do you think? Who's right? Alex or Chuck?

Send your tale, along with your relationship questions and problems to [email protected]. And check out my new e-book, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front."