DR. WALLACE: All summer I've been hearing rumors about my older brother from various sources. Some of these rumors are quite specific, but what's strange is that some of the rumors are in direct conflict with each other, This means that two of the ones I heard can't both be exactly true.

This has me quite confused, and I'd like to know what are true and which might be made up entirely. My problem is that I don't know who started all these rumors and if the people who did actually saw anything in the first place.

What should I do to get to the bottom of all this? — Confused by the Rumor Mill, via email

CONFUSED BY THE RUMOR MILL: Could you simply ask your brother about these rumors directly? And if they are too sensitive to the point that they make you uncomfortable, then you should probably forget all about them entirely.

You admit that you don't know the original source of the rumors and you do know that some of them can't be true if other ones are true. This alone indicates you're not going to get factual information from the sources you're listening to.

You might check with some of your brother's friends to see if they might know anything about this and if he's even aware of the rumors. If he's not, then you could tell him if you wish and then step aside entirely. If he is aware of the rumors, then stay out of the matter entirely and let him deal with his own business.

IT WASN'T MY FAULT BUT HE WON'T LOAN HIS CAR ANYMORE

DR. WALLACE: I got into a minor car accident that was not my fault at all! Another older driver who should have known better clipped the car I was driving and of course this car was not mine, but my father's.

Now my dad won't let me drive his car anymore. Do you think this is fair? Is there anything I can do to convince him I'm a safe, responsible driver? — Not My Fault, via email

NOT MY FAULT: Your father was obviously unhappy that his vehicle was damaged, irrespective of who was at fault. It is his car after all, and he can loan it out to whoever he does or does not wish to.

Be sure to follow up on your small damage event to see if you can have the other driver pay for the damages caused. If borrowing his car is going to be difficult for you going forward, perhaps your father might help you to buy an older used car that has much less overall value.

Tell him that you'd like to get a job to pay for the car and that you'll make installment payments until that vehicle is paid in full.

Just offering to get your own vehicle might cause your father to give you another chance to borrow his vehicle occasionally. And if he does actually help you with your own car at some point, this might be a good solution for everyone involved.

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 [email protected]. 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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