DEAR ABBY: I’m 13, and one of my best friends attempted suicide. “Greg” always seemed so happy that this has come as a shock to all of us. We’re thankful he is alive, but we don’t know how to behave around him.

When Greg returns to school, what should we talk about and how can we (his friends) support him? — GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE

DEAR GIVEN: Greg is lucky to have such caring friends as you. When you see him, tell him you’re glad to see him and were concerned about him. Do NOT pump him for details. If he wants to talk about what happened, let him do it in his own time.

As to what to talk about with him, talk about the things you always have and include him in all the activities you have in the past. Knowing his friends care about him is very important.

If you have further concerns, discuss them with a guidance counselor at school or contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Its phone number is (800) 273-8255 and its website is www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

DEAR ABBY: Before I married my wife, I told her I didn’t want a housewife and she agreed she would never be out of work. Two months after tying the knot, she said she got fired from her job, but I think she quit.

She’s asking me for money to do things I thought were dumb when we were dating. We dated for three years before getting married and she had the same job the whole time. She has now been out of work for a year.

I feel like I have been tricked. I have never seen her look in the newspaper or search online for work. I think she was a better girlfriend than she is a wife. How do I fix this situation? — UNHAPPILY MARRIED

DEAR UNHAPPILY MARRIED: Remind your wife of the agreement you had before you were married — that you would be a working couple. Because you feel you are being taken advantage of, offer your wife the option of marriage counseling. However, if that doesn’t heal the breach in your relationship, talk to a lawyer.

DEAR ABBY: I have a question regarding grocery store self-scan checkouts. Many grocery stores and supermarkets usually have four machines in one lane, two on each side. If they are all being used, are customers supposed to form one line — and the customer in front goes whenever a machine opens up? Or does each machine have its own individual line?

I, along with most other people, wait in the middle in one lane. But many times someone will walk right past and stand behind someone checking out!

I never see signs posted and no employees ever say anything. Hopefully, you could clear this up for us. — FRUSTRATED SHOPPER IN TENNESSEE

DEAR FRUSTRATED: This is a question that should be addressed to the manager of the grocery store where you are shopping. If most of the customers are forming a single line and someone cuts in, the folks in line usually have no hesitation telling the offender, “The line starts here!” But because there is some confusion, and the self-checkout technology is still new, it makes sense that the management of the store would post a sign telling customers what is preferred.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.