That is absolutely an excellent question. I hope I can come up with even an halfway excellent answer! The mechanic is working on your property, your car; the law is written against any person "in authority" over another person? You've gone for help - if the mechanic steps out of line, presumably you could still be vulnerable, but my (state-issued) manicurist license does require me to "have good morals" or it could be revoked. that's still not the right answer, is it?

idk - I hold my T to a pretty high standard, that my friends either can't meet or they would tell me where to get off, and probably vice versa. maybe I need to be pickier about my friends, but I don't think so! I'm the lousy friend of the pairs. i'm already waaaay too much of a perfectionist (from FOO), missing too much of life because of it.

So is this the heart of the issue? Why T seems so "perfect"? A T who APPARENTLY never gets mad at us is the perfect friend? Or nursemaid? This is slightly embarrassing! But that's what makes it such a good question.