Miss Manners: They Want To Hug And Say ‘i Love You.’ But I Don’t Love Them And I Don’t Want A Hug

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is there an appropriate, polite way to handle toxic family members whom you have had no contact with in years who, when they do happen to run into you in a public place, insist on hugging you and saying they love you? When in fact, their actions over your entire life have proven otherwise? I don’t feel as though I should be subject to these uncomfortable and definitely unwanted encounters, nor do I have any feelings of love for these individuals. Is there a polite way to avoid the physical contact and the “I love you,” which I have no response for at all? GENTLE READER: It is difficult to escape a hug in public without inspiring passersby to call the police.