Miss Manners: I gave hand soap as a hostess gift and got mocked for trying to be thoughtful

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I live in a rural area where cellphone reception and internet service can be spotty, which sometimes results in calls being dropped without warning.

Callers who are accustomed to infallible technology can be baffled by this. I’ve even been accused of having hung up on someone! But more commonly, an awkward exchange ensues, where each person tries to call the other back simultaneously and can’t get through.

In order to avoid this, I’ve gotten into the habit of letting callers know upfront that if I initiated the call, I will call them back in case of an interruption (or vice versa, if they are the one who called me). This seems logical, and I find myself wishing it could become established phone etiquette.

GENTLE READER: Perhaps, but technology changes more quickly t