Dear Mrs. McVeigh,
Have you ever received a text from someone, and the person is not in your contacts? I want to ask the person who they are, but how do I do that without insulting the person, and seem like I am being rude? Thank you.
Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
I think this happens to everyone at some point. I think it is fine to ask the person his identity. You can say something like, “Thank you for your text. I am so sorry, but I am unsure who this is.” If you still feel like that is not apologetic sounding, you can add something such as, “My contacts on my texts are not showing up for some reason.” When the person identifies himself, you can then thank the person, and tell him that you have added him to your contacts once again.