Girlfriend of 3 years finally learns the horrible truth
For nearly three years, I have been seeing a man who later asked me to move in with him. He abruptly stopped emailing me four months ago. I waited several weeks and then emailed him, telling him how upset and hurt I was and asking what was going on. I found out — NOT from him — that he has been in a relationship with another woman for the last five years. I am furious! I am at a loss about what I should do.
— Shattered
in Oregon
DEAR SHATTERED »
The man may have abruptly stopped communicating with you because the woman he has been involved with found out about the romance he was having with you. Have you heard from him since? (If not, she may have rendered him speechless.)
It’s important you find a way to discharge some of your righteous anger. Believe it or not, physical exercise can help. Talking to friends or a therapist may also lessen the urge to explode. Learn whatever lesson there is to learn from this and move on. Do NOT let it rule your life. Everyone makes mistakes, and he was one.
DEAR ABBY »
Without consulting me, my husband gave my father’s
U.S. Army uniform to my brother complete with honor patches. My sisterin-law now wears it as a fashion statement, saying that she is a “Sullivan.” This is not sitting well with me. She is only a Sullivan by marriage.
I feel it is disgraceful to prance around in something you haven’t earned, and it’s insulting not just to my late father, but to all who have served. Her father also served, but she isn’t wearing his uniform. — Disrespected in the Midwest
DEAR DISRESPECTED »
Your husband should not have given YOUR brother the uniform without first consulting you because it wasn’t his property to give. What your SIL is doing with it seems less like a fashion statement and more like an example of “stolen valor,” which may be offensive to many people, particularly those who have served. It is not a crime by virtue of the fact that she isn’t impersonating a soldier. But it would be in better taste for her to wear her own father’s uniform rather than your dad’s.