A promiscuous former life

DEAR ANNIE » My wife and I have been together since we were just out of high school. We’ve been married for

18 years, and we have three glorious children. We have a great relationship, but I recently discovered she was extremely promiscuous in high school and found out she slept with many of our friends, some of whom are still in our social circle. I have always had a jealous nature, and now the jealousy is overwhelming my daily thoughts, especially when we see these other guys. Although the encounters happened before my time with her, I still feel cheated on and don’t look at her the way I once did. I have not brought it up with her, because I know she will get super defensive, and I know she will not go to counseling because of the nature of the topic. Any insight into getting over this would be appreciated, as I do love her and want to be with her.

— Jealous in Wisconsin

DEAR JEALOUS » Your wife is still looking at you with the same love in her eyes she always has, and if she knew you now look at her differently because of things she did 20 years ago, she would be heartbroken. So don’t tell her. Though I generally champion the importance of talking every problem out with a romantic partner, unfounded jealousy is the exception. If you aired your feelings, they’d grow like fanned flames. You’d most likely make your wife feel defensive, and her defensiveness would in turn make you feel less secure about the marriage. Deprive these fiery feelings of oxygen and they’ll eventually die out.

It’s also not worth talking about it with her because this is about you, not your relationship. Do some digging and try to get to the root of your insecurity. Use positive self-talk to encourage rational thinking. And if the obsessive thoughts won’t stop nagging you, consider therapy.

DEAR ANNIE » I recently visited a small deli-type restaurant and ordered a takeout square of lasagna. There was a big glass tip jar of cash right next to the credit card screen. I waited for my order, and when I received it, I placed several bucks in the tip jar — overly generous, as my tab was only $6 — and walked back to my camper. When I opened my bag, I found that my lasagna was a very small edge slice, and it was burned black — not even close to being edible. I am mildly disabled, enough that a stroll back to the restaurant was too much for my bad knees.

I would like to know when a tip went from being a reward for exemplary service to a ransom for basic decency. I sure wish I had my tip money back for that lasagna. Alert to owners: Do you know how your employees are treating your customers? I’ll surely never return, nor will many of the people I related my experience to. Alert to service personnel: What are you going to do when the business where you work folds because customers don’t come back?

— Lost Customer in

Wilmington

DEAR CUSTOMER » It sounds as if you didn’t give this server a chance to earn her tip. Next time, speak up. If a restaurant wants to stay in business, it’ll do what it can to keep customers happy.

DEAR ANNIE » A farm that has been in my family for four generations was passed down to me. I love this land. It is not a great investment, I admit, but I don’t want to sell it. Instead, I would like for my children to own it when I die. My children don’t share the same connection to the farm that I do. I understand that they most likely will want to sell it so they can use the proceeds for something else. I am OK with that.

The problem? My husband insists that I should put his name on the deed now or provide in my will that he will inherit the farm from me if I die before he does. He insists that I should do so “as a sign of respect.” He says that he might need to sell it to pay for his care in old age. I doubt that, because we are reasonably well-off, but I have offered to put the land in a trust so that if he doesn’t have enough money to pay for his care, the income from the farm can be used to support him. He is not satisfied. I am wornout from arguing. What should I do?

— Love This Land

DEAR LOVE THIS LAND » It is your ancestral farm, and you should do with it whatever you please. But seeing as you mentioned that money isn’t really a concern, have you looked into donating the land? You seem to have such a deep connection with it that you might find joy in knowing it went to a good cause.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.