A FEW weeks ago I took my wife for a romantic weekend to a posh hotel.
On the Saturday afternoon she hit the spa while I had a lie down.
Suddenly her mobile phone started ringing. I tracked it down to her jacket pocket and saw that she’d just missed a call from someone called “Mr X”.
Then a text popped up on the screen from this Mr X describing what he’d like to do to her in bed. At that moment she came back into the room and tried to wrestle it off me but I’d seen enough.
I grabbed my stuff, stormed out and left her to settle the bill.
Now she’s calling me unreasonable, suspicious and paranoid.
She absolutely insists that she’s not having an affair and that Mr X was simply a bloke at work winding her up.
Now our relationship is a living hell. I keep telling her to simply tell the truth and stop treating me like an idiot. JANE SAYS: I’m afraid that I don’t buy your wife’s story. Even if this Mr X is only a friend, then why is he sending inappropriate messages to her private phone on a Saturday afternoon?
If she’s so insistent that he’s nothing more than a colleague, then why doesn’t she set up a friendly drink with him?
You could all go out and have a good laugh about his saucy sense of humour – or wouldn’t that be a good idea?
I CAN’T respect my dad for bedding girls who are younger than I am.
When he and my mum broke up last September I begged him to spare me the humiliation of a foxy stepmother.
I pointed out that I’m 26 and certainly no prude. I believe in “live and let live” and all that. But I draw the line at having to call anyone with acne “Mum”.
He winked and said that he would “see what he could do”.
Since then he has completely flown in my face with a series of girls who are barely out of school. His current squeeze is 21 and l look like her granny!
I’ve met her a few times and she’s sweet and they seem happy enough. But the whole relationship puts me in a very awkward position with my mother.
She loved my dad to bits but he treated her very badly by having a series of affairs throughout their marriage.
She only actually found out the truth when three of his on-off lovers got together and contacted her via social media.
She confronted my father who (unfortunately) was very drunk at the time and he said all sorts of terrible things about never really loving her and her being useless in bed.
Now she hates his guts and keeps begging me to have nothing to do with him and I feel torn and compromised.
The fact is that I know my dad is a slug but I do love him. Equally, my mum isn’t always the easiest person in the world but she’s all I’ve got.
The other night I tried to talk to my dad about the way he treats people and lives his life but he refused to engage.
All he kept saying was: “You’re happy enough to take my money, aren’t you?”
It’s true, he does top up my income as I earn very little but I would also like him to respect my wishes and my position by being a little more conventional. JANE SAYS: Forget trying to tame or change your father because he’s simply not interested in your input.
It could be that his latest girlfriend will turn out to be the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Alternatively, they’ll crash and burn and her name will never be mentioned again.
What you need to accept (and this probably isn’t a very nice thought for you) is that a lot of this is about sex.
I strongly suspect that your dad is having great sex with this girl.
He’s just come through a divorce and he’s footloose and fancy free. Don’t expect him to be reasonable right now because his head is still in the clouds.
Step back, don’t be tempted to judge or comment, and simply wait and see what happens.
Relationships do work between people of all ages. You can never say never. Ultimately, she may fall out of love/lust with him and move on to someone of her own age.
My best advice is to maintain a respectful relationship with your dad, keep talking, keep things light – and just wait and see what happens next.
And if you need his money, then you have to respect his position. I REALLY like my friend’s brother.
I didn’t realise how much until he announced that he was leaving the country to go travelling.
Then it hit me – I’m madly in love with him and always have been!
We get on like a house on fire, share the same sense of humour and have a real rapport.
But I worry that he simply views me as a friend and not necessarily as a potential lover.
I’m just not sure where to go with this.
I’m 30 years of age and I’ve been single for a while. My problem is that I never catch the signals so I never know whether someone genuinely likes me or not.
I don’t know what to say to him about my feelings.
I’m really shy when it comes to affairs of the heart. Should I simply do nothing and hope that we remain friends or is strong action needed? Please help. JANE SAYS: You can’t allow this guy to slip through your fingers.
If you genuinely like him, then be bold and make your move. Take the initiative and ask him if he fancies spending some time with you.
Flirt a little and smile a lot. If being flirtatious doesn’t come naturally, then put on an act, pretend you’re playing a role in a play.
The fact of the matter is that you’ve known him for a long time and can afford to be open and honest. Maybe you could suggest going travelling with him?
This could be the beginning of a whole new chapter in your life.
However, if he’s really not interested then you cannot be disheartened.
If you need to boost your confidence and meet new people, then check out clubs and activities.