Widow adores high school sweetheart
DE AR ABBY : My husband of 37 years passed away four months ago. When we were first mar r ied, we were happy, but his dr inking increased and he turned into a miserable, mean drunk. More than a decade of my life was spent looking after him, for which he rarely, if ever, expressed appreciation.
O ne month after his funeral, I was contacted out of the blue by my high school sweet heart. I was reluctant to respond at first, but I decided it couldn’t hurt to meet him. The attraction was immediate. It felt like we were back in high school. It has been three months now, and we are ready to take our relationship to the next level. He makes me fe el better than I have ever felt in my life. My children know how miserable I was for decades in my mar r iage, but I’m still concerned about how they’ll feel about me s er iously dating so soon after becoming a widow.—Longing for Love in the Midwest
DEAR LONGING: If you explain to your adult children that you and your fr iend from long ago have reconnected, they shouldn’t react badly to the news. However, a word of caution: This is still a budding relationship. If by “taking the relationship to the next level” you mean becoming intimate, you are an adult long past the age of consent. However, if it means dashing off to mar r y this person, take more time before making a for mal commitment.
DEAR ABBY : I am a 55- year- old woman who had good jobs earlier in my career, which enabled me to buy a tow nhouse in New England. I now work as a consultant, and I no longer earn the same kind of money I did back then. My problem : About 20 years ago, my parents borrowed money from me to fix their home s o they could s ell it. After it sold, not only did they not pay me back, but they moved in with me. It was supposed to be temporar y, but they have been staying here rent- free for the last five years. In addition to my fr ustration w ith my parents, my sister was living dow n south with her boyfriend when their relationship imploded. So she moved back to New England and moved in with us. She is not paying rent either and brought her two dogs w ith her. I am at my wits’ end. Pleas e give me some advice. — G oing Bonkers in Massachusetts
DEAR GOING BONKERS: You have been patient and tolerant for far too long.
You have been a pushover. Contact an attorney for help, because you may have to evict these relatives. Grow a backbone and TELL your parents you want them not only to move but to take your sister and her dogs w ith them.