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Dear Annie: More than 30 years ago, my brother "Zach" was married for several years to "Ruth," who had an affair with an older man and left him to marry the new guy. She became pregnant during their last year of marriage, but when she left, she told Zach that she'd had a miscarriage. After a very bitter divorce, there was no communication ...Read more

ATTENTION CLASSIC ANNIE'S MAILBOX EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2014. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. -- CREATORS.COM

Dear Annie: My brother, "William," recently passed away in his sleep. His passing came as a shock to everyone. He wasn't ill or showing any indication that something was wrong. We suspect it was a heart...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband's family came to town for a week over the holidays. We made plans to be with them every evening except one. My parents were in the final stages of a job relocation and were leaving town that same weekend. We gave my family the one evening, Sunday, that was not delegated to my in-laws.

My husband's parents asked us twice ...Read more

Dear Annie: Three months ago, I was put in charge of collecting money for a group contribution. I put it in an envelope in my house. I then had to go on a trip. When I returned, I searched high and low for the envelope, and for the life of me, I can't find it. Some were checks that may expire soon.

I made good on the contribution, so if I find ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a divorced woman who was married to a self-centered man for 30 years. He often told me that if I thought there was something better out there to not let the door hit me on the way out. I finally took him up on it, and it turned out to be the best advice he ever gave me.

For the past three years, I've been dating "Ted," also ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been in a committed relationship for a year. Admittedly, my girlfriend and I (we are lesbians) rushed into things. We moved in together quickly when she broke up with her girlfriend of five years. After the first month, "Dennie" cheated on me with her ex. I wrote it off, but a few months later, she cheated again. I have ...Read more

Dear Annie: My problem is my in-laws. They do not have any friends or hobbies, so they choose to cling to us. They insist on doing everything we do, going everywhere we go.

Our children are active in sports and often play on the weekends. That means we spend every weekend with my in-laws. They talk to their son the whole time about nonsense, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for three years. Two months after the wedding, I discovered that my husband was cheating with several women. Worse, he confessed that he wasn't using condoms, and by that time, I was four months pregnant. I was crushed to learn that he was putting our unborn baby's life at risk.

After that horrible ordeal, we ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am the manager of a small bakery. I've had the same employee, "Sue," for the past nine years. She is lazy and uninvolved, and I gave her a so-so review. Much to my surprise, Sue was promoted to management in another facility. I was happy for her achievement, until I heard she was telling others that she was doing the majority of ...Read more

Dear Annie: My relationship with my mother has always been challenging. When she could no longer grab me by the hair and shake my head, she adopted inappropriate behavior with my boyfriends, called me stupid, worshipped my brothers and sister-in-law over me and much more.

The final straw came in a telephone conversation. My mother said she ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am writing to you with a heavy heart. I have been married to my second wife for 20 years. We dated for two years, and she became impatient with my reluctance to get married. We both wanted kids, but her timetable was different than mine. Even though I was old enough to know better (46), I married her because she got pregnant. I ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm an identical twin and will be turning 56 in February, but my sister behaves more like my daughter than my sister.

Annie, I'm sick of it! My twin sister turned her back on me in believing ridiculous lies told by my youngest brother. Several years later, she showed up out of the blue needing a place to live, knowing "Old Sis" ...Read more

Dear Annie: When I was a freshman in high school, I became friends with "Agnes," who was (like me) something of a social outcast. Agnes still considers me to be her best friend. That was 10 years ago.

We have both grown up to be very different people. I am repelled by Agnes' lifestyle of promiscuity and high-risk behaviors. Although she is ...Read more

Dear Annie: My brother and his wife recently stayed with us for nine months. He did some part-time work every now and then. His wife refused to find a job and mostly stayed home.

My wife and I work long hours. We also then had to do the grocery shopping, cooking and taking care of our kids afterward. During this time, my brother and his wife ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have five younger brothers who mean everything to me. Three of them still live with my mother. Mom lived with an abusive man for years. When I was 11, she chose this man over me and put me in a foster home for two years. He is now out of the house and away from my precious little ones, but I'm afraid it's temporary. Mom claims ...Read more

Dear Annie: Years ago, Ann Landers published an essay about a woman who sees a stranger in the mirror. Can you reprint it? It's very apropos to what some of my friends and I are going through. -- Northern California Girl

Dear Northern California: Here is an edited version of Rose Mula's piece, copyrighted in 1999. If you would like to read ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I recently had several relatives over for a family gathering. During the evening's events, my 10-year-old nephew threw a tantrum and threatened to hurt my 1-year-old son. He said, "If someone doesn't get him off of me, I am going to throw him." I called for my son to come to me, hoping that my sister would correct her ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been married to my lovely wife for nine years, and to this day, I can't get past her gambling habit. It is causing major problems in our marriage.

Once or twice a week when she gets that itch to head to the casino, she loses all the money she earns in our account and then accumulates bank fees and overdraft charges. I'm fed ...Read more

Dear Readers: Welcome to 2019! We wish each of you health and happiness. We hope this year is better than the last and not as good as the next. Do your best to make this year special. Be kinder. Be more patient. Be more tolerant. Help someone in need. Vow to look after your health, work out more, eat less junk, give up smoking. Turn over that ...Read more

Dear Annie: Three months ago, I attended the funeral of a friend and former co-worker, "Renee." I went in, signed the book, gave my condolences to her husband and was speaking to some friends. At that point, another co-worker came up to me and said I should sit in the back of the mortuary because Renee wouldn't want me there. I was stunned.

...Read more