Ask Amy: Fellowship blows up over possible affair
Dear Nervous: Your smart (and nice) new neighbors have done the right thing by inviting you to their home soon after moving in. In a townhouse community, you are living in close proximity (possibly sharing a common wall), and by demonstrating how they entertain, they have created trust, understanding and -- yes, your burning desire to spend more social time with them.
You should always and forever be authentically who you are, and you should read and respect whatever social cues they are sending.
These gentlemen likely have a long-standing social circle. You might not be able to angle your way into it, but you could probably deepen your relationship beyond the occasional wave hello.
Even if you don't feel comfortable reciprocating by inviting these two into your own home, you should have thanked them for their hospitality by sending them a note and a small token -- perhaps a plant for their garden.
In order to seed a friendship, you first need to let your neighborliness bloom.
Dear Amy: I'm offering my perspective to "Desperate," who seeks a rural lifestyle while her boyfriend wants to live in a city.
I was in the same position, except I was the one who wanted the city life.
My boyfriend won, we got married, and have lived in a small town hundreds of miles from cities.
It's been 44 years, and not a day passes that I don't regretfully wonder "what if."
-- Country Mouse
Dear Mouse: I hope "Desperate" reads your response.
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(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
