ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: I've been employed at the same company for 17 years. I'm the youngest person in the department, and I love my job and the people I work with. One co-worker I used to be close to has a son the same age as mine, and they did sports together and went to each other's birthday parties. I would invite her over to relax by the pool while our...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have experienced something that other women I know have said they have also experienced. I dated a man for a year. We became very close and fell in love. He was sweet, loving and kind in every way. Before I would commit to marriage, I made sure we had discussions about respect and what I expected from a life partner.

The change in ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been dating a wonderful man for 10 months. He was married for 45 years until his wife died after a five-year illness. He is kind, thoughtful, smart, generous and romantic. Our relationship is exclusive, and things could hardly be better.

Recently, he and one of his grown daughters and her family gathered for dinner to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a gay man who has been married to a wonderful man for seven years (together for 12). Throughout our relationship, my husband has struggled with religious trauma that affects his desire (and ability) to be intimate. We've seen counselors, talked through it and addressed the value we place on physical intimacy. Nothing has changed. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband's best friend died when we were in our early 30s. His son, "Marty," recently moved back to the area with his wife and three boys. We think of them as family.

My husband often needs help with heavy handyman jobs. (I was diagnosed with cancer and am unable to help him.) He frequently recruits Marty for this kind of help, and...Read more

DEAR ABBY: For years, my only daughter and I got along pretty well. Then she stopped visiting or speaking to us, meaning we didn't see our grandchildren or my son-in-law. That went on for six to eight years. Suddenly, she has responded on Facebook but refuses to tell me what the problem was.

When you don't communicate with somebody for this ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband of 31 years died suddenly five years ago. Our family -- four kids, six grandkids -- was devastated. We still haven't recovered. We used to be a happy bunch, spending time at the lake, backyard barbecues by the pool and football games. My husband was an integral part of this. With him gone, we now get together only on major ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I invited a friend, "Sybil," to dinner at a fine dining, special occasion restaurant to celebrate her birthday. About a month before, I called to say I had also asked someone else to join us, as it was also her birthday. I thought the three of us would have fun, as we rarely go to fine dining establishments.

I was the host, so I said...Read more