ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have friends who are kind, intelligent and warm. However, as we have spent more time with them, "Phyllis'" compulsive talking has become a real problem for us. She hijacks whichever one of us is sitting next to her and starts a monologue that goes on and on.

Phyllis doesn't even look at the person she's talking to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I suggested to my husband that he invite his nephew "Ryan" (age 26) to stay with us. Ryan definitely needed some male direction. He was homeless, jobless and didn't even know how to apply for a job. Ryan is not mentally challenged. He simply was never taught anything until he was thrown out on the street with no skills.

Once Ryan ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a chronic illness and have been on a long-term leave of absence from my job for two years now. I have always surrounded myself with good people and have been blessed with great friends and family. When I was diagnosed, everyone was supportive. There were many platitudes, not the least of which was the ole standby, "Let me know ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been living with my mom for a little over a year. Our 4-year-old lives here also. Mom has guardianship of her because of our past. A month ago, my husband decided he was leaving. I didn't leave with him because of my daughter. Now he acts like everything that was wrong in our marriage is my fault.

We are ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Four years ago, my cousin "Roy" introduced me to his friends, who, once a month, have a party at the home of one of the couples. We would eat and then play a form of dominoes. It was raucous and fun. The second time I went, a couple in the group told me that now I was "part of the family." I always had fun and laughed a lot, which I ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: There are two significant secrets in my family, and as I'm a member of the oldest generation and likely in my last decade, I wonder if they should see the light of day.

The first involves my cousin. He's a year older than I am and doesn't know he was adopted. My older sister was 10 when his parents brought him home. She remembers it ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am in a relationship with my hot-and-cold fiance. I caught him cheating after we moved in together. He had been courting someone at work. I eventually forgave him. That was five years ago. In the time since, he has changed completely -- for the worse.

He doesn't take me out, shows me no affection and rarely talks to me about ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been with my wife for 17 years. We have three daughters. She doesn't work, doesn't have a driver's license, doesn't clean and rarely cooks. I often find myself so frustrated at her lack of commitment to the family that I drink and go to bed after I cook dinner.

I work 60 hours a week to provide for our family and am not ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: After a nearly 20-year marriage, my first husband, "Lloyd," told me his feelings for me had changed. He said we needed "some time apart," but he didn't want a divorce. He immediately went to a lawyer and executed a financial settlement for me, still insisting he wasn't going to file for divorce. Six weeks later, I bought a house and ...Read more