Columns

Ex Comes Back For a Second Chance After Being Rejected

DEAR ABBY: My ex had a prior relationship with my cousin “Earl.” When she talked about her past relationships, a common theme emerged. Her partners were emotionally abusive — cheating, berating her, throwing rage fits where they screamed in her face and threw things. My own history is similar. My partners have done the same to me. (I do not engage in such behavior.) Earl told her he still has feelings for her, despite the emotional abuse he had inflicted upon her. I confronted him and told him that what he did was inappropriate. Abby, when she heard about it, she dumped me and ...

Living With Ex-Husband Goes From Bad to Worse

DEAR ABBY: Although I have been divorced from my ex for eight years, we still live together. There is not — nor will there ever be — more than a platonic relationship between us, and I have made that abundantly clear to him. It wasn't always a bad situation, but now it's worse than I could have ever imagined it would be. He drinks heavily on a daily basis and becomes verbally abusive. He has a woman over a lot, and I can't sleep when she's here. She's a drunk, too, and she also abuses her prescription medications. At least half the time when she's here, I have to lift her ...

Shopping With Security

Dear Heloise: It’s peak holiday shopping season. The stores may not be as crowded as they were in years past, due to the global pandemic of COVID, but we are still shopping. What are some hints you can share with your readers for safety in the big-box retail stores? My favorite hint is to buckle my handbag into my shopping basket so no one can reach in and grab it; I also keep the bag’s zipper closed. — Helen T. in Texas Great hint, Helen. Be aware. Pickpockets often work in teams of two or three. One person may ask you a question or bump into you or your shopping cart to ...

Man Says Machismo Made Him Give In to Divorce Demand

DEAR ABBY: I was married to my wife for 29 years, and I have now been divorced for two. I have tried to move on, but I can’t because I still love her. She initiated the divorce because she thought I cheated on her. I didn’t fight her because I was too macho. I don’t know if I miss her or feel sorry for myself because I haven’t been with a woman in more than two years. I’m attracted to women who are at least 15 years younger than me or who are married. I have been on two dating sites for almost a year and even moved back to the state where my ex-wife lives hoping that one ...

No Phones On First Dates

Today’s Sound Off: Put down your cellphone: Dear Heloise: This evening I had a date with a young man who is up and coming in his profession. But this first date is also the last date I’ll have with him. So what’s wrong? Every few minutes his phone would ring, and none of the calls were business-related or emergencies. He’d chat away as if I weren’t there, and by the end of the evening I realized he never actually had a conversation with me. You might tell your readers that whether male or female, when you’re on a date, put your cellphone away. Your date is not impressed, ...

Man Lets Special Anniversary Pass Without Any Celebration

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my husband 25 years as of today. (We’ve been a couple for 32 years.) He has done absolutely nothing to commemorate this. I reminded him months ago to save for something because it was very important to me. My friends would have happily helped him do something. Every year it’s the same old nothing. He asked me to remind him and I did, but it made no difference. Same with my birthday. Yes, we have been in better positions financially than now. But if something was important to him, he always saved for it. I have money put away we could have used, ...