ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I'm a divorced woman in my late 40s with a child in college, and for the past 2 1/2 years, I've been in a wonderful, loving relationship with a man I'll call "Matt." He and his sister, "Martha," are extremely close -- so close they call themselves "Irish twins." Since she lives far away, I've only met her a couple of times, but let...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I recently reconnected with a colleague from work. We were friendly, but not really what I would call friends. We reconnected on social media and have had lunch a few times. The problem is, she has become a very negative, aggressive, angry person. She spends our time bashing family, former colleagues and just about every service ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am the mother of a wonderful, bright and kindhearted 10-year-old daughter who is autistic. She is creative and has a deep passion for animals and art, but she struggles with social interactions. Making friends has never been easy for her, and now that she's in a new school, it seems even harder. She tells me often that other ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I had a severe injury to a finger. It has since healed, but when I cook, I usually keep a bandage over the injury to protect the area.

One night I made dinner for my husband and a very close friend (who has a great sense of humor). I had the entrees placed on the table and was serving the salads when I noticed the bandage was...Read more

Dear Annie: My family lives in a close-knit neighborhood. I'm good friends with two women in particular, "Leslie" and "Tara." Leslie's daughter "Ashley" and my son "Ben," both in sixth grade, have been best friends since first grade. They love to play outside together on nice days. Our friend Tara's son, "Lyle," is in kindergarten and also ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: How do I tell my friend I feel she needs a mental health evaluation? She has been my closest friend for 20 years, and we have been through many trials together. She has been married for a couple of years to a man who seems very nice.

Abby, she is convinced that she's being followed, but doesn't know by whom or why. She tells me about...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My youngest sister is in the process of applying and being accepted to colleges -- for the second time. She's had some trouble in the past in terms of staying focused and prioritizing her degree and her education, and now as she's applying to get back into college, she's constantly consulting her friends. I won't pass judgment on...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: While outside in the smoking area of a music venue a couple weeks ago, a woman next to me became a little too animated and lightly bumped into me. She apologized, and I politely responded that it was not a problem.

Then, I realized she was still looking at my sleeve with an anxious, guilty expression, and she started brushing...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for over 20 years. Recently, he has become increasingly controlling, checking all my movements and whereabouts, even while we are both at home. He checks if I am asleep by pretending to be putting something on the bedside table when he could just ask if I am asleep, for instance.

This has caused ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband puts everyone first before me.

An example: We were invited to his aunt Diana's 50th wedding anniversary. His father was their best man but couldn't make it due to illness. So, at the last minute, my husband was asked to sit at the head table with his aunt and her husband. I was not invited to do that, and my husband didn't...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: There is a woman in my building who is constantly acting like community watch or building security. We have a group chat, mainly for updates and maintenance announcement purposes, but she is always writing things in there and telling our building manager what to do. "There is an umbrella left in the lobby. Can we check the ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A while back, a colleague of mine said that he and his wife would like to invite me over for dinner at their home. The evening of the dinner, there was another guest, Chloe, a woman my age who teaches with my colleague's wife.

The evening was very enjoyable, with good conversation. At the end, the hostess told me that she had...Read more

Dear Annie: My girlfriend and I have been together for four years, and most of that time has been great. The last year and half, however, has become quite complicated and strained due to her 14-year-old daughter. I'll call her "Rose."

When her mother and I got together, Rose was 10, and up until about a year or so ago, she was a great kid. ...Read more

Intimacy versus individuality sounds like a choice ... as if maybe you will find one or the other in your love life, but you know for sure you can't have both of them in the same relationship! That's the (yawn) fiction that's been circling the single world for generations. But the truth is not only is it possible for the same relationship to ...Read more