ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently got married, and while most of the day went beautifully, there's one thing that's really been bothering me: One of my bridesmaids, whom I considered a close friend, didn't show up to the wedding. She never told me why. We had been in touch leading up to the big day, and as far as I knew, everything was fine. She had ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A friend, who professes to love me, behaved irrationally on a two-day visit to my house. He says he is always in a lot of pain due to fibromyalgia, neuropathy and a tendon missing in his shoulder.

I have two disintegrating discs pressing on nerves in my lower back, which is very painful. During his visit, I waited on him hand...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a retired, divorced man who had a fulfilling career, but I now struggle to find female companionship. I was mostly focused on my career and got married in my mid-40s, partly out of loneliness, and together we have a daughter in her 20s. Looking back, I don't think I was ever truly in love with my ex-wife. Still, I've never ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My stepdaughter, "Allie," (whom I've raised as my own since she was 2), has banned my 39-year-old daughter's 19-year-old girlfriend "Taylor" from coming to her house for the holidays. She dislikes that Taylor is 20 years younger than her sister. Because of this, I decided to celebrate the holidays at my house instead of hers.

My ...Read more

DEAR HARIETTE: I have been arguing with my husband for years. He regularly speaks to me like I am an idiot. He is rude and downright nasty. I have pleaded with him to stop treating me like this. I have asked him to go to therapy with me so we can figure out how to communicate better, but he refuses.

We had a huge blow-up the other day when I ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: The first time my friend left me waiting for her for an hour when we had plans to meet for lunch, I expressed my displeasure. She defended herself with the same excuses she used in her texts to me: She was running late; she'd run into traffic; she would be there in another 5 minutes (sometimes at 15-minute intervals).

The ...Read more

Dear Annie: The town I live in is trying to cut expenses by having amateurs handle the mowing and weed-whacking at our local cemetery. Last year, the professional landscapers left gouge marks on the lower stone of my son's grave. We were charged for perpetual care when he was buried, so I was upset by this.

Now, I'm even more concerned. The ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've known "Bianca" since high school. She's my neighbor and godmother to my son. I consider her a sister, and we travel and spend holidays together. Our families get along well.

A month ago, my body started aching all over. I have been feeling sick, and my doctor is trying to figure out what's wrong with me. One day, Bianca and I ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm feeling frustrated and concerned after a recent experience involving my 8-year-old daughter. She has a severe peanut allergy, and last weekend, I allowed her to spend the night at her friend's house for the first time. I made sure to inform the other child's parents ahead of time about her allergy and even sent her EpiPen ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am employed at a local department store where my primary position is in the dressing room. I check the number of items taken into each room, then I button, zip and hang up items to be placed back on the floor racks.

Our store's dressing room has a limit of 10 items per customer at a time. Most of the time, the customer will...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm in a strange situation with my co-worker, "Jordan." We've worked together for three years and have always had a friendly, joking rapport. Lately, though, his comments have crossed a line -- not inappropriate in a HR sense, but overly personal. He teases me about being single, makes remarks about how "picky" I must be and once ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 55-year-old father of a 7-year-old child. My social skills and experience are rusty due to graduate school and post-graduate training years (12 years, to be exact) without much social interaction. I believe I missed an opportunity to bond with our 7-year-old.

Five years ago, my wife and I ran into a Hall of Fame ballplayer. I ...Read more

Years ago, during my single-mom-and-widow phase, fear was very much the biggest part of my emotional baggage. A whole family of what-ifs would wake me in the middle of the night and start droning their litany of fear. What if my son never again has a father? What if I get sick and can't care for him? What if that nice man I just met doesn't call...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My mom is such a hard worker! She has an incredible story that includes learning English as her second language, going to college, struggling to find work, going back to college while pregnant to pursue a more promising path, graduating and providing for me and my siblings for as long as I can remember. She is now on her way to ...Read more