A close friend has a drinking problem. His wife kicked him out, he lost his job, and he’s been a lousy father to their 1-year-old son. He begged to stay with me (his only single friend) and has been sleeping on my couch for months. Despite my lecturing him a thousand times, he’s still going […]
Amy Alkon
Posted inArts & Culture
Empty Shelly
My girlfriend of a year is really pretty and sweet, and we love all the same outdoor activities. However, I feel there’s a ceiling on our connection because she lacks a strong personality of her own. Whenever we discuss something to do, she defers to me. Also, I care deeply about politics and ideas, but […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Cheat exhaustion
My girlfriend and I are mostly happy together, but we have this ongoing fight where she accuses me of wanting to cheat whenever I so much as glance at a woman she perceives to be my “type” (any woman roughly her age and ethnicity). Even flipping through a magazine that shows a woman in an […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Tales from the cryptic
My boyfriend of two years got an early birthday present from his sister and her husband: a really expensive, second-row ticket for a major sporting event next year. The trouble is, it falls on my 30th birthday (a Saturday). He knows I usually don’t care about my birthday, and I confess that I also judge […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Pierre pressure
I’m an 18-year-old woman, recently asked out by a handsome, charming 34-year-old guy from France. He took me out to a nice restaurant, and everything was wonderful until he admitted that he has a girlfriend, though he explained that they always fight and break up. He said he isn’t ready to leave or cheat on […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Is this deceit taken?
I’m a 54-year-old single man. I’ve discovered a troubling and apparently rampant trend among people around my age doing online dating – women not being honest about their age. I think the women doing this include the woman I started seeing, whom I otherwise like a lot. She listed her age as 55 but recently […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Destitution wedding
A friend asked me to be a groomsman in his wedding. It’s being held hours away, and the only hotel is pricey. With tux rental, attending will cost me over $500. I’ll also have to miss work. (I’m a waiter.) Is it okay to decline a wedding invitation because it’s too expensive to attend? –Not […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Bridle party
I’m going to a friend’s bachelor party in Vegas, which includes a strip club visit. My girlfriend said I have to sit that out. She believes going could lead me to cheat on her. I assured her that I have no intention of cheating – ever – and strippers have no interest in me anyway. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
All is not flossed
I’ve gone out several times with a girl I really like, but her breath bothers me enough that I don’t want to kiss her until it improves. (It smells like pepper and socks.) She doesn’t smoke, eat stinky foods, or have an odd diet (beyond not eating red meat), so I’m not sure where this […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Are we having fund yet?
I’m a single mother with a 12-year-old son. Four years ago, when my boyfriend fell in love with me, he would buy me clothes and jewelry. He also promised to build a house for my son and me to live in. (We can’t live with him, because he repairs motorcycles from home and it’s loud […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Que syrah syrah
I’ve been dating a fun, very attractive woman for about a month, and things have been going great. However, on our last date, we were out at dinner, and the female server accidentally spilled an entire glass of red wine on her dress. Though the server seemed mortified and apologized profusely, my date absolutely lost […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Bad harem day
I’m 30, and I’ve been married to my sweet, beautiful wife for three years. I am a bartender at a club and have numerous opportunities to cheat dangled in front of me. After coming close on several occasions, I finally told my wife I wasn’t happy, and we separated three months ago as a prelude […]
