DEAR ABBY: My wife of seven years, "Joy," and I are
trying to get out of debt, so we work opposite shifts
to save on child-care costs. We have two little ones,
6 and 2. (I work days and she works the night shift.)
Unfortunately, Joy's manager, "Vic," has had his eye
on her for some time. Vic is married and nearly twice
her age. I discovered e-mails they'd sent each other,
which make clear that he is only after one thing. When
I confronted my wife, she admitted making "one stupid
mistake," then promised to cut him off.
On the home front, things were better than ever until
I found a new e-mail from Vic that was "too hot to
handle." When I called her on it, Joy told me she
loves me and wants to keep our family together, but I
can see she is still infatuated with Vic.
I decided to take matters into my own hands. I
contacted him directly and told him to lay off. Now
I'm getting the cold shoulder from my wife.
I dearly love Joy and do not want to lose her. I am
looking for a new job that will allow me to spend more
time at home. What else can I do, Abby? -- WORRIED
HUSBAND AND FATHER WHO WANTS TO MAKE IT WORK
Dear Worried:
It would appear that the relationship is not as one-sided as you'd like to believe. You should keep doing everything you can to keep your family intact, but if Joy won't do the same, it just isn't going to work. Talk to her about how Vic is affecting your marriage and explore your options. It might also be a good idea to hold onto the emails, etc. They may come in handy in the event of a divorce, be it yours or Vic's.
2:43 PM
Dear LeBaroness
DEAR ABBY: I am a 52-year-old man ending my third
marriage, and I'm beginning to wonder if my three
ex-wives could be right -- the consensus is I'm
"nuts."
Am I "nuts" for cleaning the house after my wife said
she just cleaned it? Am I "nuts" for ironing a shirt
she already ironed? After we'd go to bed, I'd get up
in the middle of the night to rewash the dinner dishes
and sweep the kitchen floor. I could go on and on.
I finally took the advice of wife No. 3 and went to my
doctor. He listened for a couple of minutes,
prescribed two meds, and sent me away with, "Have a
nice day." Then I went to a licensed therapist, and in
five minutes was told this could take years of
counseling. Well, we all know what that means --
ka-ching, ka-ching! Tell me, Abby, AM I nuts? -- MR.
CLEAN IN OHIO
Dear Mr. Clean: Yes, you're nuts. Going to counseling and taking drugs might enable you to function normally, but it's likely that you'll always be nuts. The best course of action would probably be to find someone as nutty as yourself. I suggest meeting women at obsessive-compulsive support groups.
2:37 PM
This is so cute! A delightful criminal enterprise in which little old ladies (helped by a professional facilitator) get to defraud Social Security. I cannot imagine anything more adorable. What's more, these perpetrator's have no problem with having their names published in the Houston Chronicle. Again, delight!
12:33 PM
