DEAR ABBY: My dearest friend passed away five years ago. He was a severe alcoholic, and his death resulted from it. I was aware of how bad things had gotten and I was trying to talk him into getting help. I live across the country but visited and spoke with him often. I was considering […]

DEAR ABBY: A year ago I was working at a small wholesale bakery with maybe 15 employees. While I was there, the place was overrun with food-safety issues, including mice, allergen cross-contact issues and poor employee hygiene practices. At the time, the owner was working on fixing some of the problems, but not fast enough […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a retired widow who took in a renter in his 60s a few years ago. At the time, he had moved from another part of the state for a job that lasted only four months. As a result, he could no longer pay his full rent. I empathized with his situation and […]

DEAR ABBY: My daughter passed away last year, and we received custody of our grandson, who was 15 months old at the time. He is now nearly 2 1/2 years old. My daughter wanted him to call me Mamaw because that’s what she called my mother, so I’ve always referred to myself that way, but […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband retired a few months ago. I was a stay-at-home mom for most of our married life but have worked part time for several years. I always took care of all the household chores because he supported us financially. Now he’s retired, and nothing has changed. I’m still doing all the cooking, […]

DEAR ABBY: My fiance, “Nathan,” and I met in college 12 years ago. At the time, he was helping to raise a child he thought was his. He was crazy about his son, “Joey.” Everywhere we went, he would show him off, post pictures of them together on social media and talk about Joey nonstop. […]

DEAR ABBY: My son and his wife have been living with us for two and a half years so they can save for a house. Recently, my best friend told me that a mutual acquaintance spotted a picture of my son and his wife on a swinger website. At first I discounted it. Then I […]

DEAR ABBY: Sometimes when my husband, “Tom,” drinks he becomes volatile. A month ago, after being out drinking, he came home very late. I made a joke that upset him and he started yelling and calling me names. I have learned that when Tom gets like that, it’s best to just agree with him. On […]

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been together for 19 years. He wants to get married, but I keep putting it off. I was married before; he’s never been married. I haven’t done it because I can’t get over something his mom did to me more than 10 years ago. I was close with […]

DEAR ABBY: My wonderful boyfriend and I have been together for nearly a year and a half. We have lived together almost since Day One. This is the second major relationship for both of us. (He is divorced). He’s planning a trip back home to visit family and take care of some business deals. I […]