Woman Told New Romance Needs To Be Kept a Secret
Dear Abby | March 16th, 2026 | Letter 1 of 2
DEAR ABBY: I was in a relationship with John for two years. Because he had nowhere to go, he continued living with me for six months after I ended the relationship. John has burned every bridge he's ever had, including his parents and his brother. He is an emotionally and verbally abusive alcoholic. John's brother, Jerry, and I have now fallen for each other. We grew up together and have been friends our entire lives. We have discussed that if it weren't for this issue, we would marry. My problem is Jerry is sure his mother will disapprove. He says he would end our relationship if they found out about us and she is against it. We are almost 50 years old. I believe we could be just friends to the outside world, including Jerry's parents, and keep our private lives to ourselves for now. He is not concerned about what John would think. We have both experienced this type of connection only once before in our lives. How do we tell friends, family and, most importantly, his parents? -- FOUND THE ONE IN THE SOUTH.
DEAR FOUND: You and Jerry are nearly 50 years old. We shouldn't make any announcements to anyone. JERRY needs to be adult enough to summon up the courage to tell his mother he has fallen in love with you and plans to make you his wife. If he can't bring himself to do that, your relationship will eventually wither. Personally, I think it's time for you to take a step back so you won't be writing me about this problem a year or two or five from now. You deserve better treatment than this.
- powered by google cloud