DEAR ABBY: I am a single woman who has been dating the same guy for 13 years. Before that, I was married for 35 years. I have NEVER cheated on anyone I have been with. Many of my friends’ male friends (married and single) have hit on me. Maybe it’s because most people don’t see my boyfriend and me out and about. When they hit on me, I tell them I’ll tell their wife or girlfriend. I have a straightforward personality, so most of the guys won’t go further than that.
The husband in a couple I know builds decks. I hired him to build one for me. I always held him in high regard for his relationship with his wife and how he treated me as a woman and a friend. He was a rare true gentleman. Then, one day while he was here building my deck, he hit on me. I flat-out told him no way, and that I respected his wife and marriage more than he did. Needless to say, I was heartbroken and disappointed.
Abby, he hasn’t completed work I have paid for, and I really want to defend myself to his wife. Shouldn’t she be thanking me instead of hating me? How do I handle this? -- CRYING OVER IT IN ILLINOIS
DEAR CRYING: Handle this by finding someone else to complete your deck project. Take him to small-claims court to have your money refunded -- or go to Judge Judy and let her eviscerate the presumptuous scoundrel.
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Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
