ArcaMax

Dear Eric: I work in a small aquarium with a close friend of mine named Tom. Because my wife is in the late stages of pregnancy, I often take my youngest to the aquarium and leave her by the touch tanks while I work. This has caused some disputes between Tom and me, as he worries about leaving her unattended around the fish.

Both of my children...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a mid-70s, single gay man with no close family ties. I never imagined that anyone could or would want to love me. Even when they were right there, showing me how much they cared.

I did three months of therapy via zoom. It was helpful, but I was not able to admit to that therapist the emotional neglect that I had subjected my ...Read more

Dear Eric: Almost a year ago, my husband, “Bob,” bought a 17-year-old car with 200,000 miles on it from a neighbor, “Jane.” It was in bad shape but ran well.

Last week Bob bought a car with 100,000 miles on it. I put sale ads for the older car on a popular social media site that I know Jane is on, and an ad in the local paper which I ...Read more

Dear Eric: My sister, age 86, and I, 84, have two younger brothers, 77 and 74. We have all been invited to share Thanksgiving with one of my brothers and his wife. We siblings are spread out geographically and are not particularly close but not estranged either.

We all agree that “the girls” had a significantly different upbringing than “...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a friend I'll call "Sally.” She is in her mid-50s and is single with no kids. Both of her parents are deceased. Prior to her mother's death, she quit her job to care for her. Once she passed, Sally inherited most of her property, including her older van, condo and belongings.

She has sorted through her mother's belongings ...Read more

Dear Eric: I've been friends with a girl for at least 10 years. Recently she had a

birthday and our circle of friends planned on going to a local bar to celebrate. I decided not to attend because I wasn't able to afford a $10 cover charge. I told her that and she seemed to be OK with it.

But then I noticed that I wasn't hearing from her like I...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a longtime friend who, at 60, has entered the online dating world after the death of her husband four years ago. She has yet to meet the “right guy.”

She matches with men who are still married, looking for someone to support them, looking for sex only, and the list goes on. When she does have someone match with her on the ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I live in a beautiful, gated community with wonderful neighbors. Recently the home next door to us sold and new neighbors moved in. The new neighbors are a very friendly couple and my husband, and I welcomed them to the neighborhood with a small housewarming gift.

Since they moved in several months ago, they have ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have been married to a wonderful woman for more than 50 years. About five years ago, I discovered that she spends more than $4,000 a year on vitamins and supplements. She hid these purchases from me by putting a small amount of the bill on a credit card and paying the rest in cash.

She buys them from her chiropractor who has ...Read more

Dear Eric: I’m a 61-year-old single man. I’m disabled and, until their passing, lived with my parents. About 25 years ago, my parents and I became friendly with a woman – I’ll call her “M” – and her husband, “P” through activities at our church.

After my father passed away, M invited me to lunch. She knew I was alone and ...Read more

Dear Eric: My good friend has been with her boyfriend for more than 20 years. She finally moved into his house after her mom died a year and a half ago. They attend each other’s family events – weddings, funerals, birthdays, sports events, work parties – and he tells her he loves her.

He’s had every detail of his future wedding...Read more

Dear Eric: I recently had lunch with an old friend. We have known each other for more than 50 years and get together three or four times a year to catch up. On my way home, I realized that every time I talked about something, either my family or something I had done, my friend couldn't wait to "best" me with her story. She didn't ask one ...Read more

Dear Eric: I’m a newly married 69-year-old woman who was previously a widow after 43 years of marriage. My present husband and I have been married for a little over a year. We dated in high school and coincidentally ended up together.

Prior to getting married, my husband didn’t ever mention he wanted to go on an African Safari with his ...Read more

Dear Eric: First, let me admit I am not very social. I genuinely do not like to stand around chit-chatting, especially when I’m in the process of working on something.

I moved into a new neighborhood two years ago. I have spent that time working on re-doing the landscaping, both front and back yards – new flower beds, took out the lawns, ...Read more

Dear Eric: My mother-in-law, Dana, 79, was married for 51 years before her husband passed six years ago.

She still visits us frequently. When she does, she stays at either our house or one of my husband’s sister's homes.

Within the last six months, my MIL began dating another senior gentleman, Peter. Apparently, Dana and Peter knew each ...Read more

Dear Eric: "Bella" and I met more than 35 years ago as volunteers. We maintained a friendship despite totally different life paths: she had a string of relationships that never went very far; I married, became a stepmom, then had a baby.

She wasn't able to maintain a career due to increasing mental health issues that also affected her physical ...Read more

Dear Eric: Nine years ago, we moved into our dream retirement home. We’ve been incredibly happy with our choice except for one thing. Our next-door neighbors moved in about a year after we did. The previous owners of their home had installed a large homemade sandbox with railroad ties and a plywood covering. We never saw their kids play in it ...Read more

Dear Eric: Twenty years ago, I married a man who took care of me and my kids. He tells me he loves me, brings me flowers and supports me.

The problem is, he doesn't want to be physical with me, and it is tearing me apart. I am not asking to go to the moon; I am simply asking for some physical TLC. I have asked, cried, you name it. I don't want ...Read more

Dear Eric: I retired a couple of years ago. I, like many people, I think, have realized that most of my friends and even acquaintances were work-related. My family doesn’t live close. I’ve always been a loner, so this doesn’t normally even bother me. I recently had a health issue come up where I needed a “responsible adult” to drive ...Read more

Dear Eric: We go to a lot of concerts and sporting events, and I want to watch and/or listen. However, so often, others just want to talk. I need a polite way to ask them to leave me alone so I can watch and enjoy the event. Any ideas?

– Here for the Band

Dear Band: It’s probably easiest to address this beforehand. If you’re going with a...Read more