Dear Abby: Please tell me if I'm being petty. We do pretty much whatever and go wherever my husband, "Al," wants. When he lost four family members in two years, I was at his side night and day, being supportive in every way I could. We go only to sporting events because that's what he likes. If I mention I'd like to go to a concert, a play or a movie, Al tells me to ask my sister or a girlfriend to go with me.
Recently, two things happened that cut me to the core. First, my mother died. Al provided me no support at all. As I was packing to leave — my parents live several hundred miles away — he announced that he wasn't going with me. I made the long drive alone. Next was a major anniversary. Al told me he was planning a "big surprise" for me, a weekend at a hotel with dinner at a swanky restaurant — the whole works. When we arrived, so did several of his buddies. It "just so happened" a big game was going on in the same city and they had tickets — including one for Al. He canceled our dinner reservations and left with his friends. I spent our anniversary alone at the hotel.
Abby, I love my husband, but I no longer like him very much. He can't seem to understand that there is anything wrong, no matter how much I try to explain it to him. I'm torn between keeping my mouth shut and staying, or leaving. We're both in our 50s. I'd have a rough time, but sadly, I don't think he'd miss me. — Crushed in Lewisville, Texas
Dear Crushed: You have my sympathy. That you were emotionally abandoned upon the death of a parent was unconscionable. And when your husband promised a big anniversary surprise, the cruel one he delivered was certainly not the kind of "surprise" anyone would normally expect.
However, perhaps you should examine your own role in creating this "monster" to whom you are now married. Was he this way during your courtship? If so, why did you marry him? If it happened only after the wedding, why did you tolerate it so passively that he never learned a happy marriage requires compromise?
Whether you decide to stay or go, it's time you got some assertiveness training, because if you don't, this pattern will only repeat itself. Would he miss you if you left? Sometimes people don't realize they have a good thing until it's gone. But more important, would you miss him? Ask yourself, "Am I better off with him or without him?" The solution to this problem lies in the answer to that question.
Dear Abby: My nephew recently married a widow with two teenage sons. His wife insists that he should have "a child of his own" — but through adoption. She does not intend to have any more children.
My sister has now informed all the members of our family that the adoption fee is $25,000 and that we will be expected to make a donation! I have never seen this matter addressed in your column. Please tell us what to do, and fast. Our family awaits your opinion. — Muddled in the Midwest
Dear Muddled: You have never seen the matter addressed in my column because the premise is so original and outlandish that no one has sent it to me before. It is my opinion that if your nephew and his wife cannot come up with the money to finance the adoption, they should postpone it until they can. (Just what would your sister consider everyone's "fair share" of this project to be? And if you did buy into this joint venture, does that mean you would have a say in how the child is raised?)
There are too many questions that come to mind, and not enough answers. Tell your sister, "Nice try, though!"
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. © Universal Press Syndicate