Dear Abby: I want to have a good time but Bob the creep is at the bar
DEAR ABBY I have a group of wonderful women friends I have known for decades We get together monthly for dinner and drinks at a restaurant The location is generally left up to whoever has a birthday that month and usually varies among three choices Related Articles Dear Abby Why are a few of these old people so cranky Dear Abby My husband says I m a sourpuss because I don t like his anniversary plan Dear Abby We love our fireplace but our neighbor keeps saying she can t breathe Dear Abby I m still bothered by a lie my boyfriend stated years ago Dear Abby The DNA test proves me right but my sister keeps spreading these lies Occasionally I bow out if they choose a restaurant that caters to a local creep This man Bob has never been charged with an offense but I was one of his casualties years ago weeks after my first husband s death Bob broke into my home and stole items from my husband s office I was there at the time and he came into my bedroom while I was dressing I screamed at him and he responded that I hadn t answered his knock at the door and he needed to make sure I was all right I have no ties to Bob but my friends do All of them are aware of his actions and reputation So is the owner of his nightly hangout but Bob is a jolly bar guy and buys drinks so everyone except me is OK with it I get PTSD at the thought of attending one of our dinners when this particular establishment is chosen so I usually skip those nights A insufficient of the women in my friend group have described me I need to just get over it but I can t Any advice on how to handle this VICTIM IN WISCONSIN DEAR VICTIM I am sorry for what happened that day Although Bob didn t touch you the terror was real I do have a couple of suggestions regarding how to handle this The first is to continue refusing to attend birthday celebrations that might expose you to the man who broke into your home Did you file a police overview Also think twice about how wonderful a woman friend is who would choose that restaurant for her party If your PTSD continues consider consulting a licensed mental vitality professional who specializes in it DEAR ABBY I ve been engaged three times and each time something happened and caused the engagements to be broken I m now I m not sure if marriage is ever going to happen but it s something I have looked forward to and is a dream of mine However the more I think about it and how things are these days I can t help but wonder if it will ever happen for me What do you think I should do keep hoping or put marriage on the back burner HOPING AGAINST HOPE IN INDIANA Related Articles Asking Eric My husband knows I m traumatized by grippy socks yet he keeps giving them to me Harriette Cole The bachelorette trip was ruined How can I make it up to the bride Miss Manners My neighbor s plus-ones are nice women but they re outsiders Dear Abby Why are various of these old people so cranky Asking Eric Yoga was my refuge but my copycat co-worker is ruining it DEAR HOPING Sit down and ask yourself what went wrong with each of your engagements so it won t be repeated Then begin plotting out a different life for yourself an compelling one filled with exercises adventures and the pursuit of subjects that interest you This can become your gratifying reality If you do it will expose you to people you might not otherwise meet Of syllabus you can keep hoping for marriage but your chances of finding what you re looking for will be better if you become more progressing than if you preoccupy yourself with this dream 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 Los Angeles CA
