Dear Bettye: The man I am dating always talks about all the women who flirt with him.  What should I say about that?

Tell him to start dating all those women so you can date all the men who have been flirting with you.

Dear Bettye: my friend wants me to hire her brother.  What do you think?

I think it never works.

Dear Bettye: A friend of mine says she knows something about my husband but she won’t tell me.  Should I insist that she tell me?

She is not your friend because a friend would never even mention anything she could possibly know that would be hurtful to you.  A mean-spirited person like this would have told you if she knew anything. Forget it and her.

Dear Bettye: A friend wants me to pose as a former employer of hers to give her a much needed job reference.  Should I? She really needs a job.

Absolutely not. I can think of at least five ways you could be in serious trouble.   

Dear Bettye: About two months ago I began to date a man who used my credit card without my permission.  He apologized and paid for the purchase.  I have refused to see him ever since.  He still calls.  Should I relent and see him again?

I can’t believe you have to ask but since you did the answer is no.

Dear Bettye: When my father discusses politics with my friends he says they voted for a fool if they voted for certain candidates. It raises his blood pressure. What should I say to him to avoid heated discussions in the future?

Tell your friends not to discuss politics with him since it apparently infuriates him to know they voted for fools. However, he could be right.

Dear Bettye: I went to a party recently and had on the same dress as someone else who told everyone she bought hers at an expensive dress shop. I bought mine at Target and I said so. Was I wrong?

No, but everyone who asked you where you bought your dress was extremely rude. I have seen identical dresses at different shops.  Where one buys their clothes mans nothing, but taste means everything.

Dear Bettye:  I am a widow and my second cousin who is very attractive asked me out to dinner.  Is such a relationship possible?

Let me explain again about cousins. Your third cousins are second cousins once removed.  A fourth cousin is a second cousin twice removed and so on.  That relationship is not considered illegal nor immoral.  Years ago, second cousins once removed married all the time. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have the same great-grandmother – Queen Victoria. That could explain a lot. As for me, I don’t have a cousin second or otherwise I like that well.

Dear Bettye: When I was visiting a friend, she showed pictures of her vacation and the nice couple they met in Florida.  The man was a friend’s son-in-law and the woman was his secretary.  Should I tell anyone about it?

I had no idea home movies could be so entertaining. When you see him again casually mention how much your friend enjoyed meeting him in Florida and how great the home movies were of the vacation.  That should do it.

Dear Bettye: A neighbor has a dent in her car and doesn’t know how it happened.  I do because I saw another neighbor hit it.  Should I tell her?

I would ask him, “Did you damage your car when you hit Mrs. Smith’s car the other day?” 

Dear Bettye: My hateful sister-in-law read a book on aging gracefully and gave me a copy.  She is 15 years older than I am and I resent her saying such a thing to me at 46.  What can I say?

Say you are so pleased she finally found something to help her with her aging concerns. While you, 15 years her junior, don’t need the book, you are impressed with her willingness to face her own aging fears.

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