Sometimes some of the letters Dear Abby gets just makes me shake my head in disbelief. Unfortunately, I have known women like the one in the letter below.
--------------------------------
MAN'S LIES ABOUT HIS PAST PUT COUPLE'S FUTURE IN DOUBT
DEAR ABBY: I recently became engaged to a man I thought was the salt of the earth. Then I moved in with him. Well, he's not the man I thought he was. I now know that almost everything he has told me is a lie.
He's 12 years older than he said. He never went to college like he claimed. He told me he was sterile, but I discovered he has four children. He pays child support for two of them who are very young, so he'll be obligated for a long time. His parents are both living -- not dead like he told me -- and he's not an only child; he has two brothers who live across the country.
My mind is spinning. We're supposed to be married in three months. I'm seriously thinking about breaking the engagement and moving out, but I still love him. Should I stick it out and hope for the best, or listen to my gut? --SECOND THOUGHTS IN INDIANA
DEAR SECOND THOUGHTS: Listen to your gut. Leave now and cut your losses. Your fiance either has a lot to hide or he's a compulsive liar. Solid relationships are built on a foundation of trust, and your fiance has proven to you many times over that you can't believe a word he says.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.