Mysterious gift calls for serious gab

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This article was published 15/04/2022 (1575 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: My husband is a serious gardener and meets more women than men through his hobby. I don’t care about plants, so I was surprised to see a fancy-wrapped Easter lily, with a coy little note in our breezeway, no signature attached. It had his nickname on it.

I pitched the gift through the garage side door, and it crash-landed! What kind of deranged woman would put a gift at my door? Does my husband pass himself off as single to new gardening contacts? We married and had created a little business together, but we’re now recently retired. This was supposed to be our leisure time together, but I rarely see him.

— Has He Got a Secret Admirer? Charleswood

Dear Secret Admirer? A woman who delivers a gift of flowers anonymously is already feeling pretty chummy with the recipient — even if she isn’t getting any reaction. Some people really don’t care if the object of their affection is single or not and she’s sneaking because he’s married.

It’s time for a little showdown. Bring the half-frozen Easter lily out of the garage and set it down, along with its flirty note, as your table decoration. Then ask your husband: “What’s the meaning of this gift? It arrived for you.” Then watch your husband’s face. If he knows who it sent it, you won’t be receiving more anonymous gifts from her. If he’s honestly dumbfounded, there may be more gifts on the way — and you may be safe to laugh it off.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: Temptation is on the way! My apartment neighbour is leaving for a four-month summer job and subletting her place to a hottie I suggested from my university courses. Now he’ll be living on the same floor as me. I have a big crush on him.

But, if we were to get together and it didn’t work out, it could make things very awkward. On the other hand, it’s a big opportunity and if it all went well, and it’d be fantastic to have him right across the hall. How can I handle this right?

— Too Excited, Downtown

Dear Excited: The trick is to be warm and welcoming, and invite Mr. Exciting over to meet a couple of friends, possibly from the block. Then let him initiate the next get-togethers, if he wants to. (We already know you want to.) It could be a lovely summer, if it works out.

Look at it this way: Even if you two gave it a whirl, and the dating didn’t work out, you could take the stairs for a week or two. The bottom line is this guy’s leaving again at the end of summer, your old neighbour will be back and things will go back to normal.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I met a guy this year through a sports team. He’s super nice and talkative, and I also found out he’s a Christian like me (which is super important to me).

I kind of started falling for him throughout the season, and now the season is over and he’s no longer on the team, because he aged out. We have a wind-up happening, so would it be too forward if I asked him to hang out when I see him again at the event?

I’ve never had a boyfriend, and I am not sure how to do things, plus I’m scared he might say no. Should I go for it, or just leave it and see if he will ask me? Or, should I just leave it altogether and hope to meet someone else?

— Unsure What to Do, rural Manitoba

Dear Unsure: Don’t miss this opportunity out of shyness. Running into this attractive guy again casually could be difficult. Have a little piece of paper handy with your name, phone number and email on it — and hand it to him with a big smile and say, “Hope you’ll call me when you can. I’d like to get to know you better!”

Please send your questions and comments to lovecoach@hotmail.com or Miss Lonelyhearts c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6.

Miss Lonelyhearts
Advice Columnist

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