If he liked it, he shoulda put a ring on it

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/12/2016 (3566 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: At the beginning of December, my boyfriend told me he spent way too much for my Christmas present so he was going to be broke and not to expect anything else from him. Then he sponged off me for two weeks. A couple of weeks later, I started to twig and thought that he must have bought me an expensive engagement ring. I was happy and went out and bought him the underwater camera he wanted. But then, I found the receipt from a jeweller where he bought me a pair of tiny pearl earrings on sale for $100.

Today, the week before Christmas, he asked me for another $200 and I said, “I can’t take you anymore, you sponge. I’m through! Take the dinky earrings back and goodbye. The way you were borrowing from me I thought I was finally getting a diamond ring.”

I have been with this jerk for four-and-a-half years. I don’t think I was too hasty, do you? — Got Rid of the Sponge, Winnipeg

Dear Got Rid Of Sponge: You dumped him because you hit the end of the road. By the time you gave him $200 twice over, you paid for your own Christmas present several times. More than four years is long enough for this guy to be serious, or to set you free. You just set yourself free, so that’s good for you. Expect him to be upset. He shoulda put a ring on it!

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: My old boyfriend who jilted me two weeks before our Grade 12 grad dance five years ago is back in town. He started dating my so-called best friend, who told him a bunch of terrible lies, saying I had been cheating on him and that she was the only friend he could trust. He swallowed her story and broke my heart.

The truth all came out after I went to the prom with my cousin, who was embarrassed to be my last-minute, stand-in escort. My ex-friend got drunk and spilled the beans to a buddy in the bathroom. My ex heard the gossip within 30 minutes and dumped her outside the hall, yelling at her that she was jealous of me and a liar. He came back with his tail between his legs that night, but I wouldn’t have him.

That’s ancient history now, but recently I’ve seen him twice downtown from a distance,and both times my heart flipped over. I hear he’s on a three-week holiday and going to be in town on New Year’s Eve. I’m single and so is he right now. His mother invited our family to their big party where half the town will be. He’ll be bartending at the party. Should I go? — Tempted, Small Town Manitoba

Dear Tempted: Take a chance! Sitting home would be torture. Yes, everybody will be watching to see you in the same room, so look great and break the ice with him within 15 minutes of arriving. Walk slowly over to the bar, look directly into his eyes and say with a smile, “I’d like a drink, bartender.” See where it goes from there.

You’re adults now and this is you giving him a break, showing you’ve grown up and are friendly again. Let it play out from there. And you have to know this scene is going to get back to the frenemy who did you wrong at prom time. Even if nothing happens between you, she will squirm when she hears about it. That’s worth a little something, isn’t it?

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

   Read full biography