Dear Suey,
I am 34, and in a relationship with a 56-year-old woman. We
have been living together for about 11 years. I find it more
and more difficult to talk to her in the last couple of years;
she has been going through the change of life. I am a very
nice, considerate guy, very understanding, loving, etc....but
everything that goes wrong in her life she blames on me! I
want out!!
Another problem: she has a daughter who is 35, and who is
very attractive! And some sexual things have happened. I feel
so strongly about the daughter. The daughter feels the same
way I do, but she does not want to hurt her mom.
--Confused
Dear Confused,
I like a good mother-daughter-lonely boarder scenario as much
as the next person, but after 11 years, this is sounding like
a porn movie gone existentially bad.
The beauty in certain relationships and filmstrips is in
their brevity: Stranger wanders into town, gets laid, moves
on. Just as things are getting hot with the downstairs neighbor,
in walks the policeman's wife for her search-and-seizure routine.
Of course, real-life segues don't happen with the same grace
and logic that you see in the movies. Eventually, the co-eds
and black-lace lady executives stop dropping by, and then
you're stuck with whomever you moved in with.
Break it off with the mother, stop trysting with the daughter.
Trying to continue sexual relationships with either will only
bring three-way misery.
It might feel scary to venture off on your own, but keep
in mind that everything changes. The world you'd be leaving
is on the verge of messy self-destruction anyway--it's too
incestuously self-contained to last.
--Suey
Dear Suey,
Since I quit drinking and smoking a year and a half ago, it's
been harder to meet women. But the funny thing is, I don't
care as much! A walk through the park puts me in the same
mood I used to get only from hours of sex and a few paragraphs
of reassurance from my then-girlfriend that, yes, she loved
me, and yes, she would come over tomorrow a little after 5:30.
I'm beginning to suspect a connection between chemical dependency
and emotional dependency, or maybe between fitness and emotional
independence.
What do you think?
--Han Shan
Dear Han,
I think you are an exercise nut, riding on a cloud of Zen
addiction and dri-weave oxygen deprivation. Nothing wrong
with that, of course. The best of us have been known to walk
the earth. Good luck, my friend. And if you should happen
to meet a friendly nature girl or well-toned jogger on your
path, well, perhaps you can take up jogging.
--Suey
Dear Suey,
Between myself, my boyfriend and my family, I'm expected to
attend eight weddings this year, two as a bridesmaid, plus
another very close and dear friend has announced a winter
ceremony and she's asked me to be in that wedding party too.
Suey, I'm going broke! I can't afford all the wedding gifts
and shower gifts and bachelorette parties! I'm shelling out
big money for strappy sandals and pearly pink poof dresses
that I will definitely never wear again. Is there any way
to turn down a bridesmaid offer without offending? She really
is a dear friend.
--Always a Bridesmaid
Dear AB,
I may be Chinese-American, but even I can see that the patriarchs
would be horrified by this potential act of political cluelessness.
Don't devalue her Y2K wedding date even more by bitching about
money. Unless you can weasel out by offering up the spot to
another jealous would-be bridesmaid, you're stuck with the
job.
The patriarchs are notorious cheapskates, however, and there
other ways to economize. Did you know that a wedding gift
can be delivered up to one year after the event? Did you know
that craftsy home-made momentos plus a truly excellent compilation
tape can mean just as much as a Krups blender, especially
at a bridal shower? What about the ancient tradition of going
in with the other bridesmaids for something a little swankier?
Keep in mind also that it's perfectly OK to turn down a bridal
shower here and there, maybe even the occasional wedding.
And, well, I hear credit cards are offering low rates these
days.
--Suey
Previous
Columns:
|
5/5/99
|
|
-Crushed out on movie stars |
| 5/12/99 |
|
-My 22-year-old daughter is threatening to marry
her 23-year-old boyfriend
-I met someone over the Internet - but I'm afraid
she's a stalker!
|
| 5/19/99 |
|
-How to buy a dildo |
| 5/26/99 |
|
-Do you think it's OK
to break up with a guy over sex?
-My boyfriend is homophobic and my best friend is a
gay man. |
| 6/2/99 |
|
-Should
I choose a relationship or the single life?
-How can I tell if I really love my girlfriend, or just
her money? |
| 6/9/99 |
|
-My boyfriend
feels like a pervert
-Should I jeopardize my relationship for sex with my
ex? |
| 6/16/99 |
|
-dildos
can reaffirm your humanity
-where are all the straight men? |
| 6/23/99 |
|
-My wife wants an open marriage
-I can't stand my in-laws' cooking
|
| 6/30/99 |
|
-black man
seeks advice for courting an Asian lady
-tip from a queer customer |
|
|
|
-My lover
is a slob
-Breaking up is hard to do |
| 7/14/99 |
|
-Buying porn |
| 7/21/99 |
|
-After two years, my boyfriend and I don't have sex
enough
-I'm still in love with my ex, and she's getting married
|
| 7/28/99 |
|
-My girlfriend is obsessed
with telephone psychics.
- I'd rather be with my cat than my girlfriend
|
| 8/4/99 |
|
-I started seeing a guy who's an 'emotional dud'
-I'm 50-plus and want to get back into dating, love
and sex.
|
| 8/11/99 |
|
-I'm 19,
but I only like older women
-When should I meet my online pal? |
| 8/18/99 |
|
-I haven't been attracted to anyone lately
-My girlfriend changed her mind when I was gone for
two weeks.
|
| 8/25/99 |
|
-My boyfriend believes it was love at first sight,
and I don't.
-My boyfriend claims I don't take care of my appearance
any more.
|
| 9/1/99 |
|
-Do I really want my first time to be as "Girlfriend
No. 71"?
-Is this your real name?
|
| 9/8/99 |
|
-My girlfriend likes to wear thong underwear, and
wants me to as well.
-Is it that bad to be romantically dormant all my
life?
|
| 9/15/99 |
|
-Cold sores ruined my relationship
-Suey's relationship track record.
|
| 9/22/99 |
|
-My boyfriend doesn't like
my artwork.
-My girlfriend drives like a maniac. |
| 9/29/99 |
|
-I can't
reach orgasm with my girlfriend.
-Break-up avoidance strategies. |
| 10/6/99 |
|
-How to date with the teenage
children living at home.
-My best friend ran off with my crush. |
| 10/13/99 |
|
-I've
never had an orgasm. Do you have any suggestions for
me?
-What should I do with my argumentative boyfriend? |
| 10/20/99 |
|
-How should I discuss my spanking
fantsies with my wife?
-Are Portland women 'cold'? |
| 10/27/99 |
|
-My wife wants to have sex
with another man
-Impotence. That's the problem. |
| 11/03/99 |
|
-Why does every woman of quality
have a boyfriend?
-I am in love with three men. |
| 11/10/99 |
|
-A friend of mine has eyes
for a guy she's working with
-I have tons of male friends, but no boyfriends |
| 11/17/99 |
|
-I'm a frustrated 16-year-old
male
-My boyfriend of two years is terribly jealous of an
ex-boyfriend. |
| 11/24/99 |
|
-Does penis size matter?
-My marriage is falling apart |
| 12/01/99 |
|
-I'm in love with my best friend
-How do women in porn films get their crotches so hairless? |
| 12/08/99 |
|
-My long-distance partner wants to be non-monogamous
-My partner is a workaholic |
| 12/15/99 |
|
-I
love my partner, but want to have sex with other women
-I'm in a good relationship, but my girlfriend's not
interested in sex
-I've been dating someone new, but I'm not sure if he's
millenium-worthy |
| 12/22/99 |
|
-What's your opinion
on dating coworkers?
-I love my girlfriend, but she won't marry me |
| 12/28/99 |
|
-Should I get
back together with my child's father?
- On the cheating scale, how bad are online sex chats? |
| 1/5/00 |
|
-My
phone chat line 'friend' turns out to be my co-worker's
fiancée |
| 1/12/00 |
|
-I think I'm addicted
to sex
-My boyfriend is a cross-dresser |
| 1/19/00 |
|
-Is it true that men like girls?
-My job and my man are not compatible
|
| 1/26/00 |
|
-Is web sex cheating?
-Dealing with self-consciousness |
| 2/2/00 |
|
-It's
Desperate Hunky Man Week! |
| 2/9/00 |
|
-Is making out with a
drunk friend a bad idea? |
| 2/16/00 |
|
-Is my boyfriend still fantasizing about a threesome?
-Tips for a virgin on what makes a woman quiver.
|
| 2/23/00 |
|
-What do I say to people who ask why I've never been
married?
-What's the proper etiquette for dating through the
personals?
|
| 3/01/00 |
|
-My
boyfriend believes that men are not required to reciprocate
sexually.
-How can I make up for missing Valentine's Day? |
| 3/08/00 |
|
-What
should I do with my once-cheating boyfriend?.
-Exclusively online romances have their advantages? |
| 3/15/00 |
|
-I love
performing oral sex, but hate eating the hair.
-My girlfriend doesn't enjoy sex, she's just a cuddler. |
| 3/22/00 |
|
-My
girlfriend is dating a married man.
-I just got out of a long-term relationship, do I want
another right now? |
| 4/12/00 |
|
-I would like to try stripping, but I've some things to overcome
-I met a booth stripper, during her show and now I'm in love. |
| 4/19/00 |
|
-My
ex-girlfriend still entertains ideas of us reconciling.
I'm ignoble.
-How can I prolong my happy time? |
| 4/26/00 |
|
-My guy's
so sexually pedestrian
-Our daughter is bitter at us for breaking off her affair
with an older man |
| 5/03/00 |
|
-I'm an
ex-porn performer and I know nothing of lovemaking, only
fucking
-I'm tired of being the guy friend. |
| 5/10/00 |
|
-Suey
hears from the virgins |
| 5/17/00 |
|
-What
do you think about Ross Jeffries' Speed Seduction seminar
and other programs that promise to teach a guy how to
get women in bed? |
| 5/24/00 |
|
-I've recently started paling around (and more) with a married guy; now it's getting weird. |
| 5/31/00 |
|
-Without a ring how is a guy to know if a woman's available?
-I love my husband but recently we fight about everything. I want to try marriage counselling but we're both skeptical.
|
| 6/7/00 |
|
-"I want to know what love is"
-I'm attracted to unavailable men. Married, uncommunicative,
religious, sports-oriented or work-obsessed men seem
to be my specialty. |
| 6/14/00 |
|
-My
best friend, who's a straight male, initiated a sexual
encounter. Now our friendship is horribly strained,
what's a guy to do?
-What's the etiquette on roommates bringing home lovers
and all that? |
| 6/21/00 |
|
- There's
this girl.... and I want to talk to her.
-Why is it that all the men I meet only want to casually
date or have casual sex? |
| 6/28/00 |
|
-I'm involved in a relationship
that I'm afraid might shock and alienate my family and friends, how to proceed? |
| 7/04/00 |
|
- I met this wonderful girl... |
| 7/12/00 |
|
-I'm a guy who doesn't like sex.
-I broke up with my boyfriend of three years, but now I deeply regret it...
|
| 7/19/00 |
|
- Suey, what's with your lame gender cliches? |
| 7/26/00 |
|
-I think
I'm Straight-Curious (if there is such a thing)
-I've been off and on with my college boyfriend for
over 12 years. We're having trouble moving to the next
level. |
| 8/2/00 |
|
- I'm 32, just divorce, and dating a guy who's 25.
Is there something wrong with what I'm doing??
- I am older and therefore wiser. Your readers are
naive. I'll help you set them straight.
|
| 8/9/00 |
|
-Just when I had lost all hope in men, I met the most amazing guy.
-I'm thinking about contacting a dominatrix. Any advice on how to present myself? |
| 8/16/00 |
|
-My boyfriend is such a sweetheart when he's with me, but when he's out with
his guy friends, he turns into a total pig.
-The world's biggest ass
|
| 8/23/00 |
|
-A year
ago, I cheated on my boyfriend of three years with another
woman. How can I fix this? He is freaking out.
-Oh Ms. Chow, in this case you're wrong |
| 8/30/00 |
|
-When do you tell someone you're dating that you have
hepatitis?
|
|