Ringy-Dingy

Over five years ago I dated a guy who dumped me for no reason- and he wasn’t nice about it. Much to my surprise he called me last week and left a voicemail. He wanted me to know that he was diagnosed with cancer and in treatment. He wasn’t sure of his prognosis, but he was sure that he wanted to apologize for the way he handled the breakup. How should I respond to this?

Regardless of his current health crisis, it’s obvious that he’s not forgotten his actions toward you and how he handled your breakup. You’ve most likely moved on from the negative experience, living your best life. That said, calling him back to say that you wish him all the best with his treatment and that you forgave him years ago is the way to handle it.

I’m divorced and my friends are giving me a hard time for wearing my engagement ring (on another finger, of course). I like the ring and frankly it looks better on the other finger but my friends still complain about it.

Your friends need to learn a very important lesson taught to me by my mother… it’s never the gift’s fault. Be it a shirt or a solitaire, if you love it, wear it and discard the naysayers.

Several years ago I had a couple dates with a guy- there was nothing bad about him but it just didn’t stick. Years later he calls me, saying that he found my number in his phone and was wondering how I was doing. Should I call him back?

Obviously you made an impression that had enough staying power to motivate him to call years later. What do you have to lose… if you’re single and able to mingle, return the call. Timing is everything and maybe that timing is perfect now.