Son’s best friend comes on to wife

Dear Annie: My 22-year-old son’s best friend, “Jeremy,” has evidently taken a liking to my wife. He approached her once with an offer to be intimate. At that time, we both laughed it off. Then he decided to send her a text message in the wee hours of the morning, when he might possibly have been drunk.

Some time passed and nothing else happened until last night. Jeremy called at 3 a.m. He was definitely drunk this time. My wife kindly told him to go to bed, but he didn’t give up. He phoned three or four more times, and each time my wife told him nicely to sleep it off. We finally had to turn the phone off.

I trust my wife and had complete confidence in her handling the situation at first, but now I don’t know what to do.

I am torn. Jeremy is my son’s best friend, and they have big dreams with their band. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I also don’t want a strain on my marriage. This boy has been part of our family for almost eight years. Now he is apparently a young man with rather adventurous ideas. What do I do? – Mrs. Robinson’s Husband

Dear Mr. Robinson: Jeremy is smitten with your wife, but if you trust her, it won’t go any further. Since he is your son’s best friend, it would be best if she could disabuse him of his romantic notions in a gentle manner, allowing him to get over her without causing any permanent damage. Should the drunken rants increase, or if Jeremy attempts anything more, then it will be time for the two of you to sit down with him (when he’s sober) and tell him this has to stop.

Dear Annie: A friend stayed at my place because her apartment was being fumigated the day before Thanksgiving. After I told my friend she could stay with me, I was invited to my sister-in-law’s for our family dinner. I then asked if my friend could come if I brought along a dish. I didn’t want her left alone. I didn’t say anything to my friend until I was sure it would be OK with my family.

My sister-in-law left me a screaming message that what I did was wrong. She told me I simply should have said I couldn’t come, and it was rude to ask to bring a guest. I didn’t know that asking first was bad. What do you think? – Etiquette Faux Pas

Dear Etiquette: You did the right thing for asking. The fact that this was a family Thanksgiving dinner means your friend definitely should have been included, knowing that she otherwise would be alone on a holiday. Shame on your sister-in-law for being so mean-spirited.

Annie’s Snippet (Credit Martin Luther King Jr.): Potential powers of creativity are within us, and we have a duty to work assiduously to discover these powers.