Dear Ann Landers: I married “Allan” two years ago. When we moved in together, I sold my condominium and gave the proceeds to my new father-in-law, who is an established stockbroker. He offered to invest the money, and I told him to put it in a money-market account. I said I didn’t want to take any risks with my savings. He agreed. After a few months, I added Allan’s name to the account and asked him to supervise it. Last year, I discovered that Allan’s father had begun trading in aggressive stocks, and I lost over 70 percent of my investment. The man had asked for neither my approval nor Allan’s. I am angry with him, but I’m even more upset with my husband since he was responsible for monitoring the account and paid no attention to what his father was doing.
I cannot get past my anger at losing all that money, and am furious that I cannot trust my husband. I am considering divorce. What do you say? — Down Arrows in Manhattan, N.Y.
Dear Manhattan: Don’t turn this setback into a life-changing fiasco. I realize Allan has disappointed you, but I doubt that was his intent. He obviously trusted his father to handle the investments and saw no reason to supervise the transactions.
As frustrating as the situation has been, I hope you will chalk it up to experience and put it behind you. You now know that your father-in-law takes too many risks and your husband doesn’t know much about stocks. Invest your money elsewhere, and leave Allan out of it.
Dear Ann Landers: Many years ago you printed a poem that touched my heart and encouraged me to reach out to an old friend. It was called “Around the Corner.” I hope you will print it again. Life is too short to let some things go unsaid. — Iowa
Dear Iowa: Here is the poem. The moral of the story is clear. I hope my readers learn from it. “Around the Corner” By Henson Towne
Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end.
Yet days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friend’s face;
For life is a swift and terrible race.
He knows I like him just as well
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine. We were younger then —
And now we are busy, tired men —
Tired with playing a foolish game,
Tired with trying to make a name.
“Tomorrow,” I say, “I will call on Jim,
Just to show that I’m thinking of him.”
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But tomorrow comes — and tomorrow goes;
And the distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner! Yet miles away . . .
“Here’s a telegram, sir.”
“Jim died today.”
And that’s what we get — and deserve in the end —
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
———-
Is life passing you by? Want to improve your social skills? Write for Ann Landers’ booklet “How to Make Friends and Stop Being Lonely.” Send a self-addressed, long, business-size envelope and a check or money order for $4.25 (this includes postage and handling) to: Friends, c/o Ann Landers, P.O. Box 11562, Chicago, IL 60611-0562. (In Canada, send $5.15.) To find out more about Ann Landers and read her past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.