DEAR ABBY: I am a widow. I supported my husband during our entire marriage with no help from his wealthy parents. My husband died before his father did.
After my father-in-law’s death, I received nothing. My sister-in-law told me she would give me $5,000, but she would invest it for me and give it to me after I retire. Well, that was 10 years ago.
I just retired. When I asked her for it, she claimed she had no memory of it and got angry with me for asking. I argued and said I hated her “stingy” family, and she hung up on me.
Should I ask her for the money again? — PROMISE BROKEN IN MICHIGAN DEAR PROMISE: No. Unless the promise your husband’s sister made was in writing, there is no way for you to collect the money. Asking for it again will not help.
I’m sorry. DEAR ABBY: I am a 14-year-old first-generation Polish American with a very Polish family. I don’t have a lot of issues, but I just changed schools, and nobody cares enough to learn how to pronounce my name, including the teachers.
I was named after a family member and the name has a lot of history, so my parents don’t want to Americanize it. But correcting people with no results is getting tiring. What started as a small issue now has me feeling split between my Polish and American identities.
Is it worth it to disappoint my parents to make it a little easier? — AGNIESZKA IN NEW JERSEY DEAR AGNIESZKA: What would be worth it would be to explain to your teachers and friends the history behind your name. S.
