Dear Annabelle:

Well I met this guy at work, and we have been dating for the last 7 week-ends, anyway, 2 weeks ago he said he was ‘afraid of being hurt, or hurting someone’.

And he was ‘scared of how he felt for me and my kids’.

He said it was ‘too soon for him to feel the way he does.

We are both divorced after several years of marriage, his kids are grown and mine are teenagers.

Anyway, we were not all that serious then, (most we had done was kiss), and he told me he would love to take me home to his bed, but he couldn't.

Then he said, ‘I dunno what I want, or if I will ever get married again.

I'm not ready for a relationship’. So I asked him if he wanted me to back off, he said,"No, yes, no well maybe a little bit."

So last week-end we never saw each other, and last night when I was at his house, when I left I didn't even get a kiss good night, and it was like he was nervous and trying to stay away from me when I left, but he walked me to my car.

And said, "I'll call you Monday or Tuesday, and let’s do something next week-end."

So here I sit and wonder, what am I supposed to do??? Should I walk away? Should I hang in there and wait ‘til he is ready?

Or should I push him? Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention he also had a bad relationship of 4 months that hurt him bad, just 2 months before we started dating. So any words of wisdom would be priceless to me.

Thanks.

Jacque, 38

Dear Jacque....

You’re 38.....what do you want with one more kid?

This guy is one of the ‘walking wounded’.... and any time you hear that ‘I’m afraid of.........’ (line), get thee out of there.

You’re not the designated ‘nurse person’, are you?

Seriously, don’t let him hook into your ‘here, let me help you, you poor dear’ self.

You’re a grown women.... find yourself a grown man......unless, of course, this IS your idea of a grown man.

Annabelle