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Monday, February 4, 2013

How do you deal with a boyfriend who scampered off with a hottie, was dumped by her, and now wants you to take him back? What do you say to him?

This is just one of the many awkward situations for which light-hearted but sensible advice is dispensed by Philip Galanes in his popular New York Times column, Social Q's. What would you do, really? Here's what Galanes has to say:

That old-time gent who talked about turning the other cheek was definitely on to something, especially where Botox and other injectables are concerned. Tolerating errors in others is merely good sense, prone as we are to screw-ups ourselves.

But now that you know what your beau is made of, be careful (nay, hesitant) about taking him back. Losing a boyfriend, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, is a misfortune; losing him twice looks like carelessness.

Don't you just love that punchline?

Here are a few questions (some have been abbreviated here for reasons of space) that you may find yourself asking one day. Check out the advice offered by Galanes in each instance:
  Read other Social Q's columns here.

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