Readers, please send your letters. They can be emails, formal letters or handwritten notes. They are edited solely for grammar and spelling. Also, they are sometimes edited for length.
Dear Doctor Love,
Three years ago I was working at this place and I met a girl who worked there. We became good friends and I was really attracted to her. However, we never dated. She never let me know anything about how she felt about me so I assumed she wasn’t interested. I left the job and moved to San Ignacio while she stayed on. Six months ago on holiday I stopped at the place where I used to work and she acted glad to see me. She was full of compliments and wanted to know what kind of girl I was looking for. I took this to mean she was interested so I started emailing her. She never responded. Since then I tried calling her at the business but she has left there. I lost her phone number a long time ago. I found her on Facebook but she won’t answer my requests to be her friend.
I like her and think about her a lot. Is she mad at me? What did I do wrong?
/s/ Lonely Boy
Dear Lonely,
No. She isn’t mad at you. She just isn’t into you for anything more than friendship. Find something else to do with your time.
Dear Doctor Love,
I have a good friend who has been acting strange lately. He has always been really quiet and hardly ever talks to anyone but me.
Not too long ago I noticed these little cuts and slices on his arms up under his shirt sleeves. It was like cuts from a fence or from coral but they were all straight lines. I asked him what happened to his arms and he said he had to go. Later I asked him if he made those cuts on purpose. He wouldn’t answer until he finally said maybe and he got mad and wouldn’t talk any more about it. I quit bothering him about it but I know something is really wrong. I can’t seem to talk to him about it, though. He is my friend and I don’t want to see him hurt. What can I do?
/s/ Scared
Dear Scared,
He needs help and the cuts are a cry for attention. You can talk to the authorities at school or your minister but the best bet is to go to one of the local doctors and tell them about it.
Our doctors are truly fine people who will try to find a way to help.
