Dear Anne
Last year I impulsively stole about ten dollars from my girlfriend's wallet. She found out and has now chastised me for it. Last weekend she says she lost $50 and she thinks I did it. But I didn't. Now she's not talking to me and I don't know what to do or say. How should I handle this? Sporty
Dear Sporty
I'm sorry that you've had to go through this painful lesson about losing someone's trust. If you can get her to talk to you, great. If not, why not write her a little note on some pretty paper? In either case you'll be saying much the same thing: that you owned up when you were caught out, so that she knows she can trust you to speak honestly to her. That you didn't take her money, but would tell her if you had. That you value her friendship and won't do anything now or in the future to jeopardise that. That you hope you and she can continue to be friends.
But please understand that she may never trust you again, or want to be friends again. In which case, it's time to move on and make new friends. Which you can do by being a good friend to others. And that, of course, includes respecting them, being honest and trustworthy. Good luck, Sporty.
