DEAR ABBY: I just had to write after I read the letter from "Confused in San Diego," whose tightwad boyfriend presented her with a bill for money he had "loaned" her over their year-long relationship.
A number of years ago, my boyfriend "Martin" and I were bicycling on a back-country road on an island in Canada. We were miles from nowhere when I got a flat tire. It was just getting dark and threatening to rain, and I was not looking forward to waiting alone while Martin rode to the campground to get our car so he could drive back and get me.
Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a man on a bicycle rounded the corner. He stopped and offered us a brand-new inner tube he had recently purchased. I asked him how much we owed him. He said he had paid $3.65 at the local store. I pulled out an American $5 bill to give him when Martin stopped me. "Wait a minute," he said, "with the exchange rate for American money, that makes it only $2.73." He then insisted the man give us the appropriate amount of change -- to the penny. I was mortified! The kind man was good-natured about the whole incident, gave Martin his change, and rode off.
Fortunately, after many more embarrassing incidents, I finally dumped Martin and his penny-pinching ways. Abby, your comment, "This one is not above using the purse strings to try to control you," was right on the money. -- PENNY-WISED UP
DEAR PENNY-WISED UP: I wasn't sure whether to file your letter under "The Kindness (and Tolerance) of Strangers" or "Miserly Mortals," so I printed it instead!