DEAR ABBY: "Broke in San Francisco" does not necessarily have to level with his girlfriend about his economic situation. I dated a man in the same boat. He solved the problem by using a little imagination.
He took me on romantic picnics and read poetry aloud to me. We went to the beach at sunset and strolled through the surf hand in hand. He took me to art shows, museums, the zoo. He brought me handpicked field flowers artfully arranged in wine bottles and left sweet notes on my windshield. I could go on, but you get the idea.
It eventually dawned on me that he didn't have a lot of money to spend, but I couldn't have cared less. I felt pampered, spoiled and loved. What was this man doing with all the money he saved? He was paying off the mortgage on his home so I would always have a place to live after we were married. -- LUCKY IN INVERNESS
DEAR LUCKY: What a fine tribute to a special man. You were not only lucky, you were wise to hang on to him. Not everyone is as fortunate as you:
DEAR ABBY: I have a solution for "Broke in San Francisco," who cannot afford to wine-and-dine his girlfriend as before. Marry her; then you'll no longer have to take her out. That's what my ex-husband did. -- DISAPPOINTED IN SAN DIEGO