DEAR ABBY: I am a 70-year-old man. I have been widowed going on five years. Lately I've been seeing a nice woman who was recently widowed.
We are considering living together without marriage. That seems to be common here in Florida. It appears to eliminate some of the problems of getting remarried at our age.
My question is, how do you introduce your live-in companion to friends? Obviously I can't say she's my wife, and I think it would be disrespectful to call her my "live-in." -- CONFUSED IN FLORIDA
DEAR CONFUSED: A number of acceptable terms for the person with whom you have chosen to live come to mind: my best friend, my partner, my sweetheart, my girlfriend, or simply, my friend. Or, you can say, "Hello, John. This is Jane," and leave it at that.