DEAR ABBY: "Young at Heart in Texas" (Feb. 9) could have written my story. I am also a 70-year-old man who is sexually dysfunctional. I, too, was lonely, having outlived two of my brides. However, I did find someone who appreciates holding hands and whispering sweet words without more physical contact.
Abby, you said: "Not only do I think you can (find companionship), I suspect you may need police protection to control the crowd of applicants. Years ago, my aunt, the late Ann Landers, polled her female readers asking if they would prefer 'holding and cuddling' to actually doing 'the deed.' The majority of them answered in the affirmative."
My first wife died of a heart attack after 30 years of marriage. My second wife died after eight years of marriage, of kidney cancer. At 71, I married my third wife, a wonderful woman just as you both describe. She was my next-door neighbor. We have been married three years and nine months. (The Bible says, "Love thy neighbor," so I married her!) We also enjoy cuddling, even without doing "the deed."
So I say to "Young at Heart in Texas": YES, you can find a woman such as you and Abby describe. And when you do, I suggest you rub her back often. Women love it! -- YOUNG AT HEART IN COLORADO
DEAR YOUNG AT HEART: I'm glad your story had a happy ending, and I'm crossing my fingers that "Young at Heart's" will, too. Thanks for writing to encourage him.