DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for two years. He keeps asking about a tattoo I have on my ankle and making fun of it. The tattoo is small and has my initials, or so I tell him. I think he knows I'm lying. A guy I dated had the same initials and we got matching tattoos, but I have never admitted it to my husband. Am I lying? Should I tell him whose initials those really are? -- INITIALLY CONFUSED
DEAR INITIALLY CONFUSED: Many people today have tattoos, and some of them include the names or initials of former boyfriends, girlfriends and spouses. You should have fessed up at the time you were being married. The problem with lying about something as trivial as this is that it makes one wonder what else you would lie about.
I see several possible solutions: First, tell your husband the truth. The second would be to have the tattoo removed. The third would be to add your married initial to the ones already on your ankle, at which point they WILL be your initials and yours alone -- unless you're still using your maiden name.