DEAR ABBY: My son has a best friend, “Earl”, he has hung out with since they were 14. Earl considers me his second mother because his real mother deserted him after he graduated from high school. He has never married or had kids. I’m 76, and Earl is 55. He does small jobs for me off and on, like changing the lightbulbs in my kitchen, fixing a light switch, replacing my windshield wipers, etc. He calls me off and on, and we email a lot. We both love movies and enjoy discussing them and the actors.
When he calls, I know I sometimes become long-winded. I’m sure Earl gets tired of me going on and on about my stuff. But instead of telling me he needs to go, he quietly hangs up on me. I think it’s extremely rude. I wish he would just TELL me he has to go — I wouldn’t be upset about that.
