Dear Blake,

When my wife of nine months makes a dental or medical appointment, she gives her last name as her late husband’s last name. He died 10 years ago. Should I be disappointed with my bride since, before we were married, she said she would adopt my last name?

Signed, Franklin
From, St Paul, Minnesota

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Dear Franklin,

There could be several reasons why your wife is using her late husband’s last name. However, her rationale will likely cause an even lower reduction on your already damaged self-esteem. Ok, here are some possible excuses. Maybe you have one of those last names that’s hard to pronounce, like one of those that has about ten letters with nine consonants, and only one vowel. It could mean she wants to keep that last name, because she secretly wants to marry her ex-husband’s brother, and changing her last name to yours would be a waste, since she’ll have to change it back. As far as medical appointments, she may not want you to know that she wants your organs harvested upon your death… or if she’s strapped for cash when you’re heavily sedated during an outpatient surgery. On the other hand, she may not be using your last name for any sinister motives. So, as far as teeth are concerned, she probably finds his smile a lot more appealing than yours… even as a decade old corpse. I hope this helps.

Blake