Please send your questions for publication to prudence@slate.com.

Dear Prudence,

What can I do? What should I do? I met a man on the Internet. I know you've heard all the horror stories about these situations, but ours is an exception. He lives 1,000 miles from me. I flew to his state to meet him, and we found, to our mutual pleasure, that we were both just as fascinated with each other and as compatible as we dreamed. He is the most wonderful man I have ever known. Unfortunately, he's married. I knew this and was dead set against any kind of relationship with him because of that. But Prudie, his wife has been cheating on him for the last six years! He knows this but stays in the relationship because of his unwillingness to break up "the parental unit." He feels that would devastate his children. I have my own opinions about what they're already doing to their children, but I don't feel it's my place to "henpeck" him about it. While he was with me this past weekend it was apparent (we had clues) that his wife was enjoying the same kind of weekend. I love him so much it hurts. Our relationship has been open and honest from the start. Should I continue loving him from afar, with only a few weekends a year to actually touch him? Should I insist he leave his wife if we are to stay in our loving relationship? Should I just get a tourniquet for my heart and end the whole thing? HELP!

—In Love,

Kalamazoo, Mich.

Dear In,

Get the tourniquet. Prudie does not wish to add to your distress, but what are you smoking? The "mutual pleasure" is clearly exacerbating your JDD (Judgment Deficit Disorder). First of all, your relationship is not "open and honest." This man is married. And if he has tolerated a wife who's cheated on him for six years, Prudie doubts that he is henpeckable about that particular subject. As for the "parental unit" song and dance—a golden oldie, by the way—that is simply a dressed up way of saying, "I am hiding behind my children, have no intention of getting a divorce, so please forget about trying to pry me out of my marriage." In lieu of a few weekends a year with this cyberskunk, change your e-mail address and focus your energies elsewhere. Trust Prudie: What's going on is not exceptional ... it's a story as old as the hills and a lot older than the Internet.

—Prudie, absolutely

Prudie,

I hope you can help me with two wedding etiquette concerns. My wedding will be small and on a tight budget. We are experiencing some issues in finalizing the guest list. First, my fiance and I wonder if we should invite "Tom," an uncle of mine by marriage. Tom's reputation at weddings is not good. He is an alcoholic and often becomes intoxicated. He has been known to engage in fisticuffs with one bride's father. Even sober he is obnoxious and attempts to flirt and grope various young females—myself included. He is usually uninterested in family gatherings, but I believe my aunt and cousin will insist that he attend.