KATHY MITCHELL AND MARCY SUGAR | Annie's Mailbox The wrong brother wants to marry her

Dear Annie: I am in love with "Jason," and we have been together four years. I am waiting patiently for the day he asks me to marry him. We have been talking about it for two years. I was certain Jason would give me a ring on my birthday last week, and was disappointed when he showed up with roses and nothing else.
That, however, is not the real problem. Yesterday, an hour after Jason left for work, his brother, "Colin," showed up at my door. I thought it was odd for Colin to be here, since we are not particularly close. I invited him in, and the next thing I know, he tells me he is in love with me. I was dumbfounded and thought he was joking, so I laughed. He became very quiet and left.
I saw Colin this morning, and we had a long talk. He told me Jason has no intention of marrying me, ever. Colin went on to say he wanted to make me his wife. He promised if I said, "Yes," I would never regret it. He even pulled out a ring when he proposed, and it was the very same ring I had my heart set on. I'm sure Colin knew about the ring from Jason because they talk to each other often.
I don't know what to do. Please help. Loved by the Wrong Sibling in Texas
Dear Texas: Are you in love with Colin, or have you decided he comes from a good family and any male relative with a diamond will do? Please don't romanticize the situation. Have a frank talk with Jason, and find out what his intentions are. Don't take Colin's word for it. Then tell Colin you are flattered by his proposal, but it would be terribly unfair to everyone involved if you encouraged his interest. No more "long talks." You need some emotional distance from this soap opera so you can figure out what, and whom, you really want.
Dear Annie: I live in a complex for senior citizens. We have a neighbor who, for some unknown reason, thinks she is in charge of the building. "Babs" insists on running everything from potluck suppers to bingo (she insists on calling the numbers). I can't think of an activity in which she doesn't take over.
Babs doesn't pay our rent and is not entitled to manage our lives. What can we do about this one-woman warlord? Powerless in Arizona
Dear Powerless: It sounds as if Babs is unaware that her take-charge attitude is annoying the residents. However, she can only get away with this behavior if you permit it.
Ask her to tone it down a few notches, and if that doesn't do it, work around her. The next time a bingo game is scheduled, select someone else to read the numbers. If Babs assigns dishes for a potluck supper, say, "No, I prefer to take my noodle casserole." If you assert yourself, no one can take advantage of you.
Dear Annie: Please print this for Veterans Day. Last year, I attended a big event for my wife's family in Texas. We drove through several small towns on the way, and one of them was Hubbard, a little place between Waco and Fort Worth. We stopped at a Dairy Queen to get a cup of coffee and buy the kids some ice cream.
Inside was a fancy, hand-decorated sign that said, "World War II Veterans: When you were young, you saved the world." I was incredibly moved by this note of thanks to our veterans and wanted to let others know about it. I realize Hubbard is off the beaten path for most people, and I'm not sure the sign is still up, but it really made my day. Ed in Louisiana
Dear Ed: Thank you, and the folks at the Hubbard, Texas, Dairy Queen, for remembering our veterans. Those who served in all our wars deserve our gratitude.
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