Dear Matthew: I hate my roommate! She is selfish, lazy, messy, and really a rude, unpleasant person. The problem is that I date her brother and am madly in love with him. They are extremely close. Once, I casually mentioned that she left the food out on the counter overnight and it went bad. He didn’t talk to me for two days. I know that if I say anything negative to or about his sister, that will be the end of us and living with her will be even worse. What's wrong with this picture? – Scared Greta

Dear Greta: What's wrong with this picture? I'm afraid this problem goes deeper than you realize. Let’s say this relationship progresses to the point that you marry your stud. What then? Do you think he and his sister will magically disconnect from each other? There is no reason for you to be unnecessarily rude to or about her, but if you’re walking on eggshells, afraid to even casually mention facts about her, something is very wrong here. It sounds like you definitely need a new apartment and probably need a new boyfriend! My strategy would be to line up the new apartment first and move out. Then, test the waters. Tell your boyfriend what you just told me about his sister. If he wants to break it off, better to know now that his sister will always be more important than you since that’s not fair to you.

What's Wrong With This Picture?