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DEAR ABBY: I have suspected for many years that my son is gay. I don’t understand why he would feel he can’t talk to me about his relationships. I would love him regardless. Everything was fine when his father and I lived hundreds of miles away, but when I mentioned we might move closer, my son got very upset and made it clear that he didn’t want it to happen. At the time, I didn’t understand why.
We moved closer anyway, and now there’s an invisible curtain between us. His dad is disabled. I’m his caretaker, which can be very stressful at times, but I do everything I can to take care of myself emotionally and physically so I can do it right.
My husband’s dad turned out to be gay and divorced his mom. My husband is still angry at his father, which I understand. I suspect that may be one reason our son is distant. Several of his contemporaries (both male and female) have mentioned their suspicions to me. I love my son and want to be closer. I have contacted PFLAG for assistance. Can you provide me with any insight?
TRYING
IN VIRGINIA

DEAR TRYING: IF your son is gay (and he may NOT be), it is understandable that he would stay away from his possibly homophobic father. I find it strange that any of your son’s friends would make unsolicited comments to you concerning their “suspicions” about his sexual orientation. You were wise to reach out to PFLAG for information. It’s a respected resource that I have mentioned in my column many times. But I can’t help wondering why you moved closer to your son despite him indicating that he didn’t want it. It may be time to give him the space to live his life in private, and because you need emotional support, seek it elsewhere.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 71-year-old only child who’s been married for 54 years. I have a terrible habit of interrupting when my wife is speaking. I’m trying to break this habit, which is difficult after so many years.
We had a bad argument today when she asked me to watch some “funny” YouTube clips. I declined because I was doing the weekly chore of setting up our many medical prescriptions for the week. She blew up saying it was OK for me to interrupt her but not the reverse. She then went on to say how I interrupt her when she’s cooking, reading, on her computer or doing other activities. I asked when a good time was to talk to her and was told maybe never. Was I out of line or did this turn into an overreaction?
TALKATIVE LADY IN NORTH CAROLINA

DEAR LADY: It turned into an overreaction. Interestingly, your wife did not say you interrupted her while she was speaking. She mentioned interrupting certain activities.
Has it occurred to you that the two of you may spend so much time together that you are getting on her nerves? Perhaps getting out of the house separately would give the two of you more breathing room.

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Another potential confrontation over St. Mary Parish government finances faded away Wednesday, when unsettling financial news led to an agreement to have monthly budget meetings between the administration and the Parish Council.
Also at Wednesday’s council meeting, the council applauded a group of Hanson Memorial students who are going to the United Kingdom later this month for a theater festival. The festival will be in Edinburgh, Scotland. The council passed a resolution of support.
Budget
The agenda for Wednesday’s meeting included discussion about seeking a state attorney general’s opinion.
At issue is the council’s decision last month to appropriate $5,000 to the Baldwin Police Department. The money was to come from a 3/10ths cent sales tax dedicated to projects in wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 10.
Parish President Sam Jones, who has been tightening the budget since he took office last year, pointed to the parish charter, which gives him the power to reject spending outside the budget without certification that the parish has the money.
Councilman the Rev. Craig Mathews of Jeanerette, who chairs the council’s budget committee, came back on the latest agenda with the possibility of seeking the attorney general opinion on whether the president can block a council-approved expenditure.
But Mathews withdrew his request for discussion after Chief Administrative Officer Paul Governale gave a budget update requested by Jones.
Governale, who was finance director before becoming CAO, said he looks at the parish’s cash balance each Monday. This time, Governale said, the parish had $1.1 million less than at the same time last year.
Recent expenses have included $1.2 million for equipment repair and upgrades at the Harold J. “Babe” Landry Landfill in Berwick and $132,000 to restore electricity at Kemper Williams Park near Patterson.
Road work funding that comes from severance taxes is down. And while the parish received $3 million in property taxes from 2024, it also pays $4 million a year for debt service, Governale said. The parish payroll costs $560,000 per month.
More expenses are ahead, he said, including repairs for the Avoca ferry and a new scale at the landfill at a cost of about $300,000.
Governale, a 19-year parish employee, has been unable to follow the long-standing practice of paying bills twice a month as they come in, he said. That doesn’t mean bills will be overdue or that the parish is defaulting, he said, but some bills will be paid later than they’ve been paid in the past.
“This is the first time in my career here, and it’s happened over the last two or three times, that I had to hold off paying some bills,” Governale said.
“Anyone and everyone we have a bill from for something we’ve had repaired will be paid,” Jones stepped in to say.
Mathews objected to what he saw as a contradiction between Jones raising the possibility of a $600,000 year-end surplus earlier this year and the current talk about a deficit. Mathews’ own term for the situation is a “temporary cash flow shortage.”
Jones said he’d hoped the surplus would materialize.
“We’re not having it now,” he said.
What started as a debate ended with an agreement for monthly meetings between the council and administration to talk about the budget.
They settled on a 5 p.m. meeting before the regular council meeting Aug. 13.

James Patrick “Pat” McCleary, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, passed away on July 4, 2025, at the age of 76. Born on December 26, 1948, in Lake Charles, LA, Pat lived a life that revolved around love, laughter, and adventure. He spent his childhood in the vibrant culture of Louisiana, and later made his home in Morgan City, LA, where he became a well-respected member of the community.
Pat was a man of many passions. When he wasn’t busy with work, you could find him enjoying the great outdoors, whether it was hunting in the woods or fishing along the coast. His stories of these adventures brought smiles and laughter to those around him.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Barbara McCleary; his children, Mimi Osborne and husband John, Jimmy McCleary and wife Teeny, Jason McCleary and wife Tracy and Keeley Woodfield and husband Woody; and a whole crew of grandsons, Mac McCleary and wife Cassidy, Hayden McCleary and fiancée Leah Authement, Ethan McCleary and wife Gabby, Dylan McCleary and girlfriend Sadie Marcantel, Patrick Brooks, Jack Osborne, JP McCleary, and Colton James Woodfield. Pat also cherished his granddaughter Katie Osborne, great-granddaughter May Louise McCleary and numerous nieces and nephews. He leaves behind his loving sisters, Bridget Arcemont and Karen Adams, his sister-in-law, Gwen McHugh, and very special friend, Evan Chabot.
Family and friends are invited to come together to celebrate Pat’s life. A public viewing will take place on July 12, 2025, at 9:30 AM at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, followed by a Mass at 12:00 PM. Afterward, Pat will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Mausoleum.
Pat was preceded in death by his parents Mac and Mary McCleary, his in-laws T.R. and Elaine Naquin, and his brother Stephen McCleary. Though he may have left us, Pat’s spirit and love will live on in all of us who were lucky enough to know him. He will be deeply missed, but we take comfort in the memories and the legacy of joy and kindness he has left behind.
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, DONATIONS TO SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH, MAINTENANCE FUND, P.O. BOX 632; MORGAN CITY, LA. 70381
THE FAMILY REQUEST THAT ALL GUESTS ATTEND THE SERVICE IN CASUAL ATTIRE.

Scott Lloyd Rodriguez, 56, of Morgan City, died Monday, July 7, 2025.
He is survived by his brother, Kevin Rodriguez; children, Brady Rodriguez, Halie Rodriguez and Manden Rodriguez; and seven grandchildren.
A memorial celebration will be Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Lake End Park in Morgan City.