Kimberly, 45, from, Pennsylvania, asks: Hi, I have been dating a man 57, divorced with 3 grown children. We had a wonderful relationship, and I could tell he geninuely cared for me. Between my new job (I commute and don't get home until 7:00pm) and his schedule, we began to see less of one another. I became impatient with him and broke off our relationship. I felt that he wasn't making enough time for me. He didn't seem surprised. We have spoken briefly and both admitted that we miss the other. He said he would call me this past Sunday, and he did not. I am confused, and do not understand why men do this.

VictorM's advice: He might miss you but your impatience was a roadblock. At his age, he doesn't want to be treated like a pesky teenager who must account for his time to his parents.

Now, here's how the phone thing works. He's talking to you and the conversation is pleasant. The topic of future contact comes up. He can either duck the issue and deal with your impatience (or is it irritation? Temper? Nagging?) or he can avoid it by saying: "Yeah I'll blah blah blah... goodnight". Now, the next day all he remembers is talking to you and saying goodbye. The blah, blah, blah that helped him avoid something unpleasant with you has been erased and he's free to schedule a golf outing with his buddies on... let me see... um... Sunday!

OK, the short of it: he was being pleasant with you but he's no longer into you.