Perils of an Expatriate life

Dear Thelma,
Reading the letter from 'blissful Mama' In love but in crisis!! I would like to express my heartfelt sympathies to her, and I appreciate your 'diplomatic' wording of your reply and advice to her. You are really trying to help her, and put a positive spin to the matter so that you will not make the situation worse than it is. But speaking as an ex-expatriate, I would like to share my views of some perils of a family man working alone in a foreign country. The stresses are real, but so are the perks and the elevated stature that normally such a posting gives. I personally think that the husband is not telling the "exact" truth, when he says .." that sex makes him feel sick and weak (and) He constantly falls ill....." Coming from a previously happy marriage and a passionate wife, he must have loved the sex part of the marriage. If he loves his wife still and with the availability of Viagra, Levithra and Cialis, he would have still managed a happy marriage each time he returns from Dubai. I would read another reason for his sudden "disgust" with sex. It's most likely he is enthralled in a hot steamy love affair in the Middle East. With his expatriate earnings and elevated stature, many ladies will succumb to that heady 'mixture' of power and money. It's a natural aphrodisiac. Of course sex with his wife will make him "weak and tired", he has expended all his energy on his new found obsession.

I think it is the "correct" thing for you to say to 'blissful Mama', but I just want to let you know it is more likely a 'sinister' reason for the man to behave the way he does. It is a bit naive to think otherwise....