Tales From the Front by Cheryl Lavin

We all know office romances are bad news. Still, so many of us have had them.

After all, we spend a major chunk of our waking hours at work. We have lunch with our coworkers, become friends with them, confide in them, and occasionally fall in love with them.

Just like David Letterman ...

Daphne: Office affairs are a complicated subject. Aren't women drawn to men with power? Does the woman entice the man with power? Or does the man use his power to get the woman in the sack? Something to ponder.

Jackie: I once dated my boss. (This was at one job out of eight in my career.) We were both single. I didn't feel any pressure before, during or after, but I did eventually leave for a better job. It was wonderful while it lasted, but it didn't last.

Would I do it again? Probably not. My career didn't suffer because of dating my boss, but my heart certainly did! It was very tough to have to see him every weekday after that.

Celeste: This whole thing with Letterman doesn't bother me. I've haven't heard any woman saying he forced her or made sex a condition of the job or a means to a promotion or a raise or whatever.

That said, I do feel for his wife. They were together while some of these affairs were occurring. To have this extremely personal pain play out on a very public stage would be a nightmare for me!

Sophie: David Letterman's affairs are none of my business. If he were married at the time, then he's a pig. But he wasn't.

Kasey: In my opinion, you can sleep with whomever you want, as long as you're both single.

But David Letterman was not single. He's been in a relationship with a woman, now his wife, since 1983. He cheated on her. That's my issue.

I cannot stand this kind of behavior and feel Letterman is nothing more than a cheater, and he needs to pay the price. Will his wife dump him? The trend seems to be to stay with these morons.

Jay: This is a personal issue between the parties involved, and it's no business of mine or anyone else. If one's morals allow trysts, so be it.

I may or may not approve of someone else's behavior, but I'm more incensed at a person talking loudly in a movie theater during the film than I am when David Letterman, or anyone else, has sex with a co-worker of higher or lower corporate stature.

We live in highly enlightened and empowered times. We are cognizant of the issues germane to sexual harassment in the workplace. Have any of the parties involved in the Letterman encounters come forward complaining?

Only Letterman has come forth, in a most conciliatory, explanatory manner. I believe he's sincere. I also believe he has the right to live his life his way according to his own tenets.

The women who joined him in these activities are grown, mature, professional people fully aware of the ramifications of their decisions.

Grow up, America! You ain't so lily pure yourself, and you know it!

Have you had a romance with your lawyer or doctor? Send your tale, along with your questions and problems to cheryllavin@aol.com. You can visit her blog at www.talesfromthefront.com. To find out more about Cheryl Lavin, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.

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