When we left Talia and Tony, they were in a restaurant. Her mind was "swirling with confusion and weirdness" as she wondered what she'd gotten herself into.

Talia said, "I said little as I watched him drink the four Bloody Marys' I would no doubt have to pay for."

They returned to his apartment. She laid down on a couch in his clutter- and garbage-filled living room and pretended to nap. Her mind was racing as she weighed her options. After some fake napping, Tony told her they should go out for dinner soon.

Talia says: "He proceeded to change in front of me. His near naked physical appearance was horrid. Plus, he was wearing a mirdle, (a man girdle). He noticed me staring, and pointed to his mirdle, and said he wore it due to surgery he'd had. I asked when he'd had surgery. He said 10 years ago.

"Then he told me he needed to take his medications. He pulled out a pill organizer thingie and dumped about 14 pills into his hand. I asked what they were. He said most of them were anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds. Now my dread and horror were amping up. Where was I? Who was I with?"

After returning from a $120 dinner that Talia paid for, she realized she had to get out of there. She didn't have the funds to finance three nights in New York. She went into his grunge- and scum-covered bathroom and start calling airlines. She turned on the water to muffle her voice.

She says: "I was on hold endlessly, getting nowhere. I decided I would be better off anywhere, than here with this man in his firetrap garbage filled dump. I called a taxi, exited the bathroom, and told him I was leaving. I didn't have the heart to tell him his home was disgusting and he was scaring the living life out of me. I welled up some fake tears and told him I was a mess, my divorce had beaten me down, and I was too sad to stay. I hopped in the taxi and left."

Talia returned to LaGuardia Airport 11 hours after she'd arrived and spent the night there.

She says: "It was scary. Homeless people were doing their thing. But at 3 a.m. I did see a bride and groom arrive, still wearing their wedding costumes, ready to go on their honeymoon. Surreal.

She got on the first flight to Chicago O'Hare at 6 a.m. She says, "My girlfriend picked me up, and as I told her my tale, we almost had to stop the car because we are both laughing so hard. Without her help and support, I would have been a basket case over all this.

"The good news is, I had a date the next day with a guy I'd met on a dating website. The date was great! No more old boyfriends, cheers to new ones!

"P.S. While at the airport the hoarder ex-boyfriend texted me advice about how I need to allow myself to heal. He also told me his cat was concerned that she had done something that offended me!"

How many times have you let the same dog bite you? Send your tale, along with your questions and problems to [email protected]. And check out my e-books, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front" and "I'll Call You. Not.