DR. WALLACE: I'm a college student who is 21, and I made the mistake of allowing my aunt's stepson to stay with me for a month while she and her husband took a cruise to Europe.

This kid is basically all right, meaning he can talk in friendly tones to my roommate and me, but he has cost us a small fortune! First of all, he ate all of our food like a hungry wolf. Our refrigerator was ravaged and we had to go shopping twice as often as usual. This little squirt is only 15 but he thinks he can act like he's 18 and a full-grown man, which he definitely is not.

But worst of all, he ordered several movies on our cable television without telling us. I'm not talking about one or two movies; I'm telling you he ordered one or two per day for a month!

When my aunt returned, I told her all about both aspects of what he did. She told me that she will make him get a job soon and we will eventually get repaid. Well, two months have gone by now and I have not received one penny in repayment.

My mother thinks my aunt should repay us in full regarding this matter. What do you think? We can't be chasing down this rascal, especially since he lives over 20 miles away from us. — We Were Taken Advantage Of, via email

WE WERE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF: I agree fully with you. You did your aunt a favor, and her stepson's actions are her responsibility, especially since she is the one who set this situation up and put it in motion.

I feel that your aunt should pay you in full for the movies he rented. Get a copy of your bills that show his purchases and present them to your aunt. She and her husband should immediately pay you in full, and then they can set up a payment plan for this young man to reimburse them.

As far as the food goes, that's another story. It's unlikely that your aunt will pay you anything for his voracious consumption, so just chalk that up to experience and a hard lesson learned. Obviously, you won't be taking on any more favors of this sort for your aunt, and you'll now be wiser from this experience if any other similar "favors" are ever asked of you later in your lifetime.

I'M IN THE MOOD TO RECONSIDER HIM

DR. WALLACE: I had a boyfriend for over a year. We were both 16 years old and I met another guy, so I broke it off with my boyfriend at the time. The relationship with the new guy seemed to be great for the first month, but then things changed and that relationship was over within six months, and I must admit the last three months of it were a total waste of my time.

I think I now want to get back with my old boyfriend, but he's been dating someone else steadily in the meantime. Do you think I have a good chance of winning him back if I send him a romantic text message? We both just turned 17 years old, so I now think we would both be much more mature in a "second chance" relationship. — Starting to Reconsider, via email

STARTING TO RECONSIDER: I feel it's best for you to look for a new relationship with someone else. Don't forget, you broke off your previous relationship and you likely have created trust issues with this guy you used to date.

Furthermore, he's in a new relationship that seems to be going along fine, so especially at your present age I feel it's best for you to seek greener pastures elsewhere.

If and when he ever contacts you in the future, you can consider things at that time. I would not advise meddling in his current relationship. Your odds of reconnecting with him someday would be exponentially higher if it occurs organically rather than by you trying to cut in and end his current relationship.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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