Dear Prudence,
I’m in the process of divorcing my husband, after less than a month of marriage. We dated happily for five years previously, but our situation is truly what “irreconcilable differences” are made for. He’s against the divorce, but I just want out. I’ve moved in with a friend. I’m trying to get a place for myself, but I wasn’t financially prepared for this and it’s tough. I know that my parents and family would love to give me a place to stay, help with attorney fees, and take care of me, but it comes with strings. My mom is the most gossipy person you can imagine. My cousin had an out-of-state abortion: She was getting calls from opinionated aunts within six hours. My brother’s embarrassing dick surgery, an aunt’s firing: It’s all fair game. My dad got into a fender-bender: He was getting lectures from the entire extended family for weeks.
She cannot keep a secret, and the more private and personal the news, the faster it spreads. Half the time I can’t even tell how she got the information. I’m keeping my reasons for divorce private, because they make me look like an idiot for marrying him and him a much worse guy than he actually is. I haven’t told anyone but my attorney. And my mom is dying to know. I get constant texts and calls where she says she’s just checking in. She’s even sent our family to push me for information. My brother confided that she’s asked him to find out, and he made me promise not to tell him so he could avoid her. I’m exhausted and so over this, but my divorce could go on for months. How do I get through this? I’ve been ignoring her, ending calls when the topic comes up. But I have other things to worry about and I just want her to go away.
—Soon to Be Divorced