Dear Dr. Date,
My date went in-line skating at 8 p.m. last Saturday night. To my worry, he had not returned three hours later. As a concerned girlfriend, I called 624-WALK, just to ask them to keep an eye out for a guy in a gray-hooded sweat shirt. To my dismay, they were not interested in his disappearance! After I found my boyfriend, I called them back to alleviate their worries and concerns. She just shrugged me off and said, “OK.”
Now, getting back to why I’m writing you. It’s because when my boyfriend left and came back, he went two doors down the hall, but didn’t tell me he was home and safe.
My question is, should I continue seeing my boyfriend when there seems to be no communication on his part? Or, is this just “typical” guy behavior? Furthermore, should I continue pursuing him? Can 624-WALK be relied on after they showed such disinterest in my conflict?
— Dismayed girlfriend and Non-624-WALK customer

To be affectionately honest, sweetheart, you sound like a real pain in the ass. First off, 624-WALK does not exist to look for people, they walk people home. Second, no one likes to have to check in with his or her significant other.
Presumably, you lived some 18 to 20 years without a clue as to where he was. I think you can handle a couple of hours now that you are dating.
Maybe the poor guy wanted to spend time alone or with his friends. If he had poked his head into your room to tell you he was back and then went to hang out with his friends, wouldn’t you still be mad? Be honest now. He has his own life to live. Just because you are intimately involved doesn’t mean you can expect perfect behavior. This is a big issue with men, but women don’t like to be nagged either. The crux of it is the threat of losing our independence. Most of us hate to be told what to do.
What I see happening is that when you get stressed out you become a bit irrational. You don’t appear to like feeling awkward, and as a way of coping with these feelings, you lash out at other entities such as 624-WALK and your boyfriend. Are you the type of person who has a bad day and makes sure everyone else around you has a bad day, too? I thought so.
I think it’s sweet that you were worried about your boyfriend, and I’m sure in some small way he does, too. But, darling, you are going to have to learn to accept that some parts of your life (and certainly parts of his life) cannot be completely controlled or predicted.