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I thought my (younger) husband and I were the happiest married couple I knew. Then one day he came home from a business trip to announce he was having an affair with a co-worker--she's older than he, younger than I. I'm beyond being devastated. I left my friends, family and career to move with him to his new job. In 18 months, I have been unable to find work. I'm either "overqualified" or "underqualified" for every position. Translation: too long in the tooth. I am alone, abandoned, jobless and friendless in a strange city. I laughed, cried and ached through The First Wives Club. Sadly, I'm just one more statistic. From now on, the only man I will ever trust is God. Without him, I don't think I'll make it. NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST Houston Via E-mail
Amid all the hype over the first Wives Club, no one mentioned that it is a lame, ho-hum film. For almost two hours the three stars talked at the same time, trying to be funny, but they weren't. What's the big deal? ARMAND E. DE BEQUE Denver
I was first elated and then saddened by your reference to the nonprofit legal-aid center in Los Angeles named for my cousin Harriett Buhai. Unfortunately, you referred incorrectly to the center's and her name. Harriett's efforts and compassion for those who could otherwise not afford any legal representation is carried on by the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law. Please honor her legacy and the good works of the center by spelling her name correctly. BARBARA J. BUHAI Barrington, Illinois
PEACE IN FLAMES
Peace, as you mentioned in your article on resumption of violence between Israelis and Palestinians [World, Oct. 7], has never been so far away. The reason why, however, lies much more with the Israeli attitude than with Yasser Arafat. The Arabs cannot afford any more wars. Israel, with its military superiority, can. In the past months Israel's government has taken stands showing the inability of the Israeli people to feel secure with Palestinians around. Meanwhile, peace remains a dream. MONA FAWAZ Cambridge, Massachusetts Via E-mail
The controversial tunnel the Israelis reopened, which deserves to be called the Tunnel of Death, should be sealed forever because it is soaked with the blood of both Jews and Arabs. To defuse the situation and to end the conflict, sincerity and rationality should be practiced by experienced politicians on both sides. Otherwise, without these two human elements, the conflict is likely to continue for many decades. MOUSTAFA F. MOUKARIM Houston
The clashes between the Palestin-ians and the Israeli forces were the culmination of months of frustration and despair with the actions of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Palestinian mini-intifadeh comes as a strong and unequivocal reminder of the failure of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. America does not hesitate to impose the strictest of sanctions against Iraq for its alleged violation of U.N. resolutions, yet it turns a blind eye to Israel's violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that call on Israel to withdraw from the occupied Arab lands. LEEN DADA Paris Via E-mail