The best-selling modern romance novelist — and former Oakland lawyer — has been praised by everyone from New York Times and Washington Post reviewers to Shondaland and Reese Witherspoon, via her Hello Sunshine book club.

Guillory, a Stanford University law school alum, was several years into her law career when  she realized something was missing in her life.  She decided to try writing and quickly fell in love with what was then simply a new hobby.

“I looked forward to working on my book every night,” she says. “I thought about it all the time.”

In 2015, Guillory submitted the first half of a draft for her first novel, “The Wedding Date,” to NaNoWriMo — the annual National Novel Writing Month project for aspiring authors. With their support in hand, a book deal soon followed. She published that novel and two more while still working full time at her law firm.

Flash forward, and Guillory is now a full-time author who has just published her eighth book, “Drunk on Love,” which offers an intoxicating romance set at a Black-owned Napa Valley winery. Specific locations may vary from book to book, but every Guillory novel has been set in California.

“I grew up here,” she says, “and I feel like so much of the media doesn’t reflect the California that I know and love, and that I’ve been a part of my whole life. We have such diverse communities, full of all different kinds of people. I started thinking about Napa Valley, and it all just clicked. It’s such a beautiful and unique location, but it’s also got this reputation about it. People often about talk it like a haven for rich people and tourists, but I wanted to think about what it would be like for the people who really live there and work there on a day to day basis.”

The novel follows the story of winery owner Margot Noble, who goes out for drinks one night with a friend. She meets a charmer named Luke, and after hitting it off with great conversation, has a fabulous one-night stand with the suitor … or so she thinks. Her world soon gets turned upside down when she goes in to work the next morning and meets the winery’s newest hire. Of course, it’s Luke.

The book offers up a fun and frothy story that poses a serious question: What’s most important, doing what you love or being with the person you love?

The romance genre appealed to Guillory from the start, she says, both because of the mix of stories you can tell and the stories she never saw told.

“Romance novels at their core are really about character, really thinking about who these people are and how they came to find one another,” she says. “Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of Black women represented in those stories. When I was little, most of the books I read about Black women were about the struggle. Obviously, there’s a place for those books, but I what I really love is seeing Black women get their happy ending.”

As she redefines what Black literature can be, she’s branching out, too. Her other projects include a “Southern Belle Insults” short story series with Keke Palmer, a “Black Love Matters” essay anthology, and a collaborative novel, “First Street,” about four recent law school graduates clerking for the Supreme Court.

“Literature in general has really been dominated by whiteness,” she says. “Over the past little while, publishing has started to be more diverse and pay more attention to communities of color, but these communities read all the time, and as those books sell more, publishing is opening its eyes.”

Guillory’s Book Recommendations

“Partners in Crime” by Alisha Rai: This whirlwind romance offers shady characters, sultry settings and a love story with a splash of danger.

“Counterfeit” by Kirstin Chen: Plotting meets Prada in this story of fashion, friendship and crime, centered on a pair of Asian American women who hatch a scheme to make it big selling counterfeit handbags.

“On the Rooftop” by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton: This nostalgic novel tells the hopeful story of a struggling black family living in San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood during the 1950s.

“Yerba Buena” by Nina LaCour: This lesbian romance is a beautiful story of two star-crossed women circling in the same orbit, but struggling to truly find one another.

“Bomb Shelter” by Mary Laura Philpott: Philpott’s powerful memoir recounts the experiences of a woman who lost her teenage son.

The host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has produced two bits since last week that make fun of Harry’s discussion about how he suffered a frostbitten penis while participating in a trek to the North Pole with other military veterans in 2011. The segment from Monday night also zeros in on Harry’s need in his book to regularly connect events, including his frostbite woes, to his late mother, Princess Diana, as if to emphasize how much of a presence she remains in his life.

Indeed, Kimmel has Harry invoke the name of Sigmund Freud — the author of the Oedipus complex psychoanalytic theory — in the bit that has the duke thinking about his mother while seeking relief from his frostbite. For the segment, Kimmel introduces “a new children’s book” that he said was inspired by the blockbuster success of Harry’s book and particularly the popularity of his frostbite story.

“It’s a twist on “The Princess and the Pea,” Kimmel joked. “It’s called ‘The Prince and the Penis.’ The kids will love this. It’s time to gather them around because I have the honor of sharing the first read of the new book.”

Prince Harry’s book is so popular, they made a version for kids! #ThePrinceAndThePenis pic.twitter.com/mV0Sfy4REL

— Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) January 17, 2023

Thereupon, Kimmel produced a faux children’s book, with brightly colored illustrations and a rhyming, “The Night Before Christmas”-style tale about “a silly young codger” who suffers frostbite on a trip to the North Pole.

“Oh Mummy, oh Mummy, he cried with a scream and from then up on high, she appeared with some cream,” Kimmel read from the faux book, with an illustration of Diana up in a cloud, wearing her famous black “Revenge Dress.”

Kimmel clearly believes that Harry has opened himself up for such lambasting, given what the duke writes in “Spare” about seeking relief from his frostbite by using a cream by Elizabeth Arden — a brand he notes that his late mother used.

In “Spare,” Harry (or his ghostwriter, J.R. Moehringer) describes how the frostbite left him “oscillating between extremely sensitive and borderline traumatized.” To Harry’s credit, his tone is somewhat humorous. “The last place I wanted to be was Frostnipistan,” Harry also said, explaining how a female friend suggested he try the Elizabeth Arden cream.

“My mum used that on her lips,” Harry said, expressing discomfort at the idea of applying it “down there.” Harry said his friend  replied, “It works, Harry. Trust me.”

Harry said he acquired a tube and opened it. He also writes, “The smell transported me through time. I felt as if my mother was right there in the room.” He said he applied a “smidge” and acknowledged, “‘Weird’ doesn’t really do the feeling justice.”

In Kimmel’s version of Harry’s “story,” the Harry figure similarly expresses discomfort with the idea of using his mother’s favorite cream. “But Mummy, did you not put this on your lip. … But Mummy, have you not hear about Sir Sigmund Freud?” That line is a reference to Freud’s theory about a young male’s attachment to the parent of the opposite sex.

Kimmel’s children’s book shows an illustration of Diana coming down from her cloud and applying the cream on her son, leaving “everyone living happily ever after.”

Last week, Kimmel mined comedy and audience laughs from actually playing the audiobook version of “Spare,” with Harry reading from the passage about his use of the Elizabeth Arden cream and how it evoked “weird” thoughts about his mother.

Prince Harry truly TELLS ALL! pic.twitter.com/MCWUchCAYE

— Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) January 13, 2023

Kimmel’s children’s book bit provoked a mix of reactions. Many people left tweets with laughing emojis and praised Kimmel for offering an example of how Harry plays “the Mummy card” — aligning himself with the legacy of his popular mother in interviews and in his book. Others shared GIFs that showed they enjoyed the bit but also recognized that Kimmel was getting to the edge of what’s considered politically correct.

Oh my pic.twitter.com/h2oDtSDrgB

— Sabirah Lohn (43% Whatever I decide) (@SabirahLohn) January 17, 2023

Others, though, scoffed at Kimmel’s “amateurish” humor. One person suggested he was jealous because his late-night rival, Stephen Colbert, got an interview with Harry last week on his show. Others took offense with how they thought Kimmel disparaged the memory of Diana, who died in 1997 in a car accident in Paris.

Other comedians also have had fun with Harry’s North Pole story, including Chelsea Handler. However, she used her opening monologue at the Critics Choice Awards Sunday night to suggest that the public is both scintillated by also weary from Harry’s oversharing about his frostbite, which left him uncomfortable while attending the royal wedding of his brother, Prince William, to Kate Middleton.

At the awards show, Handler said, “Niecy Nash-Betts is nominated for ‘Dahmer.’ ‘Dahmer’ became the third highest viewed show on Netflix, which a combined watch time of 1 billion hours.”

She continued: “Which, apparently, is the same amount of time we’re going to have to listen to Prince Harry talk about his frostbitten penis. Enough already.”

That seems to be their standard answer. The area I noted has been this way for at least four years now.

I know I echo many residents in the Santa Clara Valley when I say how bad our roads are! I voted yes for taxes associated with SB1 several years ago, but really see no improvement (except recently reviving Highway 17 through Campbell into Los Gatos). I will not vote yes on any proposed state or local road improvement ballot measures until I see tangible improvements to our roads.

Mark Milioto Sr., San Jose

A: The state has set aside more than $50 billion to smooth out roads over the next decade. The challenge is that the need is much greater than that, and the need has increased with all the rain these last three weeks.

Q: Roads in the Bay Area are in deplorable condition everywhere.

Interstate 880 through Fremont has become so rough and the noise level from it so high that I wear earplugs to protect my hearing. (We hear about air pollution, but noise pollution is significant, as well. Hearing loss is permanent!).

It seems like Caltrans took advantage of the pandemic to forge ahead on pet projects and neglected basic responsibilities.

Is there any way to compel Caltrans to prioritize restoration and maintenance of our roadways so they are at least safe to drive on? Who makes their decisions and who do they answer to?

Lynne Mercer

A: Caltrans has begun to prioritize maintenance over some other projects. Significant rain damage is going to require even more of that.

Q: After reading the recent front page story about potholes, I counted the potholes as I drove 101 in both directions between Whipple Avenue and 92.

I counted at least 46 potholes, varying in size from 1 to 15 feet long, within that 9-mile freeway stretch, 7 on the southbound route and 39 on the northbound route.

This roadway was completely renovated within the past 2 years. Until December, it had fresh, smooth, quiet pavement that was a joy to drive on.

I expect better results when Caltrans spends millions of dollars, and say a contractor owes us answers. Is this recently-completed project really degrading so badly so soon? And what does Caltrans say about this?

Richard Thomas, Redwood City

A: You’re right. This renovation should have held up better than it has. Roads and repairs need to handle greater extremes of weather now, from September’s searing heat dome to the deluge of recent days.

Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.

Yes, the chickens have come home to roost nationwide — if they could roost in a factory farm system that denies them even basic instincts — and consumers are feeling the pinch. Here’s why.

A highly infectious and deadly strain of avian influenza virus has infected tens of millions of birds across Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Outbreaks of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, can lead to significant mortality in infected flocks. It also makes every single bird on a property subject to “depopulation,” which is just a clinical way of describing the mass killing and discarding of the remaining animals.

In the United States alone, the bird flu virus has triggered the deaths of more than 50 million domestic chickens since last February. And sadly, the factory farm system, which values profits and volume over everything else — including the welfare of the individual animals trapped in it — is creating ideal conditions for large-scale outbreaks.

It’s common for large egg-producing operations in the U.S. to house hundreds of thousands or even millions of hens. These operations are highly automated and use battery cages or similar types of housing systems to keep the hens confined. These cages are typically small, crowded and may contain up to 10 hens, with each hen having an amount of space equivalent to less than a sheet of letter-sized paper. The hens are unable to express many of their natural behaviors, such as spreading their wings, nesting and perching, and they are subjected to various forms of physical and psychological stress.

Thankfully, California voters approved Proposition 12, which sets minimum standards for the confinement of hens and other farm animals, but with almost 80% of U.S. eggs still produced in the “conventional” way, the demand for cage-free eggs far outstrips what farms can supply.

Whether it’s part of an intention to make more animal-friendly choices or simply to save some money, consider reducing your use of eggs this January and beyond. The Just Egg product mentioned as a punchline in the Chronicle article actually happens to be an excellent alternative, and makes a delicious scramble or omelet. But if commercially available, ready-made substitutions aren’t your thing, there are many alternatives to eggs that can be used in cooking and baking. Some popular options include:

• Banana. Mashed banana can be used as a binding agent in recipes, such as cookies and quick breads.

• Applesauce. Like banana, applesauce can be used as a binding agent and can add moisture to baked goods.

• Flax or chia seeds. Ground flax or chia seeds mixed with water can be used as an egg replacer in recipes.

• Silken tofu. Tofu can be used as a substitute for eggs in recipes like quiches and omelets.

• Aquafaba. The liquid from a can of chickpeas can be whipped and used as an egg replacer in recipes like meringues and mousses.

Keep in mind that egg substitutes may affect the texture and taste of the finished product, so it may be necessary to adjust the recipe or expect a slightly different result.

January is a great month to try new things, so why not make this small change that can help animals every day of the year?

Carina DeVera is the digital marketing manager for Marin Humane, which contributes Tails of Marin articles and welcomes animal-related questions and stories about the people and animals in our community. Go to marinhumane.org, find us on social media @marinhumane, or email lbloch@marinhumane.org.

Happy Birthday: If you help without asking for something in return, the rewards will surpass your expectations. A change of heart will occur if you appreciate the little things in life that put a smile on your face. Put your energy into personal growth, fitness and health, and you’ll accumulate momentum that will carry you throughout the year and beyond. Live life your way. Your numbers are 4, 11, 17, 24, 31, 35, 42.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your creative drive will push you above and beyond your dreams, but before you sprint toward the finish line, consider the logistics behind your plans. Recognize your skills and where best to apply them before you accept a challenge. Avoid emotional spending. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): An unexpected change will limit your achievement. Look for an alternative route, and reach out to those who owe you a favor. Keeping up will require skill, precision and a unique way of approaching your goal. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’ve got your mojo in high gear and are on the road to victory. Concentrate on what’s most important to you to avoid taking on too much and falling short. Call in experts to handle what you can’t do yourself. Learn from experience. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Don’t make a faux pas because you are underprepared and overly confident. Pay attention to detail, and strive to put your imprint on whatever you pursue. You may not like change, but it’s necessary to come out on top. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Rewards are apparent. Plan to do things you enjoy. Attend a function that allows you to mix business with pleasure or to expand your circle of friends. You’ll make an impression on someone important if you follow through with your promises. 5 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Don’t mix emotions with responsibilities. It’s best to clear your calendar before you take on a new project. An unusual conversation will offer insight that reconstructs how you think and proceed. Validate what you hear before passing it along. 2 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Show off what you have to offer. Don’t limit what you can do because you are scared or intimidated by someone unpredictable. Consider what and who moves you, then head in that direction. Today it’s necessary to give up something in order to grow. 4 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Expect to face opposition at home and when dealing with partners. Refuse to let your emotions jump in and take over. Giving someone the upper hand will make your journey difficult. Be direct, make your intentions clear and proceed. Protect your health. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Question your motives before you make a move. Your heart must be in the right place to get the best results. An improvement at home will give you the space you need to take on a new project that can raise your income. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Observe, listen and be reasonable. Overreacting will put you in a precarious position. Keep life simple, make positive changes at home and set up a plan to help you save for something important. Take better care of your health and loved ones. 4 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Take a moment to collect your thoughts and consider how best to respond to what’s happening around you. Don’t be afraid to take the road less traveled. Be secretive regarding your plans until you have everything in place. Walk away from toxic relationships. 2 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Let your creativity lead the way. Presenting who you are and what you can do will attract attention. An opportunity to travel and meet with someone who recognizes your talents and values your input will change how you work and play. 5 stars

Birthday Baby: You are conscientious, adaptable and caring. You are innovative and assertive.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.

Want a link to your daily horoscope delivered directly to your inbox each weekday morning? Sign up for our free Coffee Break newsletter at mercurynews.com/newsletters or eastbaytimes.com/newsletters. 

I was seeing a 38-year-old; she is in a long-term relationship, but her man wasn’t satisfying her, and we were hooking up three or four times a week.

We went on a three-day bicycle trip last summer, and I got her pregnant with twins. (She forgot her birth control.)

Her man knows the whole story and is willing to raise the babies and make me their godparent. I am glad he is willing to do that.

I am currently seeing a 34-year-old beautiful, sexy, divorced girl, and we just found out I got her pregnant.

I don’t know if I should offer to marry her, but I am thinking about it.

Your advice?

Tempting Trainer

Dear Trainer: For someone whose professional expertise concerns the human body, you don’t seem to respect the longer-term ramifications of your fertility.

At the ripe old age of 23, and over the course of just a few months, you are now the prospective biological father of (at least) three children.

It’s vital that you grasp the basics of birth control, as well as the legal, financial and emotional repercussions and responsibilities of fathering children.

You are obviously catnip for cougar kittens, and — given how cavalier you are about offering up your muscular DNA for procreating — you don’t seem mature enough to become a father or a husband.

If you or your current or future sexual partners don’t want to raise children, always use a condom. Always. In fact, you might want to double up.

Get tested for STDs, and urge your sexual partners to do the same.

In terms of you offering to marry your girlfriend, I’ll put it this way: If she were writing to me, I would advise her not to become matrimonially entangled with you.

It’s great that she is gorgeous and sexy, but you don’t mention loving — or even liking — her.

I’ve moved to a new state and am slowly making friends. I live alone in a studio apartment, work from home, and I’m struggling with feelings of loneliness.

I want to get a pet companion but I’m having a hard time deciding between a cat or a dog. I love both cats and dogs equally.

I think a dog will be the most helpful for me because I struggle with going outside and getting regular exercise.

I’m also introverted, so I’m hoping daily walks will help me meet new dog-loving friends. However, I’m not experienced and I’m very much a low-energy homebody.

I’m worried that having a cat will keep me in the same cycle of laziness as always.

I’m wondering if it is OK to get a dog in order to help me to become more active? What if it’s a complete failure and I still don’t change my habits? Is it best to just get a cat?

I don’t think I’d have the patience for a puppy, but a small adult dog might be good.

I’d appreciate your advice.

In Need of a Pet

Dear In Need: You already know the joy of having a cat companion, and so let’s talk about dogs.

Your reasons for wanting one (companionship, being forced to go outside) are legitimate, and are the same reasons many people choose dogs.

However, because you lack experience I would caution you to choose extremely carefully. Does your apartment building allow dogs? How easy would it be for you to take the dog outside three or four times a day, via stairs or an elevator?

Whether you go with a cat or a dog, I urge you to look for a small, quiet, calm older animal. Work closely with your local shelter and take lots of time to find the best fit for you.

My local shelter understands that adoptions do not always work out, and insists that any animal adopted from them can be returned to them, no questions asked.

Dear Amy: “Perplexed” wondered why her widowed friend continued to send holiday cards featuring photos of her with her husband, who has been deceased for several years.

No one who has lost a loving spouse would ever wonder about this choice. I appreciated that you suggested that these photos should be seen as a celebration, rather than as some morbid refusal to move on.

Wistful Widow

Dear Wistful: I’ve heard from many surviving spouses who agree.

You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.

We were hanging out with close friends, thank God, but he truly showed his behind. I am completely embarrassed. He was cursing his head off and interrupting people when they talked. At one point, he was trying to grope my friend. It was just out of control.

When I spoke to him about it the next day, he shrugged it off. He didn’t remember — which is not a surprise, given how drunk he was — so to him, it didn’t happen.

This is not the first time my husband has essentially blacked out and acted aggressive and rude. I need this to stop. What can I do?

Out of Control

DEAR OUT OF CONTROL: Bring it up again when your husband is sober. Have several examples of his drunken behavior to mention to him. Tell him that this is unacceptable and must stop.

It is likely that he will shrug it off, in which case you may want to record his behavior the next time he acts out. You can carefully capture his antics on your cellphone and show him later as evidence of your concerns.

Ultimately, you will need to decide if you can live with an out-of-control alcoholic who is unwilling to get help. If he refuses to change his behavior, what do you need to do to protect yourself?

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a work friend who moved away for another job a couple of years ago. I have tried to stay in touch with her, but she has never responded.

It is weird to me because I thought we were close — not like best friends, but still close. We have known each other for a long time, and I thought we always had positive feelings for each other.

Recently, I got her new work email address and sent her a holiday note. It was very light and simple. I thought that might trigger at least a hello back. Nothing.

I can’t think of anything I may have said or done that could have offended her, but if I inadvertently did upset her, I would want to fix that. What else can I do?

Bewildered

DEAR BEWILDERED: Consider sending one more note to your friend expressing your concerns.

Start by saying that you trust that things are going well with her new life in her new city. Then tell her that you miss her and have been attempting to connect with her ever since she left. Ask her if you have done anything to offend her. If you have, apologize, but make it clear that you really are lost as to what occurred to create a chasm in your friendship.

Tell her you would appreciate her getting back to you to set your mind at ease. See what happens next. The ball will then be in her court.

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

She came back before I finished checking out and proceeded to shame me in a loud voice for “cutting in line.” To my chagrin, another young matron, also with an overflowing cart and a toddler in tow, was bagging her items ahead of me and chimed in.

Caught in the crossfire, I was at a loss for words (and so was the cashier). I completed my transaction and left, but I wish I had had the presence of mind to explain that since she left, no, I did not cut in front of her.

I feel the rules of etiquette have been turned upside down. I think I did the right thing in not saying anything, as it would have made things worse. I felt terrible and spent the day depressed and wondering if this was a harbinger of things to come.

GENTLE READER: Oh, not again — another grocery line fight!

Leaving is the best solution to such public rudeness. But if you had to stay to retrieve your groceries, you could have said, “I didn’t know how long you would be away, and I didn’t want to hold up the line.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: As someone with limited mobility, I must often take cabs. I once found myself in a taxi, for an hourlong ride, with a driver who read “alternative” news sites, believed in conspiracy theories and apparently wanted to talk about them.

I’m not sure how the conversation began, nor could I determine the best way to bring it to a close.

After approximately 15 minutes of this one-sided exchange, I blurted out, “Can we not talk about this? I find it very upsetting.” The driver apologized and the rest of the ride was uneventful.

I’d like to know if there is a gentler way to end these types of conversations — both for etiquette’s sake, and to avoid upsetting someone enough to be left on the side of the road.

GENTLE READER: Time was when taxi drivers’ political talk was considered a significant indication of public opinion. Reams about the state of the nation were written by pundits based on conversations during their transportation to the office.

How enlightening that was, Miss Manners cannot presume to say. But the toxic state of current political discourse makes the casual airing of opinions among strangers unappealing, if not dangerous.

Even stating why you find this upsetting could open a debate. All you need to say is, “I’m afraid I need some quiet time.”

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When meeting other people at a restaurant, often the host asks the first to arrive if they wish to be seated or to wait for the rest of the party to arrive. Is it proper to be seated ahead of the others? If so, is it proper to order drinks or appetizers while waiting?

GENTLE READER: Only if they are really late, and you greet them by saying, “I know you wouldn’t have wanted us to wait.”

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

At the time, Roger was married with three children. My husband and I were separated, and I had one son. The 15-year age gap between us didn’t matter to me. I admired him.

Roger was soft-spoken, intelligent and a gentleman. He was of Christian faith, so when he decided to divorce his wife, his partners held an intervention and bought out his equity in the company, which forced him to move out of state.

Roger was a great person and struggled with the thought of leaving his family. I understood, and we parted ways. I kept informed about him as much as possible over the years but never contacted him, and we lived in different states.

When he left, I was pregnant, but I didn’t tell him because so much was going on and I didn’t want the baby to be a tool. I had a son, reconciled with my husband and never told a soul. Eight years after that, my husband and I divorced.

I recently had several dreams about him and couldn’t stop thinking of him. They seemed so real. I looked Roger up online and found out he died a year ago.

I am devastated and feel guilty for not giving my son the opportunity to know his father.

Roger has other children. At this point, should I let them know or should I just leave everything alone? My biggest fear is causing pain to his wife. She is a good person and doesn’t deserve this.

HOLDING MANY SECRETS

DEAR HOLDING: What is to be gained by making an announcement at this late date? As you stated, it won’t provide your son the opportunity to know his father. And receiving shocking news at this point will only cause Roger’s widow pain.

However, I would do another internet search to see if you can find out what killed Roger. If it’s something that could be passed down to your son, warn him. Otherwise, I’m voting for leaving everything alone.

DEAR ABBY: Over the past two years, a friend I have felt very close to over the years has gone downhill. “Nancy” thinks her neighbors have placed listening devices in her apartment, have entered her place illegally and taken things, and are in general malevolent.

I have my own troubles and burdens in my life, and this change in her leaves me feeling frightened, powerless and overwhelmed.

I have stepped back, but a mutual friend tells me Nancy feels abandoned and betrayed by me. I’m afraid if I reach out, I’ll be sorry. But on the other hand, I never have said goodbye.

Nancy has a therapist now, and I lift her up in prayer a lot. What do you suggest I do, if anything?

FAILED FRIEND IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR FRIEND: Your prayers have been answered. Nancy is now in the care of a therapist and may improve.

If the only reason you would be contacting her is to say goodbye, I think it would be cruel. If you would like to check in from time to time, ask how she’s doing and offer some warmth and encouragement, then give her a call.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

The trip is also Bay Area transit’s homage to the Freedom Train, a three-mile procession Coretta Scott King, King’s late wife, organized in the form of 300 activists marching from Memphis, Tennessee, following King Jr.’s memorial services on May 2, 1968, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The mules and wagons of that first caravan of King’s Poor People’s Campaign drew attention to the injustices of tenant farming, sharecropping and the plantation economy. Marchers then boarded buses en route to Marks, Mississippi. Public transportation agencies nationwide still offer free rides annually to observe the occasion.

CalTrain’s rolling jubilee unfolded as the train departed from Diridon around 9:30 a.m., continued as it stopped in Palo Alto and San Mateo near 9:50 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. respectively and concluded in San Francisco close to 10:45 a.m. on Jan. 16.

The ride was suspended three years ago as the coronavirus pandemic upended public life. But previous rumors of its demise turned out to be exaggerated when this news organization reported the tradition’s finale in 2015. While CalTrain did not offer a special southbound service on the holiday this year, it did accept Celebration Train tickets on southbound trains departing San Francisco after 1 p.m.