The universe has good news for the lost, lonely, and heart sick.

Sugar is here, the both of us, speaking straight into your ears.

I'm Cheryl Strait.

I'm Steve Almond.

This is Dear Sugar Radio.

Oh dear, sound won't you please?

Yeah, some little sweet days will be.

I check my bell vibes every day.

Oh, and this sugar, you sing my way.

Dear Sugar, I miss Ben.

We met when we were both hired as actors for an absurdist dining experience that was a huge disaster.

The food truck that was supposed to feed all of the patrons who had paid lots of money to be there was in an accident.

The wait staff had fevers and Ben and I were the only performers who stuck it out.

We spent a humid night two June's ago walking street blocks carrying paper plates of cold pasta into the venue,

trying to appease our very wealthy and very grumpy audience.

It was so horrible and so surreal that we spent the evening laughing hysterically and finding excuses to touch each other on the arm.

Oh, that's sweet.

When we finally got out of there we went to a bar, he bought me a drink, and I'd guess the exact date of his birthday on the first try the rest, as they say, is history.

Except it's not.

Ben broke up with me three weeks ago after we'd been together for a year and a half.

Around the time we met Ben realized that he was also attracted to men, I'm a straight woman, if that was unclear.

He feels like this is something he needs to explore for himself, and after talking through options, an open relationship, a breakup,

...