DEAR ABBY: About four years ago, my girlfriend broke up with me. The relationship didn't end on a happy note. Since then, she has gotten married and had a child. However, she continues to write to me two or three times a year.
She always asks me how I am and if I'm seeing anyone. I think this is a bit odd. I had always thought that when people got married, they moved on and relegated their old relationships to the back of their memories.
I always answer her letters very nicely, and I never ask why she continues to write.
Abby, now I'm wondering if you think she's trying to keep me on the back burner. Or do you think she just wants to be friends? -- MIKE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
DEAR MIKE: Writing to a former boyfriend three times a year seems a bit too often to me, and yes, I do think she's trying to keep you on the back burner. If her motives were strictly platonic, you wouldn't hear from her more than once a year.
Since the correspondence is making you uncomfortable, I suggest that you respond with little or no enthusiasm.