DEAR ABBY: "Waiting in Arlington, Texas," works in a hospital and has a crush on a repair man. She said she wrote him a note but he didn't respond, so she summoned the courage to hand him a second note. When he failed to acknowledge it, she asked him if he had read it. His reply: "Nice penmanship."
She asked you what she should do to get a more direct response, and you advised her that she'd already received a response –- he wasn't interested.
Abby, you may not have considered all of the possibilities. For example, the man may not be able to read the note. The response he gave was certainly evasive –- but was he trying to avoid giving her a straight answer or the fact that he's illiterate? There may be more to this than a simple rejection. -– MYSTIFIED IN MISSOURI
DEAR MYSTIFIED: It's true that some people who are illiterate are so ashamed of it that they will do almost anything to hide it. However, "Waiting" also disclosed that, "Rumor has it that he's seeing someone." Therefore, it's also possible that the man felt his personal life was none of her business.
However, since every player is entitled to three strikes, I'm printing your letter. If "Waiting" sees it, I'm sure she'll step up to the plate again.