Dear Anne,

You'll forgive me for the long silence, won't you, Anne? Were you worried about me? Things happened quickly. I wasn't really prepared but I had to do something quickly. You must understand. I'm in Vienna. Austria is a beautiful country. I didn't know where I was going when I left. I couldn't return to Paris. If I did, father would follow me. He does not know where I'm at. I would like to keep it that way.

If, by some vague possibility, he tracks you down—and I doubt it—don't give him any information. You don't know where I am. Promise me, Dear Anne. He won't find you, I'm sure. My mind is whirling and I'm covering all the bases, understand?

We had a yelling brawl. Ok, I'm generally a peaceful fellow, but there are times. Anne, there are times. Father chastised me for running away. He insisted I re-enroll in college. He'd called the university and set up my courses for me. That was the end of the line. I've put up with his controlling ways for most of my life. I wasn't going to put up with it any longer.

I'm a grown man. Or at least I'm pretending I'm a grown man. Father treats me like I'm eleven years old. He wants to pattern my life after his. I bet you're tired of hearing me moan about this. It's a constant thing with me, Anne. I can't get away from it or around it.

We screamed at each other all night. It was after three o'clock, and father laid down his last ultimatum. He said I was going back to college; I was going to get my degree; I was going to do as I was told. That was the last straw. He went to bed satisfied—knowing he had quelled me for the final time.

I packed my suitcase and snuck out of the house. Marvel met me at the Slam Dunk and drove me to the airport. I had no idea where I was headed. I selected the first European bound flight and ended up in Vienna. I'll miss Paris. Although I wasn't gaining traction there, I loved every moment of my life there. Vienna is a new adventure.

Will father find me? I don't know. I ditched my phone and got a new number. You'll notice I'm writing from a different email address: cockeyedoptimist272. I hope you open it even if you don't recognize the address. I'm taking a chance you will—particularly since I headed it Corey. That will give you a clue, right?

Please write, Anne. I'll miss you if you don't.

Love

Corey