I could have been Had I taken an interest in Japanese culture and Anime earlier in life particularly the 7th Grade or sooner then due to the immense turmoil at school through having a paraprofessional that year I would have ran away to the West Coast so I could sneak aboard a ship to Japan and find a better life there In fact I plan on sending to my former High School Counselor my thoughts on this what if issue so she can tell me what her thoughts are about this It may have been good to not run away or it may have been good to do so and reach Japan if circumstances and fate allowed for it Regardless I felt a great portion of my youth was wasted because of that year Gone at least til the day Dechronification comes along The Letter Dear Sue I am glad Mrs Terri Miller gave me your email address at the Pizza Hut College is fun and challenging at the same time What has Chapman been like Now I think it is time to get this fantasy out of the system I regret not discussing this with you earlier mainly because it did not cross my mind until after I reached college Remember when I had Mrs Potter back in 7th Grade and how that school year was the most miserable ever for me Well what if the following happened December 1st 1997 Mr Sanborn tells me that it is a fact that Mrs Potter will be with me for the rest of the school year and that any further complaints about her will send me to ISS Mrs Potter tells me that now she will be around me no matter what whether I am good or not she will be in all of my classes The next day I am to serve I S S for whatever reason there was that day One thing is for sure if Mrs Potter were not there I would not have had to serve it Because of her I got into a lot more trouble than other students did even though they did many of the same things but got away with it She was also ruining my reputation which meant ruining plenty of chances to get a girlfriend because fellow students would always see Mrs Potter following me around and to every class Once I get home I decide I don t need any more of her draconian authority If this country does not care enough about the well being and reputation of a kid they educate then why do I need to stay here If my parents love me then why don t they either remove Mrs Potter or take me to a different school I have reason to believe that I am not loved enough around here so you know what I am running away Where to I will reveal it down below With a pencil and paper I plan my runaway Factoring in the cold December weather I put down what I need Only one backpack Up to four waist packs Up to four of Dad s spare wallets Wear three layers of sweaters with one t shirt innermost Wear 2 layers of sweatpants with jeans as the third layer belt included Wear ski mask Wear coat Wear three layers of socks Wear Gloves In available storage areas put in One Extra sweater One Extra Pants Three Extra undergarments Two Extra pairs of socks Toiletries Toothbrush Toothpaste Dental Floss Inhaler Trapper Keeper Some Game CDs Flashlight Battery Laden Alarm Clock Easily Storable Food Drink to fit the rest of the spaces Remember This is not just a backpack I will also have four waist packs AKA waist pouches so I can have the extra storage space that I need The next step is to find as much money as possible That night assume I find 350 from around the house mostly from parents wallets Yes it would have been stealing but it would not matter if I were running away to never come back Then all of that money goes into the wallets Once I am done gathering and putting together all that s needed to run away I decide that Japan is a good place All the technology high life Anime and the abundance of girls Some Youth Hostel could take care of me well there too Now how do I run away to Japan There happens to be a Greyhound Bus station in Junction City They can take me to Seattle What if I need parental or a guardian s permission being 12 years old No problem I forge a note I get another sheet of paper and write the following Dear Greyhound My Nephew Chris Cuervo will rejoin his parents back in Seattle We had a pleasant time with him but now is the time to send him back Ensure he is safe during his trip home Sincerely Madeline Cuervo Then the note gets folded and put inside one of the knapsacks 12 year olds usually do not have any ID I would probably leave behind my Military ID card though You get those when you are 10 if you are a military family member