From: [email protected]
To: Anne Corey <[email protected]>
Subject: salutations from Rick
Date: April 3
Dearest Anne,
I’m so sorry I didn’t have a chance to speak to you before checking into treatment. My doctor placed me under a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold and wouldn’t let me contact anyone until I was safely here in Arizona. It’s been a tremendous relief to escape from the immense stress of recent events. I’ve been practicing transcendental meditation, doing individual and group therapy, and adhering to a strictly organic, gluten-free, raw-food diet.
I’ve realized I need to focus on myself and work on healing my mind and body. I’m sorry I couldn’t finish off the semester at Fairfax, but I’m sure the department understands my situation. Thank you for always being there for me. If you could collect my mail and forward any bills to me here, I would appreciate it.
Love,
Rick
PS This is my new e-mail address. I’ve shut down my author website.
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From: [email protected]
To: Anne Corey <[email protected]>
Subject: It’s Rick—DO NOT DELETE
Date: April 4
Anne,
I’m not sure if you received my e-mail from yesterday. I’m worried it might have ended up in your spam folder or that you deleted it because you didn’t recognize the e-mail address. It’s me and I’m in a treatment center in Arizona, doing the hard work of putting myself back together. Please drop me a line just so I know you are doing ok. I miss you dearly.
Love,
Rick
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From: Lawrence Ettinger <[email protected]>
To: Anne Corey <[email protected]>
Subject: Ruh-roh
Date: April 6
Just got this e-mail from Rick. Is he stalking you???
BLOCK HIM.
I just did.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [email protected]
To: Lawrence Ettinger <[email protected]>
Subject: Salutations from Rick Chasen
Date: April 6
My dear Larry,
How are you doing?
As you’ve probably heard, I’ve entered inpatient treatment for anxiety and depression and am focused on getting my mental machinery sorted out. I’m writing to see if you might pass a message along to Anne. I’ve been trying to reach her for the last several days, but she’s either not receiving my e-mails or has decided to ignore them. If the former, could you please give her my new e-mail address and ask her to contact me? If the latter, perhaps you could apprise me of the reason for her sudden aloofness.
I confess my feelings are hurt. I didn’t expect her to be so inconstant in my time of need.
Sincerely,
Rick
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From: [email protected]
To: Anne Corey <[email protected]>
Subject: Please respond
Date: April 15
Dear Anne,
I see that my last few e-mails have bounced back as “undeliverable,” so I’m writing to you from a different account in the hopes this message will make safe passage to your inbox.
It has come to my attention that you might be under the misapprehension that I had a “thing” with Emily Young. Emily is a young, impressionable young girl who, like many of my students, developed “feelings” for me. Unlike my other students, however, Emily avidly pursued me—indeed, entrapped me. She would dress provocatively and flirt outrageously with me. She frequented my office hours. She enrolled in my workshop a second time. In sum, she seduced me.
Emily is a silly girl who has never meant anything to me.
Rick
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From: Pamela Mitchie <[email protected]>
To: Anne Corey <[email protected]>
Subject: Flowers in the lobby?
Date: April 20
Dear Anne,
I believe you’ve left for the day, but a huge bouquet of flowers was delivered to you just now. I took the liberty of peeking at the card and it looks to be from Rick!!!!!!!!! Are you guys back together???????
I’ll leave the arrangement on my desk for now, and you can pick them up whenever you’re in next.
Big hugs,
Pam
“How do you spell love?”—Piglet
“You don’t spell it, you feel it.” —Pooh
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R. Chasen
Miraval Treatment Center
Sedona, Arizona
Dr. Anne Corey c/o
Department of English
Murphy Hall 217
Fairfax College
Fairfax, CA
April 25
Dear Anne,
By the time you receive this letter, I will have left treatment. I beg you to give me a chance to speak to you face-to-face. I understand you’ve blocked my phone number and various e-mail addresses, so please forgive me for employing traditional US Postal Service to reach you.
I have thought long and hard about my life during this past month, and I’ve come to the realization that I have hurt and betrayed many of the people I love most deeply through my own selfishness and fear. As part of the process of taking moral inventory, I am making amends to each person I have wronged. Please forgive me, Anne.
I’m planning to spend the summer at the American Academy in Rome, where I’ve secured a Writers in Exile fellowship. I would be honored if you joined me. You have been my muse for the past year, and without you, I am rudderless. Think of it—an entire summer spent in an ancient villa, like a modern-day version of the Brownings!
With all my love and respect,
Rick