Dear Alice,

Your name is becoming—you are a wonderland.

That being said, I write to you from the seat of a University bus, because I have come to the realization of how gravely I took advantage of you when you were mine.

I miss the way you always knew exactly what I needed. Whenever I was cold, you were there with a sweater in your backseat. Whenever I got hungry, you always provided me with a snack that was hidden away in some compartment. Whenever I was short a few bucks, you always offered up a plethora of coins for me to choose from—you kept them right there on the floor from me.

You provided a world of freedom for me that is incomparable to anything I have experienced to date. Wherever I wanted to go, you were always up for the trip; you never confined me to a path of your own design. Whenever I wanted to leave, you were ready; you didn't pressure me to some inconvenient schedule. Whoever I wanted to join on us on our adventures, you would gladly allow them to tag along; you never made me cuddle up with any mouth-breathing stranger.

Maybe being apart from you is good for me, because I finally see how much I need you.

When I come back to you, I'll cherish you like no other. I'll spend more time with you. I'll spend so much money to keep you running because that's how much you mean to me.

Above all else, I will fight with every fiber of my being to bring you to me as soon as I can. I'll bring you with me next time, and we will never have to be apart again. We will explore new horizons, together, and finally, my heart will be whole once more.

Love,

A first-year college student