Little Franz, walked alone – 1. + 2. Try

In my teenage years, between 1968 and 1971, I developed a habit that I saw as the only solution at that time. I escaped from the problems at home and school. My mother was strict but meant it well, sometimes trying to make up for my missing father.

My first escape attempt in 1968 was spontaneous and not well planned. It only lasted one night.

It was cool autumn and my school grades were bad. I took my little savings and hid in a park in Vienna. With only a sweater and no jacket, I soon began to freeze. I searched and found larger boxes with which I covered myself. Didn’t help much. So I started walking to warm up. It didn’t last long and 2 police officers on patrol found me and took me away. Destiny was kind and when we were on our way to the police station, I looked out of the window and suddenly said, “There on the corner is my mother”. They stopped and handed me to my mother. She started crying and there was no scolding. The report to the police was filed and that was the end of it.

In the spring of 1969 I was ready again. I couldn’t manage to talk to my mother about my personal and school problems because I didn’t feel that she would understand me. “Mathematical Drawing” was a subject I didn’t like at all and had a lot of homework to catch up on.

This time I thought I had a “better” plan. I wanted to go to a farm near Graz, where my mother and I had a vacation years ago. I had happily helped out a bit on the farm and imagined that these nice people would accept my help. That they would also send me home – I didn’t even want to think about that.

I went to school. The English teacher, who I actually didn’t like very much, gave me a small chocolate. Just why? I pocketed the chocolate, forgot about it, and only remembered when it had melted.

After school I took the train at Vienna train station and traveled to Graz in Styria. When I wanted to buy a ticket in Graz to the place where the farm was, I was told that the train would not leave until the next morning. Where was my luck? I bought a snack to eat at the train station and walked around the station premises. Until two men in civilian clothes stopped me and asked for my ID. My trip ended in the prison in Graz – in a solitary cell – they wanted to prevent me from coming into contact with other young people and possibly learning bad things from them.

In the morning I got coffee and bread. In the morning my mother came to pick me up. This time I got a slap in the face. The officer said maybe I deserved it. Then my mother invited me for a cutlet in a restaurant. The human heart is an unexplored reality.