It's ironic that the topic this week is "The Way Back" since all my energy has been on trying to find a way back to the US to fix all of my problems. It's all I can think about - how am I going to get rid of my apartment? Will my landlord find out I'm not there? Knowing him, will it mean trouble and more calls where he brings me to tears? What ( Read more... )

"I'm sorry."

My husband looked over at me from his seat in the back of the ambulance.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked me.

"Because I know this will be a waste of time. It's probably nothing."

"Well, that would be good news, wouldn't it? We want it to be nothing."

"I suppose so."

Back in the United States, I would never dream of going to the ( Read more... )

CW: mention of rape, miscarriage, abuse

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The demon sat at the bar, her long, black-stocking clad legs crossed seductively. Her pursed lips painted red and inviting. She flipped her raven hair over her shoulder with a flick of her wrist, turning her dark eyes on a group of poor, unsuspecting men over by the broken jukebox.

That was until I took a seat next to her.

Her eyes darted over to ( Read more... )

I think my husband has taken for granted that I don't speak French fluently. Yes, I took four years in high school, and I keep studying. I can read a good bit of French, but speaking and listening are a lot harder for me, mostly because I've been taught with an American accent. Pronunciation is hard, and I'm still getting used to their accents.

My ( Read more... )

My fiancé doesn’t fit the French stereotype. In fact, until I started coming around, he never bought baguettes. Like, how is that possible? You have some of the best bread in the world at your disposal - there are literally boulangeries every few steps. They’re like Starbucks for bread. And you never have one at home? How is this even possible? Are ( Read more... )

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“Identify yourself.”

“Sophia.”

“.... Error. Please try again. Identify yourself.”

I repeated my name, “Sophia.”

The machine beeped and booped and made several disgruntled sounds before repeated.

“Error. Technician on the way.”

The line behind me was growing. I stepped aside and let the others check themselves into the system. Todd, the tech ( Read more... )