For most recent chapters, please link to "Paris Changes Everything."

Trish was lost.  Not just lost in Paris, but lost in life.  She walked along the Seine, hoping she'd soon find a bridge to get her over to the Left Bank.  She had no idea whether she was walking toward the Sorbonne or away from it.

Everything felt as if it was in reverse and she had landed in an alternate universe, where part-time Zumba instructors/full-time art students were elevated to princesses.  Well, if not a princess, then a super-model.  And she did not want to be a super-model no matter how glamorous it looked in the pages of Vogue.  She wanted to be the one behind the camera.  The serious one.  The artist.  The one who took the photographs!

Still, if she was honest with herself, she knew she wasn't really sure what she wanted to be.  Some days she just wanted to stay at home and read fashion magazines and some days she just wanted to teach Zumba classes and let loose on the dance floor.  One thing she did know for sure was that she did not want to be Monsieur Clicquot's It Girl.  Not matter how charming and convincing he could be.

Still, she felt lost.  Her mind was in a fog of confusion.  

And that's when she saw it.  The Eiffel Tower.  It emerged out of the landscape like a beacon.  

And this is when Trish took a deep cleansing breath, filling her lungs with Zumba Love and the aroma of all things Parisian, and then she flashed upon what she needed to do!

To be continued....
P.S.  What has Trish decided to do?  Any suggestions?

The Dangers of Texting

Chapter Five

Lucy was happy for Trish.  Really.  Somehow, within three minutes of entering the LeCave, she had managed to find herself an adorable Frenchman.  And not only this, but the man looked a whole like like Clive Owen (except he was French).  Plus, he came with a bottle of champagne--Veuve Clicquot! He placed it gently on the table for Trish, Isabelle and Lucy to admire.

"Merci beaucoup," Isabelle smiled and then looked sideways at Trish, as if to say how did you manage this!?

"Meet Jean-Pierre," Trish announced, taking a seat.  "He's my new best friend!"

Jean-Pierre smiled at Trish.  He probably didn't understand what she was saying.  In fact, he didn't seem to speak much English, but it was clear that the man was smitten and completely charmed by her friend.  Ah, love, Lucy mused.

She remembered those days.  How long had it been since she felt like that?
Oh, that's right.  It was about ten minutes ago.
Just before they entered the Parisian club.
Just before she checked her phone.
Just before she received the text from boyfriend, Peter!
She kept replaying it in her mind.  It said:

ENOUGH ALREADY!

What did it mean?  Was he tired of her?  Was he annoyed by all her friendly texts from France?
Had he met another girl while back home in New York City?
And was he biking with this new girl, the way they used to bike together?
Despite the popping of the champagne cork and the laughter and the music and ooh la la all around, Lucy couldn't help but remember her early days with Peter.

Their life had been so full of romance and love and fun and now, it was enough.  

Enough, already!?

"Earth to Lucy!" Trish laughed holding up her champagne flute for a toast.

Lucy quickly lifted her glass, and pretended to be happy.

Isabelle made the toast in French, "a vos amours!"  

And then Trish, Jean-Pierre, Isabelle and Lucy all took a sip.  

"Yum!" Trish said, turning to Isabelle.  "So, what did we just toast to, anyway?"

Isabelle smiled, "a vos amours means to your loves."

And this is when Lucy began to cry, because her love had had enough.  

 And suddenly, she felt as if her heart was frozen.

.....to be continued.

P.S.  I would like to have Isabelle and Michael (the boy in their photography group) have a funny encounter during their next class.  Any suggestions?

Paris Changes Everything

Chapter Two

"Lucy," Trish said, grabbing her arm, "we absolutely cannot let you spend your entire year in Paris moping over your old boyfriend!"

Lucy just sighed, and allowed herself to be led away from the photography class in the Tuileries, past the Louvre and onto the rue de Rivoli.  "He's not my old boyfriend!" she insisted.  "I love Peter."

Isabelle linked arms with Lucy.  "You should at least enjoy yourself while you're here," she added.  "Even a little flirtation might make you feel better."

"And we're going out dancing tonight!" Trish said, laughing.  "You have to have some fun!"

"Lucy," Isabelle added.  "You know you can't spend every night sitting alone in the apartment,"

"Oh yes, I can.  My heart belongs to Peter."

Trish rolled her eyes and gave Isabelle a look as if their friend was a hopeless case and a very foolish girl indeed.

But the truth is, Lucy loved Peter.
Originally they were supposed to travel to Paris together, but then he was accepted into Columbia Ph.D. program in geology and suddenly, he couldn't go anywhere.  He had to stay in New York and work.  This left Lucy heartbroken, but at least she had her good friends, Isabelle and Trish.  And she had her camera.

Her Rolleiflex camera was always a trusty friend.  Her grandfather had given it to her when she first became interested in photography.  It was a vintage twin reflex camera and it always brought her good luck.  In fact, the pictures she took with her Rolleiflex got her into the program in Paris in the first place.  She did bring her digital Nikon too, but in truth, Lucy was a very old-fashioned girl and preferred old film cameras, as well as vintage dresses and antique jewelry.  In fact, she even owned a Smith Corona manual typewriter.  But no, she didn't bring that to Paris with her--too heavy!

Even when she was a little girl, Lucy loved taking pictures.  Her grandpa loaned her one of his smaller cameras and she found that his pet bird, Mrs. Vanilla Bean proved to be an extraordinarily good model.  The bird loved posing and preening for the camera and would often squawk, "pretty picture!"

And now, somehow, as she looked up at the Paris skyline, she realized that this memory made Lucy feel terribly homesick and miss Peter even more, but she would not admit this to Isabelle and Trish.  They seemed so cool and sophisticated and perfectly happy to be so far from home.  Still, even after almost a month here, Lucy felt as if she was living in a fog.

And now, the three girls crossed over from rue de Rivoli to the Pont des Arts.  The Arts Bridge.  There were all sorts of little locks on the railing

and Isabelle, who had been to France many times before, explained how French lovers, initial the locks with their names in magic marker and vow their undying love to one another, before throwing the key into the Seine.

"How corny!" Trish groaned.
"I think it's lovely," Isabelle sighed.
"I do too," Lucy said, thinking, she would stay true to Peter and keep her heart, locked up and safe, no matter how much Trish and Isabelle tried to convince her to find a new romance...
...or how much Paris, the City of Lights tried to tempt her with all its seductive charm.

To be continued.