Only rising stars can master their own universe. That sentence, for instance, is a perfect example my capabilities as a poet. One who was quite well compensated for his wordsmithage, don’t forget. But money and power are not enough for some people, meaning me.
Two months in New York, and I was begging for a chance to prove myself as a gift wrapper. The worst part was, I knew I couldn’t do it. My presents often looked like I wrapped them while riding a roller coaster. Even for items as easy as books I ended up using a half a roll of tape.
It should have occurred to me that someone who moves to a continent – a continent – where she doesn’t know anybody or speak the language might have a fierce, even irrational, independent streak.
Once we got in our room I popped the cheap champagne I bought to celebrate the occasion. I hadn’t seen Sara in two months, which, under the circumstances, seemed an intolerably long time. We had been e-mailing each other every day, and, in a way, that made every day seem like another day I didn’t get to see her.