Counting Down to Paris

Four days, and then I'll be back in the land of warm baguettes that cost only 80 centimes, savory tarama and pâté de foie for my breakfast spread, delicious pastries at the corner pâtisserie next to the Mairie des Lilas metro, and, mostly important, B.

In four days I will fly to the see the man who, when I tell him, "I have a random question..." replies to me, "I have a random answer." The man who took me to the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library and was disappointed that I didn't get to see the reading room because it was closing when we arrived.  The man who is eager to teach me how to boulder, how to drive a stick shift car, how to install my own programs onto my computer.  The man who forgives me when I don't have time to talk to him because of the amount work I have to get done, and yet is there for me in an instant when I tell him I need him.

In four days I will be in Paris.  Beautiful, dirty, sweet, snobby Paris.  Paris of my childhood summers.  Paris, where life has given me some of my favorite memories, where I spent countless birthdays with my grandparents and cousins.  Paris, where I had my first drink at a bar.  Paris, where I fell in love with foie gras, where I experienced my first two Michelin star restaurant.  Paris, where I learned how to be alone, where I discovered the joy of going to the market and buying fresh produce.  Paris, where I taught myself how to slow down, sit quietly, and watch the world.

And Paris, where I met B.

"Paris ne m'a jamais semblé aussi jolie, magique et magnifique qu'en ta présence."

I can't wait to return.