Sublime

Miss Malaprop, an online store/blog for handmade and eco-friendly goods.

THE FREELANCE PARENT

Nutella, the spread of holidays, a chocolated knife lying across the upturned lid, brioche, croissant crumbs and a carton of orange juice, all gently congealing beneath the shade of a dirty Heineken parasol.

She knew Ernie lived nearby with his wife and four sons. The passage of time, and the details that spun some moments into unforgettable memories and others into thin air, traveled with Sylvie—the swirling atmosphere of her own life—

while writing this book, I’ve promised myself a visit to a local café for hot chocolate (dark chocolate with rosewater, to be precise) if I hit my daily word count target. For a more large-scale reward, it will be dinner at a fancy restaurant.

I navigated the idiosyncrasies of life in France as best I could. I don’t want to say that I’d become Parisian, even though like my French friends, one wall of my apartment was lined with bookshelves, each shelf weighed down by three-ring notebooks organized by year and subject, containing every gas and electric bill (which you’re required to save