In Italy, visiting my parents. Umbria’s rolling hills and red terracotta roofs before my eyes, the sun lowering behind the hamlet saddled on the ridge, I’m writing under the shadow of two mulberry trees.

I’ve been busy otherwise, but here is something I wrote before leaving. This snippet is offered you by TCOM:

As Marie had imagined, the redhead wasn’t alone; Carnia was followed by Grant who kept his arm around her waist. He looked at Marie and she felt judged once again.

“Verena, please, don’t tell anybody you saw me.” Carnia’s eyes were red and swollen, her face streaked with hours of crying.

Marie felt pity at her sight, but she couldn’t understand why Carnia was taking it so hard when she clearly didn’t have a problem being around men.

“I can’t, you know that.” Verena sounded even more heartbroken than Carnia.

“I won’t leave.” Carnia’s statement had a finality Marie didn’t like.

“Don’t say it like that.” She was getting scared. It was an unfamiliar situation for her and she wasn’t sure what they were dealing with exactly. The presence of a man among them unnerved her. It was wrong. “They’ll treat you with respect. I’ve been told you aren’t forced to—” She didn’t know how to say the words without being crude.

“I won’t leave him.”

“What?” What the heck is she talking about? “Verena?” Marie looked at her roommate hoping she could confirm she had heard wrong.