One EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT IN PARIS I hate Paris My parents say Winicker Wallace you do not hate Paris But I do I am eight and that is old enough to know what I hate Before we moved to Paris I wore my hair in two buns on top of my head Now I wear one single sad bun Grandma Balthazar calls it a protest A protest is when you want to show your parents how much you hate Paris But they asked you to stop saying I hate Paris especially in public So you wear your hair in a single sad bun to remind them without getting yelled at I am sad because we live in Paris now I am sad because we do not live in my favorite town which is Three Rivers I am sad because we do not live 6
in my favorite state which is Massachusetts I am sad because we do not even live in my favorite country which is the United States of America And I am sad because we live thousands of miles away from my best friend Roxanne Two weeks ago my mother started her new job in Paris Paris is not in Three Rivers or Massachusetts or the United States of America Paris is in France and I do not speak French This morning my family is smooshed around a tiny table inside a café with a long name There are ugly paintings of fruit and dead flowers all over the walls There are bookshelves that go all the way up to the ceiling There are a million dusty books Ah Ah ACHOO I wipe my nose with the back of my hand I’m allergic to Paris I say to my mom and dad and Grandma Balthazar This is different than saying I hate Paris This is a health problem 7
Grandma Balthazar pours coffee into her cup You’ll learn to love Paris You just need to give it a chance Grandma Balthazar dresses fancier in Paris Back home in Three Rivers she wore a pink sweatshirt that had a puffy white cat on the front In Paris Grandma Balthazar wears loose shirts and leggings She wears scarves and puts sunglasses on her head like a headband She says When in Rome But we aren’t in Rome We’re in Paris Everything is already different I don’t understand why her clothes need to be different too I push away my plate of waffles They smell good but I am protesting I did give it a chance I say It’s cold and rainy and I miss my friends Especially Roxanne who makes the best fluffernutter sandwich in the world I squeeze the heart-shaped Best Friends necklace I am wearing Roxanne gave it to me 8
before I moved to Paris Actually it is my Be Fri necklace Roxanne has the other half and her half says st ends When I squeeze it I feel a little like Roxanne isn’t thousands of miles away I feel a little like she could be right down the street eating pancakes with Granny Bee Granny Bee is Roxanne’s grandmother Granny Bee is short for Granny Becky which is short for Granny Rebecca My stomach makes a loud gurgling sound My waffles are buttery and steaming I wish I hadn’t pushed them away Dad leans his elbows on the table Let’s break this down he says It is cold and rainy here sometimes But it’s sometimes cold and rainy in Massachusetts too Mom smiles at me And you’ll make lots of friends when school starts tomorrow Grandma Balthazar nods her head Maybe one of them will make great sandwiches too She 9
