“I moved to Havana after September 11th. I opened up the first...

“I moved to Havana after September 11th. I opened up the first English language bookstore. It’s been great, but living there has been a major challenge to my introversion. When I lived in New York, I could choose to not interact with people. But that’s not really an option in Cuba. Introversion isn’t really ‘a thing.’ If you’re alone, then something must be wrong. Birthdays are the worst. My friends make me have a party every year. I’ve got to have one slice of cake before I’m allowed to go home. And I have this 86-year-old neighbor named Terasita that always assumes I’m lonely and brings me fritters. I resisted at first because I really value my alone time. I’d lock the doors. I’d turn off the lights. But resistance is futile. They’re so persistent.”