The Dressmaker's Gift

by Fiona Valpy

And somehow, even though I’ve never seen it before in my life, I have a sense of belonging here: it feels like home.

It seems that, in a new language and in a city where I am naturally an outsider, I find it easier to be myself. Perhaps, here in Paris, I can begin to become the person I want to be, enjoying the liberation that a new start brings.

All that mattered was to be loved and to be able to love in return. That was what she desired, more than anything else.