Victor has never been a fan of fantasy or sci-fi. He just isn’t wired that way. When he’s at a party and friends ask him to choose between flying or invisibility as a super-power, Victor’s mind goes numb. But today, Victor wishes that he could stop time. Furious at no one in particular after he sails past his exit on the way back from the airport, Victor follows the thread of this fantasy. What moment would he choose? Certainly not the lousy, distracted goodbye kiss at the airport or Anaïs packing her bags. Maybe even further back, before she mentioned moving back to France as a way to goose her stalled career. There was that afternoon at the Laundromat last spring. An achingly beautiful day when the two waltzed between the washer, dryer and café nearby all the while laughing about his formerly white t-shirts now dyed pink. The culprit they discovered was her red shirt that somehow had slipped in with the whites. Victor remembers feeling a giddy pride realizing he had adopted an adult habit, namely, separating his clothes. There was that. But there was also the beautiful girl who seemed to love him. That was a good day.

(Photo: Tim Duch)