Rainy Sunday, Paris

“Rain in Paris and you're not going anywhere. A café near Saint-Germain, the kind with the wicker chairs facing out because Parisians watch the street like television. Croque monsieur arrives — that absurd amount of béchamel, the ham salty and the cheese pulling. An espresso that costs too much and is exactly right. Rain streaks the window. People hurry past with umbrellas. You have a book but you're not reading it. The waiter refills your water without asking. Hours pass. The rain doesn't stop. You don't want it to. This is the most productive unproductive day of your life.”