Introduction to French Language and Culture (Allyson Whipple)

Back when I thought I’d never get married, I picked up a little high school French. I could ask directions to the salle de bains and bibliothèqe. I could order une verre d’eau, un croque-monsieur, une plaque d’escargot. But what mattered most was learning to say Je t’aime. Because I was never getting married, but there was, like, this guy, you know? My own language was too intimate, too real, too dangerous. When he passed in the hall, I’d whisper Je t’aime, Je t’aime, Je t’aime, knowing that even if he heard me, I was safe—he was enrolled in German I.