“And here’s another one,” I said. I wondered if Marcela would want to switch to Spanish. I admire her crisp fluency in English – she always sounds posh but unpretentious in a way that I never will with a Baltimore accent that likes to sneak out after a drink or just when I’m tired. It’s easier for me to gossip in English, but easier for us both to gossip in front of the other tourists with a privacy that Duolingo hasn’t yet cracked. How could you teach someone to chismear in 5 minutes a day? They planted themselves far enough down the beach and downwind for us to continue as before, in English, eager to pick apart another couple in our holiday game….

Originally published in April, 2023 in Damozel.