Dear Austin,
Oh, where do I begin. Honey, you’re great, wonderful, charming, quirky, and bizarrely alluring, but… There’s no easy way to say this, I think we’re breaking up. I promise, it’s not you, it’s me. Sure, we’ve had some great times together- late nights down on Dirty Sixth, early morning jogs by Lady Bird Lake, that one time waiting in line for barbecue- brisket that tasted like success and Texas, the tacos- man you’ve got some endlessly good ones to offer, or there’s your bone-chilling Barton Springs on a hot summer’s day- beautiful. And my jaw still drops every time driving down 360- it’s like being on top of the world. Oh, and I love that you’re always down to boogie, you really do have the best taste in music. Babe, seriously it’s been a wild ride, but I’ve met someone new. Their name is France, and I think they’ve stolen my heart.
At first I missed you, really, I did, I craved your Tex Mex, missed your flying flags and American spirit on the Fourth of July and dreamt about the beauty of your copious AC and free wifi, but the longer I spent with them, the deeper I became entranced by all they had to offer. It was a short 8 weeks, but even now that I’m back here with you, my summer love is all I can think about. I feel like I’m betraying you, but love is love. Nights twinkling with the stars and dancing by the river; mornings riding the metro into the city, surrounded by their highly fashionable and poised people; taking their trains from country to country, seeing and experiencing the world; feeling the burn climbing their monuments and experiencing some of the best views from their tops; swimming in their oceans and hiking to the peaks and valleys of their mountains; visiting their markets for lunch, exploring their windy, cobbled streets, and picnicking atop their city walls- a baguette, a block of cheese, a glass of red wine, a bag of fresh fruit: it was a delicious 8 weeks.
Black and white stripes, a bottle of Côté du Rhône, the first Harry Potter book translated to their tongue, a handful of snapshots, and a whole suitcase of endless memories is all that remains of our too short, but very real, love affair. I will always love you Austin, but I left a piece of my heart behind with them and I cannot go on loving you the same. You will forever be my first love, but you are no longer my only. I learned their language, I learned their way of life and because of this I am different, you are different, and our life together is taking a new turn. It’s not fair to you for me to pretend that our relationship is unaltered, when I know in my heart that my attention is elsewhere. You deserve someone who will love you, and only you, and I know that you will find someone who will treat you right. I feel at home with you, I know and love your every nook and cranny, but I am continuously dreaming of breaking out and eloping to my new found love. I will love you forever and a day, and I hope we can continue on being friends even though my heart has found another tenant and I have found another place to call my home away from home.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for never failing to love me like you do,
Luci