Virginia was something of a Demi-goddess to your mother and me. Lisa suggests we both enjoyed her protection and cheerful loving attention. The bigger truth is, we each had a very different relationship with her.

Lisa and I were born with different qualities and personalities, but those differences should have come between us. Being regularly pitted against each other is what would inevitably lock us into the absurd roles of good kid (Lisa) and bad kid (me).

The teachers at Lycee Claudel had a seriously sadistic streak. For them, any excuse to punish and humiliate would do.

As I sat there studying the faces in the picture, a murmur started among my classmates which quickly grew to a distracting cacophony.

Our mother was very concerned about Lisa’s safety growing up. So she should have been. Her eldest daughter had skipped two grades and ended up in high school at the age of twelve. Virginia, being the smallest of everyone in her school let alone grade, suffered terrible bullying at that time so I’m told. Our … Read more "A PORTRAIT OF LISA"