Hills Like White Elephants

Genre: Biography

My father used to tell me about my bright future. It was because of him I did so well in school and never strayed off that path; at least not until after Madrid. My mother always told me, education can only take you so far, the real purpose of a young woman is to find a good man. But I took after my father and I followed his instructions perfectly, even when he told me to take a year off to see the world. I went to France and saw what seemed to me like the center of the world, Paris. Afterward my journey continued to Spain. Still naïve and intoxicated with the life and beauty of Paris I met a man in Barcelona. I had never experienced love before and he was such a handsome man with a way of always getting his way. It was the misfortune he brought upon me that, for the first time in my life, made me realize that doing what others think is best for you is just what is best for them. His words poisoned my mind and made me do a thing I have regretted for the rest of my life. My innocence was ripped from me that day in Madrid.

By Daniel Berg