A festive Lakeside

As a host, I was supposed to guide my guests through the city, take them to places they had only read about—and recommend foods that would appeal to their taste buds.

A few hours before you went to the literature festival, you sent me a picture. In the picture, you were adorned in a red jacket and blue jeans, with glasses perched on your head as the sunlight strained your eyes. I assumed you were excitedly revealing your eyes—dark, glinting and watchful. Although I hadn’t expected a photo, you sent it out of your excitement about attending the literature festival for the first time.