Quelqu'un manque quelqu'un

The verb "to miss" is "manquer" (mahn-kay) in French. It's a really beautiful word.

In English, we say "I miss you," "He misses me," or "I miss how America has free, clean toilets." It's more of an emotion or state of being than a verb. But in French, "Tu me manques" (You me miss) really means "You are missing from me," like you would describe a piece missing from a puzzle.

At first, it's really really hard to say "My fiancé (is missing from) me" when I mean "I miss him," because it comes out of your mouth feeling like "He misses me," which I suspect is true, but cannot confirm solely by grammar. But once you get used to it, it has a much more melancholy, heart-twinging feel to say "She is missing from me" than "I miss her." It implies an absence, a hole. It's very tragic and romantic, and therefore very French.

Today, I went on a second (and probably final) French essayage of wedding dresses. It was very fun, like the time before, and I found a dress that was incredibly beautiful, unique, and bride-like. The attendant had me put it back on at the end to try on some accessoires, and she brought in a long, lace-trimmed veil and stuck it in the back of my bun.

I looked in the mirror, and instead of looking like a young lady trying on dresses much too old for her, I felt that I looked like a real bride for the first time, and I got a little hot around my eyes (humidity, probably). I said that I miss my mom (My mom, she is missing from me). I'm trying not to think about growing up, since it happens when I'm not paying attention, anyway.


In other news, if someone wants to donate 1500 euro to the Leah Carmical French Wedding Dress Fund, please do so before May. It'll be worth it! (for me!)


I didn't look so p'oed when I put it on. :)




PS: When I put on the dress, I loved everything about it, except that the lace had all these long bits poking around the end. I ask the attendant if the ticklish ends could be trimmed shorter if somebody ordered the dress. FAUX PAS. Apparently, the lace (Alencon, I think) is very, very specific, and one of the traits is the long, scruffy-looking ends. Trimming it is not done in France. She said that it could be done, but I think it's akin to asking someone to make you a pair of undies using the French flag. She was visibly uncomfortable. You would have thought I had asked her to line the gown with plastic.