Caroline Cooper

I am a New York City public school teacher of English, with a passion for narrative storytelling and instilling in students a love of reading and writing. I have published short stories, poems, and essays in outlets including Guernica, Kestrel, The Jakarta Post, and NPR, among others. You can read more at carolinemcooper.com.

Accept All Changes

A few of Natasha Boginya’s friends started a regular tradition of dining on Monday nights at a fine restaurant in Greenwich Village. Here was a New York besotted with heavy linens, Italian marble, the generous pour. Truffled potatoes. Sautéed spinach. Roasted meats. A larder full of bottles. The light fixtures hung low, bemused.
The place was an old stalwart of Tzarist times that smiled from behind a display of unwavering conquest and success.