Mind the gap

English feels like my native language seems like the quickest, truest way to tell a story but I’m often faced with, at the best of times, confusion and follow-up questions and, at the worst of times, doubts about my honesty. Now I say English feels like my native language and I think in English, which is longer but more tangible. It has a real unit of measurement that people can touch and hold, regardless of their understanding of how languages work. My inner monologue is in English. My dreams are in English. When I stub my toe, the first words out of my mouth are in English. I can only swipe-type in one language: English. I don’t drink seems like the quickest, truest way to tell a story but I’m often faced with, at the best of times, confusion and follow-up questions and, at the worst of times, someone who has assigned me a religious label. Now I say I don’t drink anymore, which is longer but answers lingering questions. I don’t know what those questions are but I know race plays a…