North Carolina | Photo by Michael Prewett
"Welcome back! It's so good to see you! How's life abroad?"
I come "home" to North Carolina once a year. It's expected of me, and every year, I hear the above cheery greeting bandied about without fail. Usually this happens in October, when Autumn hits the East Coast in full stride. Tree leaves put on a brave face and wear vibrant colors for a final show before facing their inevitable annual death and the cold wind chatters my teeth. A repurposed dry cleaners hangs an ambitious sign as though business is thriving and for a brief moment, all these colours, elements and signs fit together and I'm almost fooled into believing they're true.