Fifteen minute writing prompt from my creative writing club meeting this week. The prompt was "You are in a foreign country and do not speak the language."

I'm going to post some of my prompt-inspired writings over here as I complete them.

Let me know if you've heard the expression "pitch a fit". I use it a bit, and apparently it's a Southern thing. Let me know if you've ever heard it before.

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I stand in the middle of the sidewalk, my suitcase gripped firmly in one hand. The humid, summer air sweeps across my face, blowing strands of hair over my cheek.

I listen to the sounds of traffic around me, trying to get my bearings. He was supposed to meet me outside the airport when I arrived in Rome, but here I am, still waiting an hour later.

I glance around, hoping someone will notice my presence. A couple of teenagers spare me a once-over, then return their attention to their smartphones. A woman on a nearby bench stands up, making her way toward me. She stops a few paces away, rapidly speaking into her cell phone in a language I don't understand.

Italian? I think.

I recognize a few sounds, but I never took the time to learn the language. I was only scheduled to be here for five days, for a business trip. I naively assumed that I would be surrounded by English speakers, and thought that Google Translate would be a fine interpreter. I'm a successful CEO, I don't have time to fully immerse myself in every foreign culture.

I try to make eye contact with the woman, who looks away immediately. She's still on the phone. She's clearly too busy to care if I need assistance. She probably wouldn't understand me if I asked for it.

Huffing in annoyance, I pull my cell phone out of my purse, ready to call my associate and pitch a fit. It's dead, the screen unresponsive to my furious touch.

While I'm still glaring at the screen, the woman speaks again, this time in English.

"Yes, I have her."

Before I can register what's going on, she has ended her conversation and stepped toward me. I glance up just in time to see her coming for me.