found

Of course my sister and I started crying even as we walked towards each other and collapsed into each other when she picked me up at the bus stop.*

When we got home, my dad seemed so much smaller inside my hug and also grizzlier--in the traditional way, he won't shave until Sunday's ceremony.  He wouldn't let my hand go for hours. 

He wants me to take all my mom's things as some jewelry like her bangles, rings, anklets will fit only me. Ditto her shoes. Her clothes are not my size, but he kept telling me the sweaters and blazers would look nice at work (umm, no). I can see I'm going to return with so many of her saris. 

The true treasures are all the photo albums. She was so obsessed with At, photographing nearly every moment of At's infancy with whatever blurry camera she had back in 1999.

Pic: I found this 56-year-old photo of my parents from when they were just married. I'm noticing the slight lean away in their heads. In my dad's case, it could be because of the way his body aligns because of his polio... my mom is probably feeling shy? In any case, this photo makes me smile because dad always joked about how there was so much symmetry between his tie and my mom's braid.

*[My flight got into Bangalore at 3:20 AM, and I didn't want Chelli to make the 90-minute trip to the airport so late at night, so I refused to tell her when my flight got in. I stayed inside the airport until it was no longer dark and then took the bus home (it seemed safer than a taxi--there are always such horrendous stories of violence against women in Bangalore).]