The last day

It was time for some last minute shopping. Friends back in US had asked for sweets, so I went and got some for them. I also said good bye to my granny. Every time I do this, I do it with the thought that I may never see her again. She is healthy now; barring the Alzheimer’s that she has. But once some one hits 80, you never know. That's the toughest part of living in the US. A lot of people in India ask me, what life is like is the US. I tell them it’s fabulous, except for this one issue. We are really helpless in case of any emergency back home.

I leave the packing to my aunt who is an expert at it. The only thing I make sure is that all my clothes are with me in my hand bag cos every thing else is food stuff and I don't want them to mix. I looked at my luggage and thought there was no way all of it was going to fit in my bags, but she some how managed to squeeze every thing in. Meanwhile, my best friend from college called to ask me to bring some coconut "laddoos" cos his girl friend felt like eating them. If he was next to me, I think I would have stabbed him. Somehow, I managed to find some space for them. The tough part is not finding space for friend's items; it's answering all my aunts who ask "do you really have to take these?"

One moment I will never forget is the day before my first trip. A girl from my college had forgotten to take one of her tops, so she had asked her mom to send it through me. It was a really short top. I tried to hide it between my clothes, knowing fully well what would happen if any of the elderly ladies in the family saw it. But it didn't escape their x-ray eyes. That's it, all hell broke lose. "Who is she? How do you know her? Do all your friends wear clothes like this? Is this why you are going to college?" After a heated argument, my aunt even started crying! What can I say?

This time around, they are upset that I booked my ticket on an “eclipse” day. It’s supposed to be very bad. But what do I know?