There's a junction approaching, a familiar one, and about five minutes before we're at the turning, the exact same question is tossed around the car each time. It's usually a question for my mother, yet we all always had the same answer. It was whether we were to take the turn to the left or right. You see, right held our roots; right saw your business grow; right raised your family; right was and will always be you.
Nine glorious decades you lived and loved, witnessing multiple global phenomena, yet had the news on with an alert for areas where your babies lived. Yes, we were cautious of being "too modern" in front of you because we knew your words came from a place of concern and care, so we never had to rebel. Only you had that power over us, rather unruly girls, according to most!
The kid in me believes I made multiple attempts to talk to you and get stories out of you. A part of me is sad I never made a deeper connection, because God, you have so many grandkids, and you picked yours from the litter. Despite that, I adore the stories I hear from everyone else. The chef in you who knew what was missing from the smell, the father who ran the house with way too many kids, and the man behind the legends of the town – your name is forever etched into the soil there.
In the matter of leaving things behind, the smell and the aftertaste of coffee for me are forever linked to the perfect order you'd give, alongside the plain omelette, parotta and curry. You'd place it before we even said yes or no to it, because everyone gets fed at that home. I believe that is something all of us will strive to inculcate and continue.
Rest easy; say hi to her for me because I could barely say much. I know you're in a better place; you willed it to be so. Don't you worry, we'll all get through this. We saw you carve the way!
