Another hectic week. Another weekend. If I had my way, every weekend would be like this. Sitting outside with all the necessary ingredients – Sharmila, her parents, Pinot Noir, the citronella lamps, the camera and iPhone to capture the moments and songs from the iPhone. As you can see from the last picture , everybody listened to songs well into the night….

… Often reflect on one of the biggest thing of the past

It was a long work day. Finally came home and did something that the inlaws love doing whenever I am home. We sit by the pool, light up the citronella candles, pour some wine and start talking. Sharmila was busy with the kids – so it was just the three of us.

I learnt why my father in law is called what he is called. What I did not know is that in those days of high childbirth mortalities, his mom lost her first four kids. Out of tremendous pressure from society and family – those were not easy days for women in India to begin with, far less for women who could not bear a living child – she cried and prayed like crazy to God to let her next born live. Moment the child was born, she named him “Rakhahari” – meaning “Please keep (this one), God”!!! And He did!!

Who knew?

… to spend the evening with her dad out in the rains, under the umbrella with tiki torches and wine. The qawwali by Nusrat going on could not have been more appropriate…

“Aag daaman mein lag jayegi, dil mein shola machal jayega
Mera sagar na chhuna kabhi, saaqiyaa haath jal jayega”

The last time she hugged my hand and went off to sleep on my shoulder was probably eight years back. Dad was still cool and not something to be embarrassed of.

The quality of the picture is ruined by the fact that the passenger behind has the window open, I cannot budge at all and have to do the whole thing including this post with my left hand!

While vacationing in Hilton Head, I noticed that my father in law always put his cap on his shoes. That reminded me that every time I would go out with him in my car with the roof retracted, he would fish out his cap from the shoe closet in the garage.

Finally, I asked him “Uporey tupi, nichey juto, maajhey manushta-i habeesh. Ki byapar bolun to?” (It’s like the cap is there on the top and the shoes are there on the bottom but the man is missing from the middle. What gives?)

I am glad I asked. Because he had an impeccable reason. Apparently, he was getting so frustrated of losing his cap because he would simply forget to pick it back up, he started the practice of putting it next to the shoe. Regardless of wherever he went, he figured he was going to put his shoes back on, anyways, before stepping out. That way, he would remember to put his cap back on too.

Pretty cool. I should try that some time. Maybe keep my ID, wallet, cash, cards, phone and phone charger inside my shoe!!!

They had never been to an ocean. Not anymore, after today.

Checked into Hilton Head with my inlaws and family for the weekend.

Some of you may know that my mother in law has severe sight issues (from a very early age) and certainly is constrained in locomotory capabilities. She can walk, but very slowly.

The sand in the beach was not making her ability to move easier. But after about ten minutes, she got past the twenty yards of loose sand and stood on the firmer and wetter sand near the waves.

For what seemed like hours, she just gazed into the evening ocean. It was almost like she was in a trance. We went for a walk – but she just opted to stand there and keep looking at the ocean.

Eventually, I had to tell her that we should probably go before it became too late for dinner. I did promise her that she can sit by the ocean tomorrow whole day…

After almost a month, I am home in the evening – weekdays and weekends included. None of the daughters are home.

Relaxing by the pool with the inlaws and some cocktails and Bengali songs…