home

You thought I had abandoned you. And to be honest, there was a time when I considered it. After all, there is a point when you have not spoken for so long that it seems there is nothing more to say. But then you remember an anecdote. Or you force yourself to remark on the weather, or a book you just read. And slowly, you learn to make conversation again.

*

Though the trip to India lasted just two weeks, I have stretched it out for another two by reading A Fine Balance on the recommendation of a friend at work. Somehow, Rohinton Mistry has managed to capture everything I remember about Bombay from my summers there -- and then some -- from the way vendors market their wares on the sidewalks, right down to the descriptions of the beggars and their various deformities. It is only now, after having finished the book and putting it away for a few days, that I feel like I've left the country.

Of course, we never saw the worst of what Mistry describes. But, still, I am incredibly envious of his talent. It is the story I wish I had the capacity to write.

Regardless, you should get yourself a copy.