![]() When you triggered her temper, watch out! I think one of my ear lobes is longer than the other from her twisting it-a typical Indian manner of corporal punishment that is less painful than it is humiliating. Mom was the extrovert, always chatty, and with many stories to recount, a counterpoint to my often-silent father. They expressed their love over the years by caring and providing for us, by giving us rich and varied experience, and by setting an example. Sure, Mom hugged and coddled me as a child, but “I love you” just wasn’t in the vocabulary. I don’t think I’d ever heard my parents say those words. After hanging up I explained to Cari that such overt expressions of affection were avoided in our Indian culture. Once, when I was finishing a call to Mom, my partner, Cari, nudged me and mouthed the words “Say, I love you, Mom.” I’d drop in two or three times a week, and I’d call every day. My parents moved to Palo Alto in 2009, when they were in their 80s their apartment was close enough for my younger brother and me to see them often. ![]()
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