Year 2: Week 10

Dear Zayde,


This week I learned that when two people love each other very much, they gather all their family members and friends together in a cold place called Atlanta, where everyone dresses in colorful outfits and spends three days eating, dancing, clapping, and smiling. This is what it means to "get married." I learned that you and Bubbie like to travel by airplane, just like Mommy and Daddy. On this trip, I learned that the people flying the plane are called the pilot and copilot, and they wear shirts with buttons and ties, just like Daddy does when he goes to work, but something tells me that Daddy's job isn't as exciting as flying an airplane. Otherwise, he'd be more enthusiastic about leaving the house every morning.

When we arrived in Atlanta, I learned that winter north of Florida means there's snow on the ground, but I didn't get to touch it because it melted before we had time to play outside. (The next morning, I learned that taking a long walk in the cold while attached to Mommy is the perfect recipe for a serious nap.) In the afternoon, I took a lovely nap on Daddy while Mommy and Bubbie drank tea and had their hands painted with henna. I learned that all the ladies at the wedding had beautiful designs on their hands, but none more beautiful than the bride. (I've known the bride and groom since I was little. Their names are Kanchan and Navin, and they are happy people who love babies. I'm hoping that they make some friends for me very soon.) That night, we went to a super fun dance party called a Sangeet. I learned that the Chinese people have their own New Year, just like we do, but theirs involves dragons dancing to the rhythm of drums, which is much more entertaining than apples and honey. I learned that night about loud music and neon lights, neither of which I can stand for more than 45 minutes. The room was full of so many colors and lights that I thought perhaps a rainbow had exploded, but I was too distracted by Mommy's gold bangles to investigate. I learned soon thereafter that Bubbie knows the secret to getting me to sleep, and a few hours later, I got to spend the rest of the night in a big hotel bed with Mommy and Daddy. (Having learned how wonderful it is to snuggle with them, since then I've made it known that I'd prefer to spend every night in their bed. We are currently negotiating the details of this arrangement.)

On Saturday, I learned that Hindu weddings are elaborate and sparkly. They're also really long, but that's okay because it gave me ample time to meet some adorable babies and climb up and down a grand staircase just outside the hall in which everyone was watching the ceremony. Kanchan and Navin walked in circles together, which Mommy says is a metaphor for being married. She really does think she's hilarious.

Later that night, around 9:00 p.m., I learned that I have a limit as to how much partying I can handle in one weekend. Within five minutes of walking into the cocktail hour with Mommy and Daddy, I was compelled to share with all the wedding guests my fatigue and dislike of being dressed up and paraded around like a happily trained monkey. That's when I learned that Daddy is happy to "take one for the team" when he hauled my crying tushie upstairs to our room. We watched Syracuse beat Duke and played with Mommy's high heels before emptying the contents of all our suitcases. Twice. I have the best Daddy.

This week's letter is part "what I learned" and part "thank you." You and Bubbie were very kind to join us on the trip to Kanchan's wedding, and Mommy keeps saying that she wouldn't have survived without you there. (I can't imagine she's referring to me in any way with this statement, so I can only assume she is talking about how needy Daddy is when traveling.) In any case, I want to thank you both. Thank you for distracting me on the airplane so I didn't get too stir crazy at 30,000 feet. Thank you for letting me play with the velcro on your shoes. Thank you for putting me to bed when I'd had enough partying. Thank you for taking pictures of Mommy and me when we were all dressed up and looking our best. Thank you for whisking me away from brunch on Sunday morning so that Mommy "could just enjoy a cup of coffee and a plate of hot eggs, for crying out loud." In short, thank you for making what could have been an arduous ordeal a truly fun and memorable weekend.


Pyāra (I think that means love in Hindi.),
Zelda