I. The sun dipped below the horizon; I clutched my grandma’s hand a bit tighter. She had turned sixty-seven that day, I was a mere ten. We strolled through the old neighbourhood, the streets lined with trees bearing shiuli flowers, their fragrant aroma hanging in the air.

In a hushed whisper, she cautioned me: “Be careful around here, dear,” I glanced at her, as she continued. “There are a lot of pickpockets in this area.”

I nodded, although I wasn’t afraid of the pickpockets at all. Instead, I was occupied with my bubbling curiosity about something that might seem stupid now, but it was a great mystery for ten-year-old me. “Grandma,” my voice barely audible, “do you know English?”

Grandma smiled warmly, her eyes lit up. Then, she sighed softly and began, “It is soon going to be a year since your grandpa passed”, her voice clouded with nostalgia, “you know, after your grandpa passed, I spent a lot of time at home. I thought I’d never get over it. The quiet house drove me mad. It was during those hours that I took up walking in the evenings as a way to clear the fog in my head, and it became a habit. I can walk much farther than most women my age now, my dear.”

My young mind barely knew anything about love. Ignoring whatever she said about walking, I replied, “Grandma, did you love grandpa very much?”

I stared at her face. She wasn’t looking at me; her gaze was fixed at the stars in the sky that slowly appeared, one after the other. Her expression held a depth that I couldn’t comprehend then.

“I did.” She finally replied, as she smiled once more. “I remember once he wrote me a letter, after our wedding, when he got transferred to Shillong. But it never reached me, some issue with the post office. I wish I could’ve read it. When he returned home and asked me if I'd received it, I had to say no, and he was terribly disappointed.” I clutched her hand a bit tighter.

She continued, “He told me he had written that letter in English. Mind you, I was a scholar in Assamese, but English was foreign to me. He wasn't the type to express his feelings through spoken words, so he turned to writing. After that lost letter, he wrote poems for me, all in English, but he longed for me to read that initial letter. Seeing how much it meant to him, I decided to learn English just for him. To answer your question, I do know English now. However, his letter still remains unread now, I wish I could have the chance to read it, even once.”

I don’t know why, but I’d turned red from blushing. “Grandma, can I see the poems?”

She looked at me lovingly. “Sure, baby. I’ll show them to you someday.” And together, we walked back home together.

II. Dear Padma,

I miss you terribly. The distance between us feels like an eternity. The world here is different. I’m taking my time to get used to the weather here, it’s a vast contrast from our city. It rains too frequently; the cold cuts right through you sometimes. I’ve succumbed to the flu two times in a span of a single month.

I keep thinking about you all the time; about your laughter, the delicious meals you used to cook, our trips to the theatre, and reading books together. Your memories keep me going through these lonely nights. I cannot help but wonder, do you miss me as much as I miss you?

There’s this cozy little restaurant near where I’m staying here, run by an old Khasi couple. They make the most amazing bamboo pork. I’d love to bring you here someday, and we can just sit down enjoying a sweet meal together. Ah, everything around here reminds me of you. The local radio stations play Jayanta Hazarika often, and that brings back memories of you humming his tunes every morning while preparing breakfast. Thinking about it, I can almost smell the aroma of breakfast in our kitchen right now.

I'm writing this right after a long day at work, so my thoughts might be a bit jumbled. But honestly, words can't really express just how much I miss you. With each passing day, my love for you grows deeper, and I yearn for the day I can return home. Until that day, wait for me, please?

Yours always and forever, Ankit