home

home, it appears, is where my mum and dad are, together. my parents and i have lived continents apart for 8 years now, and for the last 6 months, we've had a triangular relationship - mom in botswana, dad in delhi, me in london. tonight when they were bickering, being ill, scaring me with glimpses of their advanced senility, annoying me with random pettinesses, i realised that i hate having them on my team and hgaving to mediate between them, mind them, protect them from mean aunties and uncles (everyone bullies my folks, or so i feel). but when dad shows me a massive and ugly orange t shirt with my name on it in hieroglyphs (he went to cairo last week) and mum argues with me over the best way to use her loreal collagen complex regenerist wrinkle free anti ageing night cream, and we share a ridiculously priced Hot Chcolate Fudge with the host aunty, i feel as if none of us ever left New Delhi.