Last night was my first night with Abhi traveling. I stayed up too late after Anjali went to bed, reading a novel (set in Victorian times with some amount of gothic suspense, which is one of my favorite kinds…). By the time I hit the bed, I was imagining sounds of spooky houses and gardens around me. It took me a few minutes to align my senses with Anji’s breathing, sleeping on the mattress next to our bed. Then everything was fine.

Not to say the night was uneventful. right around 1.00am, Anjali woke up crying. I comforted her, put her in bed next to me, and realized after checking the time, that Abhi had probably just landed in Frankfurt, en route to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. She was probably in sync with him, as they always are, sharing a special language of their own, father and daughter, and missing him.

My own dad had called me up Friday evening at around 4.30, which was around 3.00 am his time. My phone which has gone through many trials and tribulations ( as some of my friends may know from first hand details) now works for the most part, except the phone doesn’t ring when someone calls. Or rather it probably rings, but not in any frequency I can hear. So unless you are looking at the iPhone and see a face coming by, you won’t actually know someone is calling until you see the missed call later. But at that instant,at 4.30pm, in my car after my chiropractor appointment, with Anji behind in the car seat, just before I was about to pull out of the parking, I happened to check my phone and saw appa’s face. It felt so good!

My dad has a strange and comforting way of being there for me, more so when Abhi is traveling. It’s as if his sixth sense kicks in. It’s happened in the past when we went through some pretty lousy medical stuff while Abhi was traveling. He would call at the right time, and he was able to be present no matter what my emotions at the moment. On this Friday evening, my heart was gladdened hearing Appa’s voice. I could see Anjali’s smiling face in the rear view mirror, her sparkly eyes lighting up listening to me talk. as always, perfectly in sync.

So tonight, now that the novel is finished, and Anji is sleeping, the house feels quiet. A lingering sense of peace. Abhi has landed in Jeddah, and resting his weary body after traveling for over 24 hours. We got to see him for a few minutes on video, and as always he looked so great, even after traveling for so long. I don’t know how my amazing hubby manages that!  I have let the dishes pile up, but I’m okay letting my obsessive compulsive cleaner off the hook tonight. Anji has cleaned up her toys before going to bed, and I have our Christmas lights on in the living room ( yeah already!) so our living room has a cozy glow. Time has slowed down tonight. Now it is time to hit the bed…

Namaste and peace to you.