पच्चीस
the light breeze through my hair, at eight-hundred-and-twenty-three feet, was the loudest soundest I heard that day.
the plan to be there that day was not a premeditated one, but the thought of being in the United Kingdom was. The idea of being present, let alone celebrating a milestone in America, a land that I have still not been able to call home, was unsettling. Being in western Europe, on the other hand, around people I call home, was comforting to the nth degree. You can call it an escape, because I sometimes do, but the question I ask of you, and me, is a simple one. Is going home ever an escape?
when the clock struck twelve, there was a cupcake, a candle, and a dear friend who asked me to make a wish before anything else.
chapatti, dal, rice, & onion aachaar, was what followed after prayer and halwa in the Gurdwara, here in Edinburgh. I do pray regularly, not out of compulsion, but for what it brings - a light breeze. I couldn't script a better start to this day even if I tried.
what we did next was on our list because it was on everyone else's, and they called it Arthur's Seat, for reasons I have since forgotten. I had read about it before we went there, and was told to expect a hill, high enough to serve as a vantage point for the city, and the beautiful streets that made their way through Edinburgh. But the thing about blogs, just like this one, is that they don't prepare for you every little detail, and thankfully so. A small lake greeted us the moment we entered the premises. A smile appeared, and stayed there with each ticking second for the next three hours, as we treaded steadily upwards, in altitude and happiness, before reaching eight-hundred-and-twenty-three feet. Silence.
pav bhaji, the only thing that remained to mark this day, this milestone, a success. It was only after I crossed the border did I come across Dishoom's brand, and approach towards beauty -- both in decor, and food. Bulbs hung from their high ceilings as we made our way through narrow lanes between the clustered round-tables. It was 6PM and bright outside when we entered. Three-courses later, it was 8PM and dark outside when we left. The yellow intensity of light gradually faded during those two hours, but the Sun within was bright and shining.
as the clock struck twelve, and I turned twenty-five, it was the light breeze through my hair, that I wished for..
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