The uncle came up to me as I was scooping
the last mouthful of rice and curry into my mouth;
"What do you want?" he asked, in Tamil
with a kindly twinkle as I caught his soft, warm eye.
I looked down at my leaf, with its unfinished portions
of extremely tasty veggies and meats,
and then up and around at the tables around me,
before I replied, with a wistful sigh,
"Uncle, I want the happiness of that
large family in that corner, with the three sisters
taking care of their baby brother, while their parents
look lovingly into each others eyes.
"I want that look of unbridled lust that newly wed
husband is giving his wife, while they hold hands
under the table, so his in-laws won't see them and
mar their joy with ancient disapproval.
"I want the easy camaraderie at that table of friends;
who are just as free with the insults as the praise
and punctuate each sentence with a punch to the arm
or a slap on the back.
"I want the shy innocence of that young teenage girl
who is sitting opposite the guy she really really likes,
although he is totally clueless and responds to her
intense gaze with a silly grin and nervous hands.
The uncle looks at me, and asks again, kindly,
"Do you need anything else?". Again the twinkle.
I look up at him and say, with true knowledge,
"No uncle, I have everything I need."
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