After the initial shock of Rita’s cancer diagnosis, several meetings with doctors and specialists were scheduled. A treatment regimen is recommended, followed, and monitored closely. It includes surgeries, chemo, and radiation sessions, but not without difficulties. Rita loses her hair and wears a wig. She is not comfortable and hates the thought of wearing it. ...

May is hamburger month in the U.S. I found this recipe that hits the spot every time. I’m not sure what tastes better, the secret sauce or the caramel onions, but I’ll let you decide. In California, a popular fast food restaurant is all the rave. In-n-Out Burger is famous for its ultimate double-double cheeseburger. ...

When Johnny turns sixteen, he and grandpa go car shopping. They are searching for a used one, but it is exciting nonetheless. Johnny sees a set of hot wheels out of grandpa’s price range. He falls in love and pleads to make up the difference by working longer hours at the garage. Grandpa gives in, ...

Mildred is enjoying her newfound freedom after her divorce from Ray. She hits the dating scene and immediately falls in love again. The tall, handsome Gene Gephardt is amiable and ambitious. He dreams of building an upscale nightclub and restaurant on the outskirts of Granite City. The location? Not too far from St. Louis but ...

Going to church every Sunday is another ritual Little Johnny enjoys. Grandpa and grandma are not regular church-goers. So, the neighbors offer to take Little Johnny to church with them every Sunday. The music and singing of hymns and songs enthrall Little Johnny. The two churches at the end of the street sit across from ...

“No, sir! No! No hanky-panky! I would have none of it! Married each one of them!” Thus proclaims Mildred Ruth Ralls, nursing her martini, her voice soft, firm, and reminiscent. Mildred and I are sitting at the kitchen table in the Naperville home. She has received a letter from her sister Elaine in California. Not ...

Although our home is small, the rooms are sizable and airy, with twelve-foot ceilings. Clerestory windows above doors increase natural light and air circulation. A long open south-facing verandah runs the entire width of the building. Sudhir and I spend most of our mornings and evenings here in the open. Another staircase leads to an ...

Some mornings I wake up to a parade of memories—whiffs and tastes of childhood emerge from a dream and linger on vividly and wistfully. Moments ago, not quite awake, I savor the rich, warm buffalo milk in the kitchen of my early years. Then, in a flash, I am back in Mummy’s kitchen of long ...

Tulsi Bhua (aunt) is beside herself. She cannot find her Gangajali (a receptacle for holy water). Mummy is helping her search; it cannot just disappear. It is not a tiny thing that can fall through cracks. It is heavy, silvery, and shining, with a latched lid. And it holds the holy water from the river ...

Gaggles of geese and ducks abound around me. Paying no attention to me as I pick my way thru the throng, they are busy with each other. Gently clutching this tiny ball of fluffy feathers screeching his head off, I am casting my eyes around. There is so much flapping of wings spread wide. Necks ...