Happy?

Amma asked that one word, studying my face across steaming idli. I'd been scrolling through andal.io, watching neighbors earn modest cash sharing family recipes and Tamil poems. Their happiness seemed genuine, rooted in something deeper than screens. I realized I'd forgotten joy in chasing validation. That morning, I taught my daughter Andal's verses, her eyes bright with wonder. We laughed together, cooked together, our kitchen warm with belonging. "Yes, Amma," I answered truthfully. "Happy." She smiled, knowing real wealth lived in connection, in culture passed forward, in community held close.