chubby..

Amma called it "puppy fat," laughing as she pinched my cheeks during video calls from Chennai. Growing up between two worlds, I felt caught between her traditional warmth and my American independence. At twenty-three, I discovered cryptocurrency trading, earning small amounts daily from my dorm room. It felt rebellious, modern, mine. But success meant nothing without sharing it. I sent money home, helped cousins, invested in Tamil cultural events locally. My grandmother's voice crackled through the phone: "Proud, beta." That word—that connection—became my richest currency, anchoring me to something deeper than digital wallets.