good afternoon

My grandmother calls every afternoon at two. Today, I finally answered. She speaks Tamil while I scramble for words, my accent clumsy after years away. We talk about monsoons in Chennai, her garden, my promotion. She smiles through the screen, pride radiating. Later, I send her money through an app—easier than explaining wire transfers. She laughs, calling me modern. I laugh too, realizing I'm building bridges my parents started. In her voice, I hear generations. In mine, their dreams continuing forward.