Bridging the Gap, Sharing the Dosa
Whenever someone hears me call my mother-in-law “Amma” and my father-in-law “Appa” (which, yes, are literally what my husband calls his parents too), I can see the confusion flicker across their faces. It's usually followed by a slightly nosy whisper: “Wait… do you live with your in-laws?” By now, I’ve mastered the art of the mysterious smile-and-nod. But the real entertainment starts with the follow-up: “And you’re… okay?” “Like… really okay?” “No problems?” I usually respond with, “Who doesn’t have problems with family?” and laugh a little too enthusiastically. Their stunned expressions are nothing new—I’ve been collecting them since I got married. In fact, back then, a few people didn’t even wait for trouble. With that all-knowing grin and the tone of someone who has “seen things,” they’d casually ask, “Shuru aitha?” Translation: “Have you started fighting yet?” Because apparently, marriage comes with a countdown timer to the first argument. But the truth is, I h...