Pyaarey puttar, Vahe Guru! Beta (son), I'm writing this letter slow, because I know you cannot read fast. We don't live where we did when you left home. Your dad read in the paper that most accidents happen 20 miles from home, so we moved 20 miles away. I won't be able to send the new address as the last Sardar who lived here took the house numbers with him for his new house so that he wouldn't have to change his address. This place is really nice. It even has a washing machine, situated right above the commode. I' m not sure it works too well. Last week I put in 3 shirts, pulled the chain and haven't seen them since. The weather here isn't too bad. It rained only twice last week. The first time it rained for 3 days and the second time for 4 days. The coat you wanted me to send you, your Aunt said that it would be a little too heavy to send in the mail with all the metal buttons, so I cut them off and put them in the pocket instead. Your father has another job. He has 500 men under him. He is cutting the grass at the cemetery. By the way I took my bahu (your wife, Dhanno) to our club's pool for swimming. The manager is very badmaash. He told her that a two-piece swimming suit was not allowed in the club. She did not swim that day. She was confused as to which piece should she remove?! Your sister had a baby this morning. I haven't found out whether it is a girl or a boy, so I don't know whether you are an Aunt or an Uncle. Your uncle, Satinder fell in a nearby well. Some men tried to pull him out, but he fought them off bravely and drowned. We cremated him and he burned for three days Your best friend, Balwinder, is no more. He died in the process of digging a grave for his father; trying to fulfill his Admiral father's last wishes to be buried at sea. There isn't much more news at this time. Nothing much has happened. Love, Your mom P.S.: I was going to send you some money, but the envelope was already sealed! THE SARDAR'S REPLY TO HIS MOTHER: Pyaarey maataji, Vahe guru! I am very sorry that I am so late in replying to your letter. You were right! It took me fifteen days to read your letter. The last few lines are yet to be read, so I don't know, whether it was your letter or someone else's letter. I am very slow in writing, and do not know how to write a letter properly, so I had earlier copied a letter written by a friend to his mother and sent it to you. But I copied the address also. Please do not mind that. I hope you did receive that letter. You must have been confused after getting that letter as to who really wrote that to you, since I copied the sender's name and address also. So, I am trying to write again to you. This time if I write my name wrong, please be assured that this letter is in fact from me. I started writing this letter five days ago. That was on a Monday. I'll try to finish it on the coming Monday so that you'll think that I have written it on the same day. That will definitely surprise you. I am taking the health tonic you sent regularly. I always forget to shake the bottle before taking the medicine, so I have to jump up and down at least fifty times after taking the medicine. I hope fifty times is good enough?! We have mosquito problem over here. We are asked to use mosquito nets by the city. I am also using one, but even then I am attacked by mosquitoes all night. So I have decided to allow all the mosquitoes to come inside the net, then I can sleep peacefully outside. That may take few more months. So, I have to bear with this problem only for a few more months. I remember your advice to brush my teeth regularly. To save time, I brush seven times on a Sunday so that I do not have to brush on weekdays. If this letter does not reach you, please let me know immediately, and I'll write another letter. If you do not receive my next letter also, please inform me. I'll then not mail any more letters, and personally come home to deliver the letters to you. I am so sorry that you could not send me some money, since the envelope had been already sealed! I am sending the opened envelope, along with this letter. Please put in the money this time. I am in need of money. Some friends walk down from the city to the college campus to save money. Joginder, comes running after a bus to save Rs.3, the bus fare to the campus, but I run after a taxi to save Rs.25, the taxi fare to the campus. After saving Rs.25, I can afford to go and eat at a proper sit-down restaurant, whereas my friend, Joginder usually can only afford to eat a Vada Pau for Rs.3. (Another Monday had come and gone.) Today is another Monday and I am able to finish writing this letter on the same day. Not much else to write. So many things are happening here that I have no time to write. I think of you very often and about all the good memories from back home! In loving memory, Your son P.S.: I am re-sending the coat you sent me via post by cutting all the buttons and putting them in the pocket to reduce the weight. Please fix the buttons for me. To reduce the weight of the coat, I have removed the hands and some portion from the back. You should have done that instead of removing the buttons. You know, I don't know how to affix buttons. take care..w/luv jenashmad