July 1. “Button, genetics fascinate me.”

“By the way, what is genetics?”

“Simply put, they are traits that are passed down from a parent to a child.”

“Does that mean I have inherited certain traits from my parents?”

“Must be.”

“Any trait any of you have inherited from your parents?”

“Every time I see Dost making gestures using his hands to drive a point home, I am amazed at how identical they are to the gestures his eldest brother, makes. Both brothers must have got it from one of their parents. When I laugh, I sound exactly like my mother. My daughters point out to me how I stick out my tongue and purse my lips like her every time I make a faux-pa.”

“What does that word mean?”

“It means a mistake.”

“Where’s Dost?”

“Gone to Kolkata for some meetings.”

“How is it that you stayed back?”

“Just. Doing something or not doing something doesn’t necessarily need a reason every time.”