Most of all I remember the three of them operating during that time as if they were a single person, sharing a single meal, a single body, a single s… - Jhumpa Lahiri

When the language one identifies with is far away, one does everything possible to keep it alive. Because words bring back everything: the place, the people, the life, the streets, the life, the sky, the flowers, the sounds. When you live without your own language you feel weightless and, at the same time, overloaded. Your breathe another type of air, at a different altitude. You are always aware of the difference.

He regretted only one thing: that he had not met her sooner, that he had not known her every day of his life.

The imperfection became a mark of distinction about their home. Something visitors noticed, the first family anecdote that was told.