We hope you enjoy this guest post and beautiful story from our friend Rucha as much as we did!

My Ajji (Granny in Marathi) and I had had a scrumptious meal that afternoon – Rice, Dal, stir-fried vegetables in groundnut oil and some salad to go on the side. Our stomachs were full and our hearts, content. After cleaning up the kitchen, she said a few words to me which were like honey to my ears, “Sweetheart, I’m going to take a short nap. Be a good girl now, won’t you?”. “Of course, Ajji. Sleep tight! I said hoping she falls into a deep slumber so as to not hear me going about my monkey business

I waited patiently till I heard a soft snore coming from Ajji’s room.

I tiptoed my way across the house. It was time to be reunited with my lover. Sure, I was only 10 years old, but hey! The love was as real as it gets!
I went to the refrigerator and there he was! A full jar of Pistachios, just waiting to be devoured!

I carefully took 3 Pistachios from the jar and made my way to the balcony to enjoy my little secret treat. I still vividly remember the taste of salt on the tip of my tongue and the crunch of the nut between my teeth. **Drool**

Now, before you wonder why it was such a hush-hush affair, just know that I am from India and 20 years ago Pistachios were a luxury here. So my naïve, trusting Ajji, kept her Pista-stash in the topmost shelf of the refrigerator, believing that my tiny self would never be able to reach it. Oh boy! Did she underestimate my will!

I was spending three weeks with Ajji that particular summer- which meant three weeks of pistas everyday for me! This became a daily ritual for me. I would wait for Ajji to sleep and then quietly enjoy some lover time in the balcony with my pistachios. To my astonishment and pleasant surprise, however, the jar of pistachios would always be full to the brim! I did not spend too much time on the thought because I didn’t particularly care.

One day, Ajji took particularly long to take her afternoon nap. Maybe she could sense my restlessness. She had a naughty smile on her face as she asked me, “Would you like some Kulfi (an Indian ice-cream made with cream and saffron which is usually white in color) today? I got a special one for you.” I nodded excitedly. She came back with a green slab of Kulfi. To answer my puzzled look, she innocently said, “I got you Pistachio flavored Kulfi. I hope you like it. Have you ever eaten pistachios before?” She looked me straight in the eye.

I was caught, wasn’t I? My love affair was about to come to light. Will Ajji tell my mother? Am I in trouble? Would I EVER get to eat Pistas again? I couldn’t bear the thought. My eyes welled up and my lower lip started to quiver. I could not look at her. Oh Rucha! What have you done!

Just when all these thoughts had engulfed me, and life held no meaning, I heard muffled laughter. To my surprise, when I looked up, Ajji was laughing and how! For some reason, she found something very amusing. I could not understand what was happening. She pulled me close and told me, “I know you love Pistachios. Maybe more than anything else right now. I also know that it was you, my little thief, who was eating up all my Pistas, so I kept refilling the jar so you could have a little me-time in the balcony.” Upon seeing the shock on my face, she went on to say, “Of course I knew you sat in the balcony to eat the Pistas! You were so engrossed in eating that you never remembered to throw away the shells!” Ajji must have found this whole incident quite funny because she continued laughing.

“Here is a little gift for you. Now you never have to steal again!” she said, handing me a small jar of Pistachios with my name on it! Seeing her warm smile made me want to cry even more. “I promise I will be a good girl. I have all I need, now that I have this whole jar to myself! ..And I will remember to throw away the shells this time!” I said giving her a tight hug.

I will never forget how Ajji saved up to provide me Pistachios that summer. She recently turned 92 and I surprised her with her own jar of Pistachios with her name on it.

Pistachios will always bring warm, fuzzy memories and thoughts in my mind, thanks to Ajji. It’s safe to say that sure, I am 29 years old, but hey! My love for Pistachios has lived on and is still as real as it gets!

This has been a guest post from our friend Rucha. You may find her other writings in her personal blog at https://wordsandmore.home.blog/