Abuela

I sat on the plane from Atlanta to Lima next to a Peruvian grandmother. She was short and round, and her chin melted into her chest.

I said good afternoon to her and she was off, telling me about her seven children and twenty-three grandchildren, who lived in Peru, Chile, and the United States. She said she liked to live in all three places, and she thought the food in Chile was particularly fantastic.

She talked with her eyes wide open, using her arms for emphasis, and every sentence ran into the next. I couldn't press a single comment in.

She stopped and gasped for a breath. She said, suddenly, "Oh! How cute your Spanish is!"

And then, she leaned right over and patted my cheek.

Thanks, grandma.