kisses, freshly minted
Ever since he started going to preschool, he has insisted on “a hundred and one kisses” before he is ready to leave home. Today, I ask him, “May I get one too?”
I try to decipher the frown on his face before he says, "but, but, er…won’t I have one less?"
Who could’ve guessed that kisses were transactional – returned and exchanged like a shoe that didn't fit, or a coin for a bit?
We’ve since made it clear that every kiss is “fresh” – irrevocably dear, delivered straight to the heart, and always made from scratch.
Abhirami S grew up in South India and breathes and writes on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples. She has lived on and loved Ohlone land and Ho-Chunk land.