The Three Musketeers

South Africa, China, Angkor Wat, Prague and other East European countries, the list was endless and they were doing the rounds during our conversations as well as on cyberspace. It was hard to reach a consensus as each location had its own standing in our scheme of things, with some having been visited by one of us and few others being practically difficult. However, the only consensus was that a destination had to be chosen and that too at the earliest. Looking back I wonder if the destination was ever important, it was the idea that had gained fast momentum ever since it was pronounced by Latha a couple of years ago. What made it a mission possible was the support it received from the spouses and the kids. In our families it was the first time that such a holiday was being planned. That we lived in two different corners of the world just did not matter. Somehow everybody felt that it would take off and was just waiting for the right opportune.
In 2008 when Latha said that it was time we three sisters went on a holiday just by ourselves leaving behind the husbands and children, it was received with so much of thrill. It seemed as if she had thought of something very very novel. It seemed like a revelation, it opened the doors to so much of thinking, planning and discussion. Everyone who heard about it exclaimed as to what a wonderful idea it is. I don’t know of many people who have gone on such vacations but to me it felt that I belonged to a different league, planning something of which those around me were denied. Thus the destinations began doing the rounds, only to be heard and stored in the grey matter. The right opportune just did not seem to happen what with each family having other commitments with the children’s school and work schedules. The seed was however sown and the day dreaming did happen whenever it was given a thought. Two years almost went by when each of the families went on other vacations, biding time for the novel one.
That I would be in the US in the summer of 2010 was a commitment I had made to my niece Preetha way back in 2002. It was the year she would graduate from high school and she had wanted me to be there for her. I had given my word and with God’s grace, I could keep it. What made the graduation sweeter was the fact that she would be pursuing her under graduation at Harvard a revered institution for all and particularly for people from the sub continent. Thus my trip was planned and the dates were finalised. It was at this point that Latha announced that she had to attend a conference in San Antonio, Texas and that we could convert this to our special holiday. Before she could complete the sentence I grabbed at it. Logistically I knew that given our family make up this would be the best we could do. Geetha too gave her go ahead and thus Latha went about doing whatever had to be done to organise the trip. The dates were marked and the wait for a memorable holiday in the midst of a great vacation began.
12th May 2010 our trip began. Latha and I started off from Charleston and Geetha came from Orlando. From the moment we were dropped off at the airport by Preetha and Sridevi our holiday began. That we went back in years is undoubted, but that we could almost get back to our school days when it came to our behaviour was something I never imagined would happen. Right from the two hours wait at the airport before Geetha landed to every other small happening during the course of the four days spent there we were just the daughters of Bhaskara Menon and Leina Bhaskaran. That our combined ages reached a good 150 years (almost) just did not bother us. The only time we touched reality was the very brief phone calls we had with our families. I must at this point say that the families were so supportive that they never hassled us with the usual and mundane daily happenings.
Thus we enjoyed the quaint city of San Antonio, a city which is dominated by its one of a kind River Walk. That San Antonio is the sister city of our very own Chennai, made the city dearer to us. The Alamo a sacred memorial to the Independence War with Spain was treated with veneration. The establishments on the River Walk were visited and every meal was a Tex Mex treat. Thus quesadillas, nachos, burritos, fajitas satiated our epicurean taste buds and the wonderful Margaritas provided that fine tilt necessary to make a holiday from being great to becoming memorable. We went around sightseeing totally on foot. It seemed odd to hire a car as being in a youthful state of mind, the body seemed to act accordingly and thus all the nuts and bolts put up their best behaviour. That we screamed like kids while watching the 4 D movie at the Tower of Americas would be an understatement. The quaint shops of the Vilita Village were visited with so much of enthusiasm and the happening Market Square provided a wonderful treat. The Spanish Governor’s palace was a must see and at the old Cathedral we were the uninvited guest at a Spanish wedding. That one of us even walked around with an open bottle of beer made us feel like young swashbucklers.
We reminisced so much that names of friends and acquaintances of our childhood came flashing back and we even attempted to touch base with some of them. This was made possible thanks to Geetha’s iphone and the various social networking sites. Midnight calls were made to cousins far away only to take them back in time and to spread the happiness of our time together. A lot of time was spent in discussing and planning Dad’s 84th birthday in December. Although Preetha’s graduation was less than a week away, it did not get the pride of place, for we were daughters and siblings and not moms and aunts during those days. That Latha did attend some sessions of the conference was in itself an achievement.
The four days just rolled on and gave us so much of good times. I must say it rejuvenated our souls as well as our bodies. It made us determined that we need to do this more often. By God’s grace the three families get together at regular intervals, but having experienced this, we wanted many more in the same vein. We bid our good byes to Geetha at Atlanta airport (The flight from San Antonio to Atlanta was the first time that the three of us were together on an aircraft) on the 16th of May only to meet up with her on the 21st when she would come to Charleston with family for the graduation. Thus on that happy note we plunged back to “reality and our worlds”.
As a token of the trip I made my most expensive purchase, a pair of D&G sunglasses. It seemed so appropriate a purchase for here was something I would use daily in my sunny Chennai.