Saying Goodbye in the Rain

Yesterday was my host brother Surya's last day here in Coimbatore. The day was packed with visits and calls from all of the relatives, and it was fun to see him going through the same moments that I went through only three weeks ago.
In the afternoon I tried to take a small rest, and when that didn't work out I went out into the living room to see what was going on. The ENTIRE family was all dispersed around the room- and when I saw Sanjo (the little girl next door) I decided that I would sit and talk with her. The whole house was buzzing with Tamil conversation, and so Sanjo and I decided to go out into the hallway to play with a pink ball of her's. We had fun out in the hallway, bouncing the ball back and forth- first with our hands and then switching to feet- the whole time with Bapu (Sanjo's younger sister) running in and out of the fire zone (once in a while getting bonked in the head and laughing!).
After playing for a while, Sanjo suggested that we read a book called "Shiva's Fire" that I had started for her. So, we went in her apartment (mine was MUCH too noisy!) and read for a little while until it was time to leave for the airport to see Surya off.
I went to the airport with Sohbe (my host mother's brother's daughter) and her family. We drove there behind a line of cars (most of them family members) and got to the airport just before seven.
As it started getting dark, more and more people arrived to se Surya off and to wish him good luck, and when him and my host mother Mahesh got in line for security, the sky broke and it started to drizlle slightly. We all stood in a big group together- waving and smiling to send Surya off on the adventure of his lifetime!
After seeing Surya off, Sohbe's family invited me to go to dinner with them at Domino's. It was my second time there, and enjoyed the pizza for the second time as well! Domino's here is (like everything else!) "Indian style." The pizzas all come with a spicy Indian melted cheese underneath the cooked layer- it's like a double decker cheese pizza!
Sohbe's family then dropped Sohbe and I off back at my new home so that I could pack to go to another friend's house for the week while my host parents are away in Chennai seeing Surya off. We spent a few minutes rushing around my room- throwing everything I MIGHT need into a suitcase before dropping Sohbe back off at her home. By this time it was POURING outside!