It is best to ….
       be quiet.
       Well, you know ….
       It is best to keep quiet,                                       stay quiet.
       Why do you continue to speak? It will only make your
       father angrier. Shhh.

       You know, you’re in my way.
       Oh, it is because you are in my way.
        I’m flustered because you’re in the kitchen.

It is best to tell you ….
       I have to tell you,
       when you are ready to have children…
       red on your underwear means you can have children.

It is best to ….
      It is best ….
      Why don’t you wear nicer shoes? It will make a better impression. It doesn’t look lady-like.
      You know, it is nice to have lunch with you.
      You know, I have learned, …. family are the only people you can trust ….

It is best to ….
       receive the cookbook graciously, as you do ….
       A gift for starting medical school … The Art of Indian Cooking
       Inscription: “Happy Cooking! Love, Mummy” 

       It is best to … marry.

       How can you call your son Sawan, the Guru’s name, when you eat eggs?   
       Do your Simran all the time.
       The Guru says, eat only food cooked by Satsangis.

       Kirpal Singh came to see you five days after you were born;

       he left this ten-rupee note for you ….
       Now, it’s time for you to have it. You can keep it safe.
       You know … you are responsible now.

         

        I tell Sawan, your mother did a good job.
        He calls me every week.
        I tell him, you know … I don’t think I know how to be close to people.

It is best to … remember.
       We used to serve tea with the silver tea service ….
       Well, to impress others … we did it just like this.

       Are you going to invite everyone for Thanksgiving?
       Don’t you want to play the role of bringing the family together?
       That’s something I’ve done; isn’t it your turn?

It is best to ….
       Ever since ….
       It is best ….
       Ever since ….
       You know, you have become so … angry.

It is best to ….
       Oooo, you’ve lost weight. Oooo, you’ve gained weight.
       You know, once you gain weight, it is very hard to lose it.
       Yoga every day, and tofu, salad, and brown rice for dinner is best.

        

       You know, I am detoxing, cleansing …. It really works the best.
       For lunch … I eat sorghum chapatis. They are delicious. The best.

       You know, I’m the weight I was before I married.
       Lemon juice and ginger in water … in the morning.
       You know.                 It really works. It is the best.
       Eight glasses of water a day ….

       Your father wanted to travel ….
       Bari Ma said, How can you take a small child to a foreign country?
       How will you take care of her? We can take care of her here …. It is best ….

       You know, your father wanted to travel in Europe.                   We traveled in our little Mini Miner.
       You know, we saw … so much.        
        I learned how to make a bouffant, and dress properly.
       Those European women are so                                                       fashionable.

It is best to ….
       Don’t bang the car trunk …. Ufff. You are so rough.
       Your cousin, Puja … she is so gentle, so supportive; she listened to me so patiently, quietly,
       yesterday, after your father’s cremation. Ufff! The trunk slammed so loudly.
       You have become, very rough … so impatient … angry.
       You know….you’ve changed.

You can’t have that.
      I’ve lived with that all my life.                    I can’t part with it.
       Your husband … you know, he helps me. He’s … more deserving than you.
       You know, he’s earned his gifts; I should buy him something better next time.

When we left you …
       I didn’t know that a small child would …                                      think we had died.
       I didn’t know.                                               You know, I missed you.
       We thought …                                       you would not remember.
       We don’t know anything.                                    You know everything.

It is best to ….
       You know, I’m eating sorghum,                    only sorghum.                No gluten.
       We are the girls, the ladies in assisted living; I call them ‘the girls.’
        I am saying sorry … (because I have done nothing wrong).
        I’m saying sorry because you are angry.

It is best to….
       Why are you so angry?

It is best to ….
       My hair is falling out.
       The Ayurvedic doctor told me what to eat. For lunch, I eat chapatis made from sorghum.
       There is a bald spot.
       My hands are getting old.
       What is the name of your dermatologist?
       Why don’t you order it for me?
       Keep in touch.                        Don’t be a stranger.

It is best … not to say anything.
       I should be quiet.
       It is best not to say anything ….

     

       You know, when your father was ill, you know you didn’t do anything.
        I took care of him myself.

You know, when you came for lunch …. the last time I saw you, you didn’t hug me.
        I’m trying not to think about it.
        It hurt.

It is best not to                                                                think about it.