The air was humid as Priya, a new mother in her early thirties, sat on the sofa, wearing a sleeveless cotton nightie that reached her knees. Beside her, her mother, Radha, fanned herself with an old newspaper, in her own nightie. Across from them, sat Meera on mat, Priya's twenty-year-old sister wearing an oversized T-shirt and soft cotton shorts with.her long hair tied up in a messy bun.
The conversation had started innocently about the baby and its feeding schedule before Meera turned curious.
"Akka, how does it feel when the baby latches on?"
Priya blinked, surprised, so did Radha.
"Ah, you're at that age now, aren't you? Full of questions." Said Radha.
"I just don't know anything and you always say it's better to learn from family than from whispers." Meera said.
"It's different for everyone," Priya said.
"At first, it's strange where your body isn't yours anymore, it's for someone else."
Meera leaned forward with her elbows on her knees.
"Does it hurt?" She asked.
"Sometimes, yes," Priya said.
"But then there's warmth and closeness. It's hard to explain."
Radha nodded.
"A woman's body is made for this, Meera. There's no shame in knowing how it works."
"Can I see?" Meera asked.
Priya's breath caught. She looked at her mother, who gave a nod.
"It's natural," Radha said.
"Better she learns from you than from some frightened girl in a hospital later."
Priya hesitated for a moment but reached for the shoulder straps of her nightie and tugged them down slowly, revealing her bra. She unhooked the front clasp and the bra loosened as he let it fall open, revealing the soft swell of her breasts and the darkened areolas.
Meera inhaled sharply.
"See?" Priya said softly as she cupped one breast lightly.
"The body changes. It's not like before."
"Can I touch it?"
Priya's pulse quickened but she nodded.
Meera reached out, her fingers trembling and moved just above Priya's bare skin.
"It's okay," Priya said.
"You can feel it."
Meera swallowed hard and pressed lightly against the curve of her sister's breast.
"It's different from mine," Meera said.
"Of course it is. After birth, everything changes."
Radha watched quietly and didn't interrupt this lesson, after all.
Meera's touch grew bolder.
"Does it ache when you're full?"
"Like a dull pressure," Priya said.
"And when is the baby?"
"Gently, like this." Priya said.
She pressed Meera's fingertips in a slow, circular motion around the areola, mimicking a baby's latch.
"The body knows what to do. When the baby sucks, the milk comes and it's nature's way." Radha said.
Meera nodded.
"Does it feel good?"
"It's not like pleasure, but there's a relief. A closeness." Priya said.
Meera's thumb brushed over the nipple once, twice and Priya inhaled sharply.
A beat of silence.
"Did I hurt you?"
Priya shook her head.
"No. It's just sensitive."
Meera bit her lip.
"Should I stop?"
Priya hesitated.
"No."
"Meera, come here," Radha said, patting the armrest.
Meera hesitated but obeyed.
Radha adjusted Priya's baby in her arms, then tugged the neckline of her own nightie aside, revealing the loose front of her bra.
"You're a woman now," Radha said.
"There's no need for shyness. See?" She guided Meera's hand to her own collarbone and down.
"This is life. This is what our bodies do."
Meera's fingers trembled, but she didn't pull away.
"When you have a child your body remembers even after years." Radha said.
"Touch."
Meera's fingertips brushed the slope of Radha's breast, then the faint stretch marks near the underside.
"From carrying you girls, heavy babies, both of you."
Priya let out a soft laugh.
"But it's not just about babies but a woman's body knows, to understand, to feel." Radha said.
"Ask what you want to ask."
"Does it ever feel good?" Meera asked.
"Not just for feeding, but just to touch?"
"Why don't you find out?" Radha said with a smile.
She traced Meera's fingertips along the outer curve of her breast. Priya's toes curled against the cool tile floor as she recognized the shift in her mother's tone.
Meera's fingers trembled as they brushed her mother's nipple through the thin cotton bra.
"And this?"
"You tell me. A woman should know her own body's language."
"And what about you, Priya?" Radha turned her gaze to her elder daughter.
"Does your body still remember pleasure, after so many months of only giving?"
Priya's throat went dry.
"Sometimes," she said softly.
Meera's eyes widened.
"You touch yourself, Akka?"
