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I'd like to think Kumar learned as much from me as I did him, although, I doubt the things I taught him were as deeply profound and moving as the things he taught me. How we got on this subject I can't remember exactly. I just remember being in his car, sitting in the front seat next to him and we put our arms side by side to compare the difference in skin tone. "Light skin is nice," he says to me. "Most Indians want lighter skin." I don't think I've ever been complimented on my skin tone before. "Well, your skin is nice too. I like dark skin. Matter of fact, many Americans want darker skin." He looks shocked. Shocked like I just said we eat our firstborn. "WHY would they want their skin DARKER?"

"Well, skin that's tanned from the sun is usually considered attractive at home," I attempt to explain.

"Tanned from the sun? No! That just means you work outside a lot."

"It can mean that...but many times it means people lay outside in the sun, almost naked actually, so the sun can turn their skin darker. They do it on purpose."

Shaking his head in disbelief I see the wheels in his mind turning..."laying almost naked in the sun to turn your skin darker..."

"Its true Kumar. I've actually done it before."

"No, madam! You haven't!"

"I have but with a bathing suit on. I think its mostly the Europeans who do it totally nude."

He's speechless.

"And when its winter time and people can't lay out in the sun they can go to these places called tanning salons to get their skin darkened inside."

"You can't get your skin darkened without the sun madam."

"Actually you can. They have these things that are called tanning beds. But its not really a bed like you sleep in. Its kind of..."

I can tell I'm losing him here. This is like explaining TV to one of those tribes that live deep in the Amazon and have never seen civilization before.

"....its kind of a like a....hmmm....its sort of shaped like....a casket. Yeah, its shaped kind of like a casket but there's lights in it."

Poor guy. He's totally gone now.

"Ok, so imagine you're naked in a casket and you close the lid on yourself and the whole thing is made of glass and under the glass are really bright light bulbs. They're like so bright you have to wear special glasses or it'll permanently damage your eyes."

All I'm thinking now is how completely ridiculous this sounds. Big deal they marry their neices. We lay in glass caskets full of light bulbs.

"The bright lights turn your skin darker."

"Madam, you haven't done THIS?"

"Unfortunately I have a few times but its not really healthy so I've vowed never to do it again."

"No, laying in glass casket is not healthy madam. Do it no more please."

I won't.

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