Dear E-pao,thank you so much for providing a platform to connect with many of our brethren from all over the globe through my articles in your esteemed site. And you guys have made it possible to for me share stories with young readers who find them humorous.

Some may think that just because I am here, I might have just written for the sake of writing but hell no!!

I went through a lot and so I feel like sharing with others. And if at any time it has given some relief to someone, I would consider that as being fruitful!! I would like to write yet another one of those...... and share!!

I must say the E-pao site has been a tremendous and a great outlet for many writers. I say again.. Punsiyuko (long live) E-pao!! I came to know of it only last year though I had heard of it a few years ago from my brother. I was computer illiterate and so antiqued!!

But when I started attending part time college here, my English Instructor encouraged us to use the net and to come up with short stories, relevant to our course. I began to explore and thats how I chanced upon the great E-pao site......!

Boy! I was glad to read the stuffs there and enjoyed thoroughly!! It encouraged me to start writing so here am I telling you these stuffs!! Now at least I know how to email and type up stories...but thats all on computer stuff.... am still too antiqued!!

I have readers telling me to remove their names from my stories as they felt embarrassed! I just dont understand it because I like to tell it like it is without beating around the bush. It is my freedom of speech and I want the world to know good people like them do exist and so that was my main reason mentioning them.

I guess they felt pressured to get their names removed!! It was not done to make them famous or such things as might have been thought by some. Far from it, I just wanted to acknowledge their hospitality and their good heartedness..nothing done to embarrass them of sorts!!

We do have our own people here who makes friends based on benefits like who one is, which high family one belongs to, one who has a house or how much moolah one brings in .....sorry folks!!

I am out of their league as I am too small a fish to be fried and I dont follow their philosophy or do Khongbi Chuppa or any sort of Chamchagiri to be accepted as one of them!! For me, friends mean those who stand by you through thick and thin ..no matter what !!

I am being blunt so forgive me all of you but like I said I want to tell like it is. I had a first hand witness to it 3 years ago when I had marital problems with my hubby. Which couple in the world does not have fights, quarrels or arguments?

Anyway, to make a long short story, I had to live separately as a single mom with my little son due to his alcoholism. I had to spend a night at a laundromat in the apartment complex as my hubby chased me in his car dead drunk at night.

I had to get him restrained. I had nowhere to go despite having our own people live here. They kind of indicated that they had nothing to do with me as it was a matter between me and my hubby. All I wanted was some moral support at such times!!

Alas!! When I needed help the most at that time, none from our own came forward here and believe you me, I was very, very devastated !! I felt very much betrayed by such turn of events!!

I was not asking for money nor any shelter but some moral support from our own which was not forthcoming!! I had to turn to my Southern Hills Baptist Church friends for help and as I have already wrote about them in my earlier articles, it was only them that has enabled me to stand on my feet.

The true meaning of friendship dawned on me then after seeing our own abandon me just like that!! I was very embarassed in front of my church friends whenever they questioned me about our own community who were nowhere to be seen anywhere near me.

These friends were great and was very happy to have me stand on my feet. All the Matlabi ones here thought that these church friends showered me with moolah and what not!!

Sorry folks!! one does not get moolah like they do as I am not well-versed in twisting facts and figures like they do for their so called bounden duty back home to get their funds flowing! And to live life completely opposite to their teachings and practices!!

Anyway, today its entirely different situation now because I am much at peace with my son's father despite all the hardships I have gone through. It has made me stronger and opened my eyes wider for better options!!

I got to meet a very nice and young couple whose hubby works for the IBM and they are royally courted by them as it benefits them!! Anyway, all I can say is life's been a great teacher and I am happy to be alive and surviving!!

I dont blame anyone for my failed marriage and I do take full responsibilty for it as I have my little son as my top priority right now!! And I am not someone to cry over spilt milk!!

I am sure everyone has a skeleton in their cupboards in one way or the other. Its just that we dont like to address them. How many of us have an all-perfect family? Some are dsyfunctional, some are overly too materialistic, some are too greedy ....so much so that the family becomes so fractured for love of the green bucks!!

Yeah, we need money but when it becomes the most focal point in life, then it clouds all your sensibilities!! There are parents who work their kids for green bucks and they get burnt out as they keep working and working with no social outlets whatsoever!!

They expect them to be perfect and cant see beyond their rose tinted glasses. They are the first ones to throw stones at others even before they can restore their own house in order.

I do have an alcoholic younger sister and lost another one to drugs in the 90s which is very painful and hurtful too!! I am sure there are other families too who have similar situations like mine. Yet it does not stop me from sharing my stories.

I would like to say that even if they are gone astray, they are still our family we cant abandon!! All I can do is pray for her and do all we can to help her. But I do know there is no coming back for her despite everything!

Our people do have a knack of laughing at one's unfortunate crisises and life's miseries instead of lending a helping hand to those fallen!! My poor mom has had endure all these personal crisises one after another!! And she is still going strong!! Hats off to our moms who take good care of her kids!!

Last week, I drove upto Cincinnati, Ohio to meet yet another broadminded young Manipuri couple. It took us over 12 hours to reach. We passed through beautiful greenery in Missourie, Illinois, Indiana & Kentucky. It was an experience in itself too!!

We met another family through them who was their boss in a Cincinnati Children's Hospital. We had a great time with their two daughters. I was greatly impressed by their having mastered to speak in Manipuri and learnt dancing! My little son also got so encouraged to learn to speak few words of Manipuri and practiced it.

All we did was do wari-watai lots and lots of wari pollang-pollang saba! This couple had stocked their fridge with all the traditional stuffs..I must say ....it could last for a very lo...n...g..time!!

We ate ironba, nga, ooti, morok-metpa and so many kinds!! I was just having a very good time and for the 1st time in my life..I did not cook but the couple did everything!! I watched Manipuri movies and enjoyed and laughed so much!! My son played soccer with my friend's hubby and tired him out completely!!

For me, Manipuri movies are a novelty because the last one I saw was "Lamja Parsuram" in the 80s and am sure none of you young readers were even born at that time!! I could not believe at how much strides the Manipuri film industry had made !! kudos to them!!

It was very good entertainment!! I was looking at the pictures of this young Manipuri couple's wedding pictures and explaining to my son about them, he asked me out of the blue why aunty was sitting in a basket with all the jewelery? We all burst out laughing!! He came back home very happy about having seen stuffs which he never saw before!!

My trip was not to show case my son but to expose him so he could learn to speak the language. I have an adventurous streak in me so I like to go places to see and meet people to strengthen frienships!! It was a very fruitful trip !!

On our trip back, we stopped at St.Louis Missouri for three hours, to go atop the archway. It was an amazing feeling to be there 650 feet above ground on that steel archway!! We reached Tulsa around 1am last thursday ...all tired and exhausted but very happy!!!!

More stories later!!!