You and Neela had just landed in Arizona, and the heat hit you both as soon as you stepped out of the airport. The desert air was dry and relentless, way hotter than anything you were used to back in California. Neela immediately fanned herself, wiping her forehead.

“I swear, this is like an oven!” she groaned, adjusting her sunglasses. “How do people live here?”

You nodded in agreement, feeling the sweat start to trickle down your back. “I thought California was hot, but this is next-level. It’s, like, melt your shoes hot.”

Neela turned to you with a dramatic sigh. “And the worst part? Grandma’s house is probably even hotter inside. I’m not ready for that.”

You both climbed into the car, the leather seats burning as you sat down. The air conditioning kicked in, but it wasn’t enough to make the heat bearable. You looked out the window at the vast desert landscape, the cactus scattered around like giant green pencils against the barren land.

“I swear, I’d rather be at the beach right now,” you said. “At least there’s a breeze in California.”

“I know!” Neela replied, rolling down the window a little for some air. “This is just… unbearable. The heat here is like walking through a hairdryer.”

As the car sped through the desert, you both started to see the familiar signs for Grandma’s neighborhood. “At least we’ll have air conditioning there, right?” you asked hopefully.

“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s going to feel much cooler,” Neela sighed. “It’s like Arizona’s got the heat cranked up to full blast and doesn’t care.”

You both finally reached Grandma’s house, and as you got out of the car, the heat hit you like a wall. Neela groaned. “Okay, seriously, why is it always this hot when we visit Grandma?”

“Because she’s a desert grandma,” you teased, opening the front door. “Come on, let’s go inside before we melt.”

Grandma greeted you with her usual warm hug but even she had to laugh at how much you were both sweating. “Looks like you two are getting the full Arizona experience,” she said with a chuckle.