Before you start reading this, imagine me performing a Produnova routine in celebration! And most importantly, thank you so much for travelling with us :)
KP
I pack my bags as the Maghrib prayer sounds. I need to go to Hridhay's place for dinner. Today has been heavy for me. One of the longest conversations I've ever had with my boss as to why I need to go. In the end, we just agreed to disagree that this was the best place for me. I am going to work for six more months, train the next person who comes by. I really want a break before I move to Atlanta. I dont know what I'm going to do by myself, but I really need it. Maybe a couple of trips, and some volunteering work here. Today is just not the day to make any plans. I need to stop thinking and start the car now, because I have to pick Shravya and go to their place. Shravya sounded really excited to be meeting Adi and Kathir. I'm a little worried because Adi has huge stitches running along his head, his hair shaven, and this is going to be hard on her. But I've always felt Shravya is beyond her age. I can never come to terms with my baby turning into an all grown up girl.
We reach at seven and we are welcomed by Kannamma. She's a pleasant looking woman, and she's one of those people whom after you see, you feel your heart lighten. She folds her hands together to greet me and I do the same. She strokes Shravya's hair and immediately she asks her "I want you to read all the books you read to Adi and Kathir". She laughs. Tara comes down to greet us, and Hridhay is no where in sight. "Hi Tara, where's Hridhay?" "He's stuck at work, he's going to be late" oh no. I was looking forward to talking to him. It had to be this way, aint it? "Oh okay!" "Shravya, you can go up to the boys room and do whatever, do you want juice?" "No aunty, I'm good" and she sprints upstairs.
"So how's Adi?" "He's healing. There are a lot of things. His physical injuries that need to heal, by God's grace they are. The trauma that he has been through, he needs to be brought out of it. The doctors have put him on medication. They've said we cannot start any therapy now, we need to wait. Sometimes he's the most cheerful guy home, making all of us laugh, and sometimes he goes so silent that no one can get to where he is. Even Kathir is not able to reach out. That is what amazes me." "I think for now, there are too many things for all of you. We just have to trust the doctors and hope once the physical injuries are healed, we can get someone to talk to him. More than that, you need to recover too" and I look at her eyes.
She looked lost somewhere. Most of the times, all of us take mental wellbeing for granted. We squirm, we debate to reach out and seek help. My respect for Hridhay grew bounds when we had this conversation at the hospital, how he put his foot down and said Tara will take counselling no matter what anyone else says. Whenever I see Tara and Hridhay, its more natural for me to compare their lives with ours. These days, I can easily find why their marriage worked and ours didnt. Simply because they have a life between the two of them, of respect, of love, of conversations, of decisions outside the kids and that is something that we lost somewhere. And perhaps that makes all the difference in the world.
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