Family Short Story – A Guilt… Set Free
Photo credit: amyheflinger from morguefile.com
2015
She looked out of the window. A dark blanket of clouds had engulfed the city. It would begin to rain soon, she thought. But she always loved the rain. As the droplets poured down the grey sky and splashed into puddles, she went on a detour down the memory lane. Playing in the first rains, the fragrance of the soil, little paper boats in the puddles…it was always refreshing. A faint smile rose on her lips. For the somber 25-year-old, this was a rarity. ‘What is taking Neil so long?’ she thought. She’d been waiting for him for over an hour.
As she looked out, she could see the Statue Of Liberty, holding her head high wielding against the strong wind currents. She admired her strength. A storm was coming. The rains brought lightning and thunder. The sultry weather made her miss home. ‘Home is where the heart is’, they say! She closed her eyes. She could see her house. She could smell the subtle fragrance from the rose garden. She could see him… Unable to bear it, she flashed her eyes open!
—-
Life was never easy for Mia. She was the first born to her parents, who couldn’t look each other in the eye. Constant fights and bickering in the house suffocated her. Her father used to be a successful cardiologist. A bad decision and demise of a patient on his operation table had shattered him, reducing him to a depressed alcoholic. Her mother worked as a receptionist in a lawyers’ firm. An alcoholic husband, rising bills and 2 young children had made a once beautiful and chirpy woman, cranky and at times, violent.
Mia would have run away from home but for her little brother, Jack. His contagious laughter, the way he wrinkled his nose when he smiled, the twinkle in his eyes when he was up to some mischief, all made Mia’s troubles less painful. Jack was not her brother, but her baby. They were 12 years apart in age. She woke him up in the morning, fed him breakfast, and got him ready for school. In the evening, she bathed him, fed him dinner and told him a story of a prince before putting him to bed. Her time with Jack was her only solace. Her time of peace.
Jack loved rains.
June 2005: A Rainy Day
“C’mon Mia, faster”, shouted Jack. Their father was asleep with a hangover and their mother had gone to work. Mia, as usual, was babysitting her brother that rainy day. As Mia hurried to finish her last of the paper boats, Jack was already out of the door.
“Wait! Don’t run”, she yelled as she quickly put on her raincoat and dashed out of the door. Holding Jack, she took him to the park next to her house. There were a lot of kids playing in the water. Jack was excited! He couldn’t wait. As they reached the park, he took his paper boats and placed them one by one in the puddles. His infectious, excited screams made Mia smile. ‘What would I do without you’ she thought. The light of her day, her little brother!
“Is that your brother?” Mia turned. A well dressed, good looking boy was standing near her. ‘He’s so cute’, Mia thought. ‘Who is he? Why is he talking to me?’… a series of questions cluttered her mind. “Excuse me? Is the little chap your brother?” Mia’s thoughts were interrupted and she realized that she had been staring at the cute boy without answering his questions.
“Yes, he is” she replied softly.
“I am Neil, I am new to this neighborhood. Can I play with you?”
“Yes, of course. Why not. We’d love it”, Mia blushed. Neil smiled as he bent over to play with Jack and his boats.
Jack loved his new company. They instantly got along. As days passed, the three were inseparable. Weeks turned into months and their friendship thickened. The sufferings and emotional squabbles at home affected Mia a lot less since Neil had entered their lives. They were of the same age. He was a good student. They studied together. He wanted to be a Banker and work for Wall Street, he always said.
August 3rd, 2007: The Fateful Day
Jack had just turned 5 on August 1. Her parents had forgotten his birthday, as usual. But Neil got him his favorite ‘Spiderman’ cap. Mia had baked him a special chocolate cake and got him an “I LOVE YOU BRO” bracelet, which Jack flaunted to all his friends.
Jack was very happy that day when he walked home from school wearing his new cap.
As they reached the park that evening, Mia noticed the dense envelope of clouds. She was feeling restless as if something was just about to happen. What did she know…
Neil walked into the park with a thick packet. His eyes were twinkling. Mia could feel his euphoria. “What’s up?” she quietly asked. With a quick look at Jack, who was busy with his bicycle, Neil bent over and softly kissed her on her lips. “I got into NYU”, he whispered, handing her the NYU admit papers. He was smiling ear to ear.
For Mia, it was as if the sky had fallen. Her mind was suddenly chaotic. ‘What about us’, she wanted to ask him. ‘How will I live without you’, ‘Long distance is not easy’, ‘Please don’t go’… She never realized when the tears welled up her eyes.
Sensing her emotion, Neil slowly took her close, giving her a tight hug. “We’ll be OK. It’s only 4 years. As soon as I get a job, I’ll take you with me” he murmured. She could hear his heartbeats. Neil was her first love. She could not imagine the thought of being away from him. She just closed her eyes, to feel his presence, to feel his hug… to forget that they were soon to part…
A big scream broke their trance. As they moved away from each other, they noticed Jack was missing. Mia was aghast. They looked all over, but Jack had disappeared. As they ran towards the sound of the screams, they saw people huddled over. As Mia made way through the crowd, she froze! She saw a familiar blue and red bicycle. The helmet looked familiar too. Just as she moved an inch closer, she choked. All she could remember before she fainted was the sight of a broken “I LOVE YOU BRO” bracelet
2015
Mia turned as she heard the door open. Neil walked in. He had the doctor’s reports with him. His face told her that he had some good news with him. He had been more loving and pampering ever since the doctors had confirmed her pregnancy. He walked towards her and gave her a bear hug. She could see his eyes were glistening. “He’s back”, Neil whispered.
Mia moved back, confused. She raised her eye brows ‘Who’, she thought.
“Jack!”
Mia stiffened. She was angry, hurt. The pain and guilt of her brother’s accident had never healed. The thought of Neil joking about it was unbearable. She pushed him away and walked towards the window.
“Mia, we’re going to have a boy”, Neil exclaimed showing the ultrasound reports. Mia closed her eyes. Neil quickly grasped her as she fell in his arms.
‘My baby is back’…
For the first time, Mia cried… she wailed… For once, she was set free!
__END__
