Part III – The Revelation

I took the note with me and stormed out of the room. I was shocked to see my dear sister in to the living room watching TV!
“Where is dad?” I asked or rather shouted.
“He is in the backyard. You seem all worked up Ahana. Is there anything you want?” She asked with an obscure sense of calmness.
“DAD! DAD!” I continued shouting until he heard me and came into the living room.
“Where is mom? Where are you both hiding her? Answer my question dad. There is no point in concealing anything now. I demand you both reveal the truth about what has been happening in this house since I left for San Francisco. Tell me Aarti where have been keeping our mother since the last couple of days?”
Aarti handed me a glass of water and asked me to sit. I glared at her but complied silently. Silence followed for I don’t remember how long. I waited for someone to speak.
“Your mother…” my father began, “She was behaving a bit different…”
“Different?”
“Not normal I mean”
“You mean abnormal? Like some sort of a psycho?”
“Yeah!” I couldn’t believe my ears.
“Since when has this been happening?”
“After our marriage anniversary in February, I noticed some slight changes in her daily routine. I should have known right then when your mother was acting weird that it was time to send her away. ”
Send her away. My father’s choice of words horrified me.
“I never knew I lived with such an insensitive bunch of people. Your wife stood by you in your dark times and this is how you repay her? By banishing her from her very own house? And how dare you lie to me about mom being dead? Dead! Why?”
“If you promise to listen calmly to me I will explain you the reasons of…”
I was in no mood to listen to him anymore.
“When did you turn this cruel and inhuman?  You should be ashamed of yourself dad. And I’m ashamed to call you my dad.” My voice cracked as I spoke. I couldn’t hold in anymore. Tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Ahana there is no need for you to take such a disrespectful tone while talking to me.” My father said in a stern voice.
“I have one last question. Where exactly have you sent her?”
“To a place where they treat such people. I’ve heard they do a really good job there, with such psyches.” My sister sneered at the last word.
I was shocked. My throat felt dry. My own father to do such a thing! I no longer wanted to stay there. I decided to leave.
“Give me the name and address of this place. NOW! ”
My father did as he was asked to do and I left to look for my mother.

Ahana left her house and family only to find out that her mother had killed herself that same night.
Life isn’t always the way we see it. People might appear strong. But the truth is everyone needs someone who will stand by them through their thick and thin.