THE EMOTION, FOLLOWED BY SCAR: PART 5

".......Act. Acting might not be easy but being an educated man and a man who had almost finished his medical courses I have a brilliant plan. Schizophrenia dependent Alice in Wonderland syndrome :A syndrome that largely affects a person’s consciousness. The patient will lose their ability to perceive things as it is. He or she will begin to fantasize weird creatures and distorted objects. It is a gradual deterioration, meaning you cannot act this to happen on one fine day.

It could seem far-fetched but once you search this in a book or any other source, you will figure out how unreal this can seem to be. Act like that. Convince you’re sick. Make him believe that you have poor mental stability. Runaway one night and come visit your mother. The map to where we live is attached to the envelope, along with a few cash. Do take some money from home in case of necessity.

Tanisha, Sangeetha wishes to meet you but the regret of everything she has done has covered her up. She is sinned.

Belief, that ain’t easy. Trust, that’s tougher. Take you time, think about it and decide whether or not to meet you mom.

I will be gone within a few months. I am not a practicing doctor. The chaos that we ourselves have created has ruined everything; both our homes and education. We live in the outskirts of Dharavi. I am diagnosed with 4th stage Brain Tumor. I thought to post this before I go blind and deaf. By the time you reach here to meet your mom (if you ever will) I will be gone. And…..

Your dad has done everything for you. Do not abandon him. I don't want to grow another sinner. This letter has only a 50% chance of reaching you. It could be read first by your dad. I leave it to luck and chance.

I am sorry.

-Joshua (with only authenticity left)"

As said, there was the map. She had previously withdrawn the money.

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Tanisha

Fire burning inside her

(a shift in narration)

Did I make a mistake having the wish to see the lady who had given me life? Is that a sin? Am I turning into a sinner just like my mom, whose memory is the last thing my brain can recall? For almost half an hour I stood there in the bus stop re reading the letter again and again. It was a Saturday that the letter came home with its sinisterical intention.

Since my dad was away at the university, I was the one to pick it up. I was preparing for a shift in college. IIT was stressful and so i wanted a seat in Delhi engineering college. For that I had to appear for their screening test, due august.

The letter was anonymous. At first I decided not to open it and hand it over to my dad. But my eagerness killed me. So I opened it, only to be in a state of shock. That was the last thing I expected to happen to me. I thought over the genuinity for hours. To think over it again, peacefully, without my dad’s interference, I asked him to repair my room’s door. He had the habit of dashing into my room without a knock, but I was fine with that. After all he is my dad and i love him even more than my mom. I feared telling him all this, not that he would be spontaneous. Just that I might hurt him. So I decided to think over it properly. After an interval of two days, I decided to meet her, following the directions in the letter.

I am going to believe it. It’s my decision and whatever happens next is solely my responsibility.

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After much help from various strangers, I reached the entry of the biggest slum I have ever seen. Now I need to figure out where my ‘’alleged” mom lives. There is a phone number on the letter but i didn’t want to call and talk to her without seeing her. Hence i decided to ask people where Ms. Sangeetha and Joshua lived.

It was getting dark and I still haven't found them. My only choice was to call her and ask where she lived. So I dialed her number. After the 5th ring, I heard the voice of a small boy. I asked what I needed to know. Since he was completely oblivious he handed the phone to a lady.

“Hello?” she began.

‘Hello..” I couldn't speak another word.

‘24th Street, 812 lane.” she replied. I hung up the call without saying another word. Was it her plan? How did she know it was me/ she had never heard my adult voice! Was all this a trap? Will I be punished for doing all this to my dad? For a moment, I panicked.

Taking help from a few others too, I finally reached a pocket path where the first hut gave me the intuition that it was “her” house. I knocked the wobbly door. It was then that I realized that I am entering a new phase of my life!

TO BE CONTINUED......