2.1.53

Chapter Nine : Relief

I woke up to the sound of dad shouting at mom downstairs. It took me a few moments to figure out that but I eventually did but I couldn't figure out when I have fallen asleep. There was a hammering pain in the back of my head, almost consuming. I sat up on my creaky bed. The room was small, clothes lying on the floor, books and paper scattered around various places, the table beside the bed had the phone and laptop and a half-eaten plate of pasta in it. The clock on the wall showed 6.30pm

The shouting continued for a few minutes. Dad was angry because for some silly reason or some small mistake that mom had committed. I stood in front of the small mirror attached one of the walls of the room. My hair was disheveled, my clothes unironed, my eyes were bloodshot.

I sat on the floor, the headache was too much of a bother. I couldn't figure out things, things about what I was doing, what day it was, as if I was in a trance. I held my head on my palms and tried searching for some medicines in the drawer but I couldn't find them.

Instead what I found was a small translucent zip lock bag, inside of which were some empty vials I recognized. These were the reason for my headache and most probably the reason behind forgetting things. They were Romixin, the thing that gives me the relief I wanted in life. Failed in my attempt to get some medicine, I lied in the bed and closed my eyes, trying to go to sleep again. But I failed there as well.

So, I carefully went downstairs and found mom in the kitchen. She was crying but as soon as he saw me, she wiped her tears trying to hide the fact that most probably dad has again hit her for no reason whatsoever.

"Did he hit you again?" I asked straight up.

"No...no" She replied, her voice low.

"He did. Wait" I said and turned behind. I couldn't just see her suffer and I tried to control myself but every time I saw mom suffering, something inside me woke up. Rage, most probably. The only thing I inherited from my dad.

But she grabbed my hand and said in a pleading voice, "No, no, please Shiru, he didn't. He didn't. Please calm down"

I stopped and she let go of my hand. If only I could find a decent job, I would have taken mom and lived in some place away from here, away from him. But I couldn't, the part time job as a content writer for a local magazine and working as a waiter in a restaurant paid little money and most of it I waste in my 'recreation', the little money I saved was not enough.

"Shruti is coming tomorrow" mom informed.

"Oh, so that is the reason?" I asked, indicating the reason dad got angry.

"Yes, he is still not accepting their marriage. I wanted him to talk this time but he refused and said that he will sleep at his office and won't come home until she is gone" Mom explained.

"Let him be, it is good for her" I said and searched in the medicine cabinet. The small LED lamp of the room barely lit the room properly.

"Samuel is coming too" mom said.

"Ohh that's nice, I haven't seen him in a while. At least Shruti is happy with him. I am glad she left this toxic environment, Samuel is good for her"

"Yes, he is such a sweet boy" Mom lit up in delight.

At least she had these moments of happiness.

"Where is the medicine for headaches?" I asked, unable to find them myself.

"Oh, there are none left at home" She said and asked me to wait.

She moved out of the kitchen and walked towards dad's room. I knew what was going to happen and wanted to stop her but she was already in his room.