Drifted Apart

Chapter Sixteen - Far Away

Thenu did not know how long had passed. She was suddenly woken up as she heard someone say her name.

"Thenu," it was the voice of her father. Thenushi opened her eyes. She did not know that she had fallen asleep.

"Thaththa," Thenushi said standing up from where she was dozing off. She turned to look whether Uvindu was there and she saw that he was talking to a man who was wearing a long white coat. Thenu thought that he must be the doctor.

"Thaththa, how is ayya?" Thenushi asked worry etched in her face. Her father took a deep sigh.

"I don't know putha, he went to talk to the doctor. Let's wait till he comes," Akash said and looked longingly at the doctor hoping that whatever he was saying would finish soon. Few minutes later, Uvindu shook hands with the doctor and he came to talk to Akash.

"Putha, what did the doctor say?" he asked.

"Mama, he said that Yasas mama is alright now. He thinks that Yasas mama might have slipped and fallen and had hurt his head. He said that there is nothing to worry about his condition," Uvindu said and he looked at his shoes scratching his eyebrows. Akash knew that he was hiding something.

"What else did he say putha?" he egged Uvindu to go on. He took a deep sigh.

"The doctor said that as the fall had been bad he would have damaged his brain and he will have some side effects from that as well."

"Aah!" Thenushi gasped.

Her eyes started to water again and her father too looked dumbstruck. He did not know what to say. He turned to look at his wife who was in the far end of the aisle, and was dozing off.

Thenushi turned her back to her father and she walked towards her mother. Thenushi did not know what to do. Tears were falling down her eyes without an end. She sat near her mother and hiccupped silently afraid that she would wake up her mother. Thenu knew her mother loved her brother without an extent and she was worried about how her mother would take in this matter. She was also afraid that her mother would blame her for what had happened to her little brother. Silent tears fell loud and fast towards Thenushi's hand. She turned to look at her father. He too was looking at her and he gave her a worried look. Thenushi took a deep breath and as she was turning to look at her mother she saw that her mother was just waking up.

"How is Yasas?" was her first words as her eyes focused on Thenushi.

"Amma," Thenushi said slowly. Anupama's eyes started to water again. Her lips trembled and she imagined the worst.

"Amma, amma don't cry. He is alright now. The doctor's said that he is well and there is nothing wrong with him," she said unable to look at her mother's teary face. Anu looked puzzled at Thenu.

"Really?" she asked surprised.

"Yes amma," Thenushi said worried that she had to lie to her mother. Anupama smiled like a baby and she wiped her eyes happily. Thenushi gave her mother a small smile and she left her mother alone. When Thenushi walked passed her father she stopped.

"I am sorry, thaththa. I had to lie to her. I can't tell her the truth thaththa. Please tell her yourself," she said and she ran out of the hospital crying her heart out. Thenushi did not know what had crossed through her mind. She ran all the way to her uncle's home.

As soon as she was inside she locked the door behind her back, and she leaned her back on the door and slipped down to the floor. Her heart ached like it was pricked with a hundred of needles at once and Thenushi's eyes felt as though they would melt with shedding such a lot of tears. Thenushi felt as though the sadness and her tears would bury her alive. She was afraid that in a way whether she had been the one who was the reason for her uncle's present condition. She knew that she did not know what had happened the night before and only in the morning she had known what had happened. But in the corner of her mind she wondered whether her mother had been right after all. Whether she was the cause for her uncle's condition as she had dawdled in taking him into the hospital soon and letting him have the required medical attention. Thenushi knew that her mother had spoken emotionally in that moment and she had not been in her right mind. But as time passed on, that negative feeling which blamed Thenushi for what had happened said that if she had been quick in her actions her uncle would not have damaged his brain and that he would be perfectly alright. Thenushi was very worried. He knew that her uncle was not in his proper senses already due to the sickness that he had since he was young, and she wondered with the new medical condition how he would cope up with that.