Her Book Man

Chapter 9

Kabir’s hands clenched into fists as he stood outside Naina’s room, taking in the muffled sounds of her playing with her stuffed bear. His mind was racing with the thought of everything she had gone through—everything her parents had failed to see. They were the ones who had pushed her into this state. Kabir could no longer stand by quietly. It was time to confront them.

With a deep breath, he knocked sharply on the door of Naina’s parents’ house. When Naina’s mother opened the door, Kabir walked past her, his expression stern. Her face fell when she saw the fire in his eyes, but she didn’t say anything. Kabir was too far gone, the anger bubbling just below the surface.

“I need to talk to you both,” he said, his voice low and controlled. He glanced at Naina’s father, who had been sitting in the corner, lost in his thoughts. “Now.”

Naina’s mother, though startled by the intensity in his voice, nodded. “Please, Kabir, come sit. What’s all this about?”

Kabir didn’t sit. He paced the room, rubbing his forehead in frustration. “You both need to understand something,” he began, his voice firm. “Naina... she’s not ‘mad.’ She’s not some broken toy you can just throw away when she stops working the way you want.”

Her mother flinched, her eyes darting to Naina’s father, who shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“She’s sick,” Kabir continued, his anger growing. “You’ve had every opportunity to help her, and you’ve let her slip away because you’re more concerned with the idea of what she should be, instead of who she actually is.” He stopped pacing and turned toward them, his eyes burning with intensity. “I’ve been there, every single day, trying to keep her safe, trying to be the one constant in her life. And you—” He pointed toward Naina’s father. “You’ve been too busy pretending that this isn’t happening. That your daughter isn’t slowly falling apart in front of you.”

Naina’s father shifted in his seat, looking down at the floor. Kabir took a step closer to him, his voice sharper now. “Do you know how hard it is to watch her? Do you know what it feels like to see someone you love trapped inside their own mind, unable to escape? She’s not ‘mad,’ she’s hurting. She needs love, not pity. Not your shameful whispers behind closed doors, and not your avoidance.”

Naina’s mother spoke up then, her voice shaking. “We’ve tried, Kabir. We’ve tried everything, but—”

“No,” Kabir interrupted, his voice growing louder. “You haven’t tried everything. You’ve tried to force her into a mold that doesn’t fit, tried to pretend this is just some phase. But this isn’t a phase, and she’s not going to grow out of it just because you ignore it. The only thing that’s hurting her is the lack of support from the people who should love her unconditionally.”

He stopped pacing, breathing heavily, his frustration giving way to a deep sorrow. “You think that by calling her ‘mad,’ you’re somehow distancing yourself from this disease, from this illness that’s affecting your daughter. But by doing that, all you're doing is abandoning her. All you’re doing is making her believe she’s worthless, that she’s not good enough for you, for anyone. Do you realize that?”

Silence fell in the room. Naina’s mother was wiping tears away, her expression a mix of guilt and confusion. Naina’s father was still staring at the floor, avoiding Kabir’s gaze. Kabir’s chest tightened, the weight of the situation settling over him.

"You’re supposed to be the ones protecting her. You’re supposed to be the ones showing her that she has value, even when she can’t see it herself. Instead, you’ve made her feel like she’s a burden, like she’s somehow less than. And that’s what got us here." Kabir’s voice cracked slightly, but he steadied himself. “I’m trying, so hard, to give her that stability. But I can’t do it alone.”