Life Uncensored

CHAPTER TWO

*A/N : I hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapter and are excited for this one! Coz I am !!! (~_^) With more twists and turns to come, have fun!!!! *

Life asked death, "Why
do people love me and hate you?" Death replied, with a smile , "Because you're a beautiful lie and I'm a painful truth."

- Anonymous

(song of the chapter - Supermarket flowers by Ed Sheeran)

Aahana held my hand as we walked to the pyre, squeezing it occasionally and reminding me to hold up and stay strong. I squeezed it back reminding her to do the same. But, Aahana did not need my remainder. She had been through hell and walked back like a boss. But the times were different when we were fourteen, and our roles had been reverse. It was six years ago, on a chilly winter morning, I had held her hand and hugged her tight as she broke down in my arms. Six years ago the situation was the same, only, we were younger and it was her fathers pyre that we were walking to. The previous evening, Aahana, Krutika and I had gone for a movie. It was just an hour into the movie when Sahil and my brother had come to find us at the theatre and bought us back at Aahana's place saying it was urgent. When we reached, the house was exceptionally silent and filled with visitors in white. Aayan's mother had taken Aahana to her room to break the news, which obviously did not go well. According to the rumors, Mr. Joshi had been found dead in the bathroom and the cause was accidental drug overdose. It was only after a few months, that Aahana found his suicide note, along with a few other notes, that weren't from her father, in her mother's drawer hidden under a file of work papers. And since then, times had been tough for her.

I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself down and looked at the sky above as we walked to the pyre. Gone was the open blue sky of yesterday. Today, it was nothing at all. It looked like a child began to draw on it with a pencil and then erased it in a way that smudged and spread the grey. The air was damp and blew through the trees carrying with it the smell of damp earth. I felt a shudder as we got closer to the people standing around the pyre. A lot of people had gathered to pay their last respects to dadi and to see her for one last time. But, that's the thing about death it eventually pulls in all your loved ones. As we reached I saw Sahil sitting on the ground by the wooden logs staring at the pyre as tears flowed down his cheeks. Beside him, sat Sachi her eyes red and swollen as she continued to cry too. I looked at the pyre, dadi's body laid on top of wooden logs covered with a white sheet and flowers, her eyes shut. I looked at where our parents stood, searching for dad. As I scanned the crowd I saw Mrs. Seth rest her head on Dhruv's mothers shoulder and looked devastated, her eyes were red and puffy and her face had lost its colour. On the other hand Mr. Seth was supported by Karan and Aayan's fathers on both his sides as he kept losing balance, his eyes were red too, but, not out of trauma but because he was drunk, drunk at his own mothers funeral.
The men in the family continued to cover her body with more wooden logs and soon enough we couldn't see her anymore. And that's when the heaviness and the finality of the moment sank in - this was the last time and we would never see her again. My heart raced and the memories of a particular day flashed through my mind as if it were happening right now. I took a few more deep breaths as my eyes welled up and made the world around me go blur. The tears started rolling down my cheeks and I made no attempt to stop them. The priest handed Sahil a small flare and he walked round the pyre five times saying his good byes for the last time. He lit the pyre and kneeled on the ground, with his head hung, as he tried not to cry. The fire grew and spread wildly engulfing the pyre. Karan, who had probably just arrived went up to Sahil and wrapped him in a tight hug and Sahil lost his control. The air was heavy with the smoke and warmth coming from the pyre. The silence was deafening. And I was drowned in my own emotions. I looked at my bare right wrist which would soon be marked and then at a roman numbered date tattooed on my left wrist.
It's funny how we know that death is unavoidable and that one day we'll all be doomed. Yet, when it is time for our loved ones to go, it comes in as a dark surprise.

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I spent the rest of the evening reading books while Sahil took some rest in my room and the adults socialized with the relatives at Sahil's house. At around six Karan and Sachi came by to meet him. Sachi, Nakul, Karan and Sahil had been best friends since forever and being of the same age they had done everything together. Sachi had always been the center of their universe and vice versa. They would do everything in their power to keep her happy - always and had spoiled her in all ways possible. Right from pampering her while she went through PMS to Sahil canceling his date just to go for a house party because she wanted to. They had done it all. And right now when Sahil was at his lowest nobody was more concerned about him than these guys. Now was their turn to do everything in their power to help Sahil get out of this.

I led them to my room and came back down to my book, so as to give them some privacy and let them have a good talk with Sahil. I continued reading for a while when I heard the main door open and saw dad and Daniel's dad come through, with a few bags in their hands.

"Hi, beta." dad greeted, giving me a quick side hug and kissing my forehead.

"Hi dad! Hello uncle! All sorted at the Seths?" I asked as they hurried to the corner to put down the bags.

"No. That's the problem." Uncle muttered sounding a little frustrated with the whole thing going on.

Dad turned around and walked up to where I stood.
" Listen Esha, because of some unexplainable reason, I've invited all the guests at our place and we have this short program of singing prayers at our place in half an hour. Now, while this goes on, I want Sahil and you, to stay upstairs no matter what and not fall into any unnecessary emotional drama. You guys have had enough. If possible put Sahil to sleep and Ill talk to him tomorrow. The kid needs some rest." he said firmly.

I agreed, without bothering to bombard him with all the whys because this wasn't the right time and he had made his point clear. I went upstairs to my room to where these guys were. I knocked on the door and entered. The tension in the room was evident. Sachi and Sahil sat on the bed talking about something intently while Karan sat on the chair by the computer table looking at a few old pictures pinned on the soft board.

"Haha ! Look at you. You looked like a baby elephant back then." He teased, pointing at one of my childhood pictures, making a clear attempt to divert my attention from the fact, that all the while they were upstairs Karan wasn't involved in the conversation.

"Oh shut up monkey face!" I retorted , looking at him in the eye and letting him know that he had failed at trying to divert my attention and the only reason why I was dropping this topic, for the moment was because of Sahil.

"Thank you." he mouthed. And I winked at him in response. Sachi finally noticed my presence and stopped talking to Sahil which only made it more awkward. The problem with Sachi was that she did not care about anybody apart from these guys and absolutely hated talking to people who had even the slightest chance of stealing her spotlight. And in this case it was me. So even after all these years of knowing her she was just an acquaintance to most of us, while others, were a family. I looked at Karan for help and hoped that he'd come up with a horrible joke just to make the situation less awkward like he always does.
He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the door. The door opened and Daniel came in closing it behind him.

"Hey mate. You okay?" he inquired Sahil and engulfed him in a tight hug.

"Yeah. Dont worry. I'll be alright. What are you still doing here? I thought you left right after the funeral."

"Yes, that was the plan, but, I had some work to take care of." He sighed and sat down next to Sahil who put an arm around him.

"More of the police shit?" Karan inquired playing with the rubrics cube now.

"Yeah, that shit never ends man." "Anyway dude, I gotta leave before my dad sees me here. I was supposed to leave in the afternoon only." He got up hugged Sahil again and went to hug Karan.

"What police shit?" Sachi inquired.

But before anyone could reply Daniel's dad walked in. Frustrated already,
"What the hell are you still doing here? Am I supposed to handle your shit in the middle of all this?" he yelled.

"Don't worry dad I'm leaving. And by the way, I just got back from the police station." He said, leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

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