It's All In The Mind √

Chapter Thirteen

" When will she regain consciousness? " , Saajid asked anticipatingly.

Shaahid was sitting on a chair a little away from the bed. Munching potato chips.

" By tomorrow morning. She's not unconscious. Just asleep. "

Saajid looked terribly sad, as he settled at his sister's feet.

" I feel like such a failure as a brother. I cannot even stand up to my sister's needs. "

" It's not like that. Her needs are sky- high. " , Shaahid chuckled.
" And I know it's difficult to watch her sickeningly hallucinate. I'll heal her, and things will be fine.

By the way, did Salman often stop talking to her, or coming over, for petty things? "

Saajid took sometime.
Then said,
" I never interfered in their relationship. Also I stay in the shop mostly. I cannot know who is coming and who isn't. "

" Was she always distant from you? "

" No. But she never much disclosed her love life to me. " , Saajid coughed.

" I see.

Anyways, I'm retiring to sleep. You too do. She'll wake up on her own when time comes. "

Shaahid got up, and left the room.
Saajid kept sitting, staring at his sleeping sister.

___

" I know you'll read this letter a month after receiving it. Hence, by the time you read it, I'll be amongst the white cold snows of Shimla.

After deliberately failing my boss in various projects and making them realise that I'm a human, not a machine, I managed this vacation of twenty long days.
Not only a vacation, it's a rejuvenation. The art of finding myself.

Are you asking whom I brought along? A bagful of loneliness. You know how much I love 'her'.

Remember, you always asked me, why I consider each feeling a 'she' ?
Because men are stone hearts. Look at you! 

By the way, these days I do strange things.
Like I make tea, then deliberately let it cool, then watch it go stale, lastly feel a pleasure when I see a fly sucking it in. At least I fed a fly, if not a beggar on road.

I have felt many a times I'll feed beggars. But the ones below our house, look more like fakes, impersonating beggars. I don't know why, I just feel so.

I am growing extremely stubborn these days.
That evening, the entire family was invited on a wedding. I too got rid early from the office, dressed myself as beautifully as I could.

Then when time came, everyone was getting into the car, I felt a strong urge to stay back. I kept sitting in the living room.

After a long time of my brothers trying to persuade me, and going back unsuccessful, father came. He was burning.

'Why are you behaving like a child?'

'Because I keep alive the child in me.'

'Shut up! Everyone's getting late because of you!'

'No need. Get going. '

'But why are you not coming??? '
By now he was screaming.

'I just don't feel like.'

He walked away thumping in rage.
They left, I stayed back.

Alone at home later, I felt, how good it would have been if I had gone.