Time Is The Hero

Ch-2 Crowd the Sky

Truth gives pain, to someone or the other. And the pain greater than this, is to accept the truth.

My parents are no more. They are now beautiful memories for me, for us. All those moments are coming back to me; when I thought about why my parents are not letting me go out with my friends for a party. And why mom is grounding me just because the teacher complained. I always said, "can't a kid have fun, if not now then when, in my old age?" I find myself wanting someone to say those things to me again. They cared. They did everything to protect us. They did anything to make us grow into mature and sane humans. I am not talking about this truth being a pain. Digesting the fact that there will be no mom to ground me anymore, no dad to take my side when I create problems, no parents to protect me, gives pain.

The hem of my peach dress has become a little dirty. My feet are inside the cool water of the lake. This lake is in the backyard of the church, just beside the graveyard. I feel a sting at the ankle of my left foot. Taking out the foot I see a tiny slit in the skin. The plasma is protecting the blood trying to peek out to the outer world. I put the foot inside the water again. I observe the silence. The sun is high up in the west. It's around 3 in the afternoon.

"Linda!"

I hear some rustling sound of shoes stamping on leaves and twigs.

"You are here and I am looking for you everywhere." Austin almost shouts.

Letting out a big sigh, he sits beside me near the lake.

"What are you doing here?" He asks me in a calm voice.

"Nothing, just..." What do I say? Austin nods in understanding.

"Uncle and aunt?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Went home. They will leave tomorrow morning for New York."

"Hmm"

The birds are trying to crowd the sky. Forming a V-shaped, they are flying high up. They are going back home.

"How did this happen?" Austin asks.

"I don't know myself. Dad went out with mom for dinner. He went via the road by the Ivyland Museum, as the other road is mostly crowded at weekends. It was getting late, so I called mom and dad but they didn't answer so I called them to ask..."

"Called who?" Austin cuts in the middle.

"Boby's. They wents to Boby's for dinner"

"Oh, what did they say?"

"They said mom and dad left an hour ago.  It was 12 at that time. I was a bit worried but then thought they must have gone somewhere else to spend more time together. I was watching a movie on my laptop and I slept off thinking they will return late.

In the morning when I checked the house, they were not there. I called the police and told them the way they were off to and send them some pictures of mom and dad. And they told me about an accident that happened on the road that night. The police got to know about the accident in the morning."

I took a deep breath.

"Joining two an two..." Austin nods.

"I called you once but your phone was unreachable," I tell my brother.

"I must have been trekking. Network issues are common there. I saw your missed call when we were back in the hotel. I told the authorities. They were not letting me come at first. " He explains.

" I called Uncle Sam and Aunt Lucy, they came by that evening. The police took mom and dad for a postmortem. That reminds me, what did the reports say?" I ask him.

"Uncle Sam said nothing was there. It was an accident. Extensive internal and external bleeding.Police said that their car crashed with another one. The car made a severe turn, got imbalanced and hit the trees."

"What about the people in the other car?" I enquire  out of curiosity.

"There was only the driver. He was saved but seriously injured."

"Would they be alive now if I would have got to know about the accident earlier?" I ask him.

"I don't know really" 

I slowly nod.

I am not crying now. And I don't feel like crying now too. I think I have been able to digest the truth. I have experienced the pain, I take a glance at Austin. He lost his parents too. How is he dealing with his grief? Is he okay? Is he in pain?

His jaws are tight. He has his shoulders tensed. He is frowning and he seems to have not taken a single bite of food in his mouth. His head is down low starring at his feet through the pretentious green water of the lake. He is grieving too. He is in pain too.

I keep a hand on his shoulders, he looks at my way. The eyes are saying some unsaid words that my brain is not able to understand, but only my eyes do.

"I miss them" Me too

Our tears are back.

I think this battle with truth will be a long one. It will require time.

We rub our tears. "It's getting late."

"Yes. Let's go". Austin said.

Holding his pair of shoes in one hand and jiggling the car keys in another, he goes towards the car outside the church gate.

I wait for a minute. Consuming all the silence within myself. This silence is not sadness. It's not loneliness. Its peace.

I put my feet out of the water. I stand and take my shoes in one hand. And I notice a yellow leaf set off of the tree. It sways merrily with the wind. Left and Right. Almost not knowing where to go. But lands on the water ultimately. Maybe it knew its way, it was just teasing. The fallen leaf which is by now wet on the lower side, makes silent and light ripples. The leaf moves, making the water as its driver for the further journey until it ends.

I turn around to go to where Austin is shouting my name.

Autumn has arrived.

Trivia: I had the lake scene pictured in my mind even before I thought of the plot of this story.