Prologue

May’ 2003
East Side, Manhattan Borough (New York City), New York.

“Where are you?” She asked. “Nowhere, tell me what is it?” Aryan replied in short.
“I am really sorry that I am not able to come and stay with you, at this stage of your life. I understand it is getting harder for you day by day. I have had it up to here with the life,” she exclaimed her sorrows on phone, “Papa left me no choices except to comply with him, he’s not letting me to be with you.”

“Darlene, you should not say so. I am fine and I will be fine”, he said trying to make her feel better, by alleviating her genuine repentance in the midst of what they both were going through, “It takes some more time before everything falls into one place”.

“Where are you?” She recalled the question but this time in an influential tone.

“I am at the infirmary. Dad has been sick a week after the incident. I surmise that he is in serious trouble, fighting with pain both physically and mentally,” Aryan answered although he was swithering to divulge about the circs. He couldn’t be renitent after hearing to her potency on the phone.

“I am so sorry Aryan, I should have been there with you and family,” She started mewling in desolation, “I am helpless with my dad; I am sorry Aryan” She said in choked voice.

“Don’t worry, I understand the things with your father. It’s nobody’s mistake. No problems, all you have to do is, to be nice to him. I will take care of my family, don’t be apprehensive or worried. I want you to take care of yourself, be calm and composed” he said as he kept trying to take the edge off her throes as she felt wretched and doleful.

“I can’t explain how I feel for you. You and my father, I love you both and I am absolutely fogged up on what I should be doing at this point in time” She continued, “Alright, where are you staying? I need to see you, can you meet me?” She requested.

“Honey, I cannot come now. It is going to take a long while for me to see you. I don’t know when but I will let you know soon after I get some time” he said in a firm tone, “You get me?” he asked.

“Make it soon, It’s been months since we’ve seen each other,” She said as she expressed her eagerness.“Yes, I will” he replied reassuring her.

“I am sorry again. Love you loads, and I will be waiting” she said and then bussed him on the phone.“So do I, take good care of yourself. I will talk soon again. Bye” he said and gave her the smacker back.

Aryan hung up on the call. It had been a couple of days since he had eaten anything. He was in an extreme predicament. He didn’t even had passable dimes to buy a piece of bread to satiate hunger.

Long ago I told my mama that I will live by myself, while there should have been enough time for me he was lost in a brown study, The time has come very early to prepare myself for a hustle through life to make a living he pressed his palms on to his face.

Aryan was 19 years old by then. He had just finished his sophomore year few months ago. I need some money, at rock-bottom a few bucks so that I can satisfy my mama’s hunger but who would give me work? An amateur individual I am, hanging up in the middle of under graduation he continued to brood over.

“Excuse me, are you Aryan?” said a voice from a thirty-year-old man.
“Yes, please,” Aryan responded in a wink of an eye relaxing his hands off of his face. “The doctor is expecting your presence. Could you walk with me along with your mother?” the thirty-year-old attendant said. “Sure, I’ll be there in a min,” he complied.

He advanced walking back to his mother. She was sitting right next to her husband in the high dependency care unit. As he arrived at the doorway, he felt the vibe of melancholia from the blues surrounding his mother while she pensively lay her eyes on her spouse.

“Mama, we should go see the doctor, he has something,” he said keeping his voice within threshold.
“Where is he?” She asked in a gloomy state of mind yet her countenance conveyed optimism in her spouse’s diagnosis.
“I will walk with you,” he said gesturing with his hand directed at the exit door of the room.

As they walked towards the doctor room, Aryan once again dwelled into his thoughts, I had few questions un-answered in my mind. What would I expect the doctor to say? The illness can’t be cured and he is going to die? What my father did all these years? Drink, just drink, smoke and sleep. I don’t know if I should be displeased with him but deep inside I feel like to have him back, to make him walk and talk, I want him to be with me, I’ll take care of the rest; but why I feel it this way? Maybe only because he is a ‘father’, just ‘my father?

The consanguinity is cabbalistic. It’s such a thing that exists; you never know why and how it has uncanny effects. Besides, how much he loved his father was nearly less than the love he had towards his mother. For him, Mother was more than anything in his world. Hadn’t he liked his father but still he would, just for his mother.

“Mama, you better go inside,” Aryan talked, “I see I got someone to look after,” he said looking at four guys who are approaching the family.Rekha agreed with Aryan. In no time, “Good morning doctor!” Rekha greeted.

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“Aryan,” Alex Toto said, “We squared the things out, and we can take your dad home.” Tears rolled down by his eyes, an absolute silence prevailed in the ambience. His eyes spoke to them, “How did you guys know? Who told you?” Aryan asked looking at four of them. “Your love,” Ken Benjamin replied.

His mind seemed to be occupied by vacuum and he could not utter a word for a few minutes thereafter. Though his friends spoke unceasingly about several things he was wholly out of the world and wasn’t plugged into their talks.

“It’s been years since we met, Aryan,” Brett Berner talked, “That doesn’t mean we lost contact with each other. Honestly, I do not want to believe in the actual fact and I cannot digest that you haven’t brought this to our notice”, Brett Berner expressed his huff.

“Brett, let’s not talk about it”, Nick Dexter intervened, “Aryan, be at peace. We gonna stay with you for as long as the circumstances demands us to be with you,”

“…and Aryan, you will tell us what happened with your family lately,” Nick said and continued, “you will tell us right now,”.