I was sitting on my bed, hair and teeth un-brushed, looking
into my phone like a lunatic who had seen a smart device for the first time.
But it was the message on it that I was startled by.
It read -
You are beautiful, smart and a great daughter. You already know that. You probably don't even remember who I am. But I still listen to that song you recorded for my birthday. Remember anything, Ips?
There was just One person who would call me with that name- Sivli. But how ? Last thing I knew about her was that she was taken to some Asylum in Canada, about 10-12 years ago.
10 years ago : July 23 ,2008
"Oh c'mon Sivli, it's your birthday . Please don't lie today. Tell everyone about 'him' or I will have to break our Best-Friends-Pact."
"OK , OK , fine! It's Dev , from the 12th Grade."
The girls giggled and whispered. Dev was the most talked about guy in our school and Sivli was crazy about him. And being her best friend, since preschool, I was always over-excited about anything and everything associated with Sivli, especially the love of her life.I hugged her and said - "Remember , I am your only bridesmaid." Sivli laughed out loud.
"Sivli, when will you ask him out ?", one of the girls asked.
"Very soon, I hope." , Sivli blushed.
And then, her mother came up with a small cake. Her father was, as usual , never present.
We had a small cake cutting ceremony and then everyone presented their gifts.
As usual Sivli opened my gift first, it was a CD.
She instantly played it and then cried with happiness. I had recorded her favorite song for her. She loved it when I sang for her.
We suddenly heard a loud thud in the backyard. We all ran off to see Sivli's father drunk and wasted and making a mess, while her mother was crying and asking him to Stop. Sivli ran to her mother and tried to pull her back into the house when she was pushed away. "This is all because of you", her mother shouted. We were all stunned and didn't know what to do. Everyone started running out of the house. I ran to Sivli. She stood there like statue and just whispered "Well, this happens every night".
I was confused. The Sivli I met every morning in the school was a ever bubbly girl. Even her mother was so loving that it was difficult for me to accept what just happened.
Now I could realize why Sivli never agreed for us to have a sleepover at her place. She has been hiding this darkness inside her that I didn't even have the slightest clue about. I felt guilty.
She looked at me and said , "Please go Ips! Everyone knows now. I am sorry, I have been spinning a life of lies around you. Please leave."
I had no idea what she was talking about. I just wanted to be there for my best friend. She led me to the door and closed it on my face. I could hear her parents fighting. I was trembling and didn't know what to do. I ran to my place.
The next morning as I woke up, I saw my mother sitting beside me. She said , "Wake up , there are people waiting for you downstairs. Just say that you know nothing." I was scared by her tone.
I washed my face and went down to see a few policemen talking to my mother. As soon as they saw me, one of them asked me to come sit with them. I looked at my mother and she nodded yes.
One of the policemen asked ,"Beta, how do you know Sivli Singh?".
I felt like somebody punched me hard at my stomach. My mother held my hand and said , "I told them that she was your best friend, and that it was her birthday yesterday and you were there. Just tell them what you saw."
I was shook the core - 'WAS your best friend'. What did she mean by that?
"What happened to Sivli ?", I started crying in the fear of imagining the worst.
The cop looked at my mother and said ,"Beta, Sivli has been arrested on the account of killing her Parents."
I fainted. After an hour or two, I was woken up by Aunt. I saw my mother talking to her father and that cop. I started crying again. My mother came up to hug me and said,"just hold yourself up. This is really important now. You have got to help the police". My mother, being a lawyer was strong enough to face these situations. But I was just a teenage Girl who had not even recovered of seeing an unknown part of her best friend's life and now she was been queried about the same best friend being a murderer of her own parents.
I gathered all the courage I had and said , "Sir, I had never seen what I saw yesterday. Sivli was always this cheerful girl and her mother was really kind. I never saw her father 'cause he was never home."
They asked a few more details before they left. I was still in shock and my Aunt held me beside her.
It was just a matter of One night, and our lives had changed. I started doubting on myself, how could I not know what was going on in Sivli's life? There were so many questions - her Father being drunk , her Parent's fight , her mother calling her the Cause of everything and most importantly , Sivli being blamed as a murderer. I wanted to see her, talk to her; but I was strictly restricted to even go near her house.
A few days later, I resumed school. I passed by her house and found it locked and sealed by the Investigation department. I missed her at school , at games and everywhere. But everyone feared to talk about her. A few days later, during dinner, my mother said that she was being transferred to a mental asylum somewhere in Canada because she had this mental sickness which led to her murdering her own parents.
It was unacceptable for me. I had been with Sivli for almost 15 years. I had grown up with her. I knew her so well, even my mother did. But I was asked to move on with what I was told.
With time, I buried the past and accepted what life threw at me. I was broken , left unanswered but never dared to dig back into it.
Present day-
Everything seemed just like it was 10 years back. I was trembling with fear.
I heard a knock at my door.
I gathered my senses and opened it. It was Daksh holding two coffees and donuts.
"And here is our breakfast Madam. Sorry for disturbing your sleep."
"Oh no it's all right. I am already up. Please come in."
"What up Boss? Didn't you sleep well? You look tired."
"No it's just.. please give me a minute. I need to call my mom."
"Now?"
"yeah.. why?"
"Ipsha it should be late night there at your mom's place if I am not wrong."
"I know... but .. I have to.. Sorry"
I ran off to the balcony and called my mother. She picked and said Hello with a sleepy tone.
"Mommy, She texted me."
"who beta?"
"Sivli"
"Who.. Sivli ??"
"Sivli Singh , Mommy."
"wait ... What?"
It read -
You are beautiful, smart and a great daughter. You already know that. You probably don't even remember who I am. But I still listen to that song you recorded for my birthday. Remember anything, Ips?
There was just One person who would call me with that name- Sivli. But how ? Last thing I knew about her was that she was taken to some Asylum in Canada, about 10-12 years ago.
10 years ago : July 23 ,2008
"Oh c'mon Sivli, it's your birthday . Please don't lie today. Tell everyone about 'him' or I will have to break our Best-Friends-Pact."
"OK , OK , fine! It's Dev , from the 12th Grade."
The girls giggled and whispered. Dev was the most talked about guy in our school and Sivli was crazy about him. And being her best friend, since preschool, I was always over-excited about anything and everything associated with Sivli, especially the love of her life.I hugged her and said - "Remember , I am your only bridesmaid." Sivli laughed out loud.
"Sivli, when will you ask him out ?", one of the girls asked.
"Very soon, I hope." , Sivli blushed.
And then, her mother came up with a small cake. Her father was, as usual , never present.
We had a small cake cutting ceremony and then everyone presented their gifts.
As usual Sivli opened my gift first, it was a CD.
She instantly played it and then cried with happiness. I had recorded her favorite song for her. She loved it when I sang for her.
We suddenly heard a loud thud in the backyard. We all ran off to see Sivli's father drunk and wasted and making a mess, while her mother was crying and asking him to Stop. Sivli ran to her mother and tried to pull her back into the house when she was pushed away. "This is all because of you", her mother shouted. We were all stunned and didn't know what to do. Everyone started running out of the house. I ran to Sivli. She stood there like statue and just whispered "Well, this happens every night".
I was confused. The Sivli I met every morning in the school was a ever bubbly girl. Even her mother was so loving that it was difficult for me to accept what just happened.
Now I could realize why Sivli never agreed for us to have a sleepover at her place. She has been hiding this darkness inside her that I didn't even have the slightest clue about. I felt guilty.
She looked at me and said , "Please go Ips! Everyone knows now. I am sorry, I have been spinning a life of lies around you. Please leave."
I had no idea what she was talking about. I just wanted to be there for my best friend. She led me to the door and closed it on my face. I could hear her parents fighting. I was trembling and didn't know what to do. I ran to my place.
The next morning as I woke up, I saw my mother sitting beside me. She said , "Wake up , there are people waiting for you downstairs. Just say that you know nothing." I was scared by her tone.
I washed my face and went down to see a few policemen talking to my mother. As soon as they saw me, one of them asked me to come sit with them. I looked at my mother and she nodded yes.
One of the policemen asked ,"Beta, how do you know Sivli Singh?".
I felt like somebody punched me hard at my stomach. My mother held my hand and said , "I told them that she was your best friend, and that it was her birthday yesterday and you were there. Just tell them what you saw."
I was shook the core - 'WAS your best friend'. What did she mean by that?
"What happened to Sivli ?", I started crying in the fear of imagining the worst.
The cop looked at my mother and said ,"Beta, Sivli has been arrested on the account of killing her Parents."
I fainted. After an hour or two, I was woken up by Aunt. I saw my mother talking to her father and that cop. I started crying again. My mother came up to hug me and said,"just hold yourself up. This is really important now. You have got to help the police". My mother, being a lawyer was strong enough to face these situations. But I was just a teenage Girl who had not even recovered of seeing an unknown part of her best friend's life and now she was been queried about the same best friend being a murderer of her own parents.
I gathered all the courage I had and said , "Sir, I had never seen what I saw yesterday. Sivli was always this cheerful girl and her mother was really kind. I never saw her father 'cause he was never home."
They asked a few more details before they left. I was still in shock and my Aunt held me beside her.
It was just a matter of One night, and our lives had changed. I started doubting on myself, how could I not know what was going on in Sivli's life? There were so many questions - her Father being drunk , her Parent's fight , her mother calling her the Cause of everything and most importantly , Sivli being blamed as a murderer. I wanted to see her, talk to her; but I was strictly restricted to even go near her house.
A few days later, I resumed school. I passed by her house and found it locked and sealed by the Investigation department. I missed her at school , at games and everywhere. But everyone feared to talk about her. A few days later, during dinner, my mother said that she was being transferred to a mental asylum somewhere in Canada because she had this mental sickness which led to her murdering her own parents.
It was unacceptable for me. I had been with Sivli for almost 15 years. I had grown up with her. I knew her so well, even my mother did. But I was asked to move on with what I was told.
With time, I buried the past and accepted what life threw at me. I was broken , left unanswered but never dared to dig back into it.
Present day-
Everything seemed just like it was 10 years back. I was trembling with fear.
I heard a knock at my door.
I gathered my senses and opened it. It was Daksh holding two coffees and donuts.
"And here is our breakfast Madam. Sorry for disturbing your sleep."
"Oh no it's all right. I am already up. Please come in."
"What up Boss? Didn't you sleep well? You look tired."
"No it's just.. please give me a minute. I need to call my mom."
"Now?"
"yeah.. why?"
"Ipsha it should be late night there at your mom's place if I am not wrong."
"I know... but .. I have to.. Sorry"
I ran off to the balcony and called my mother. She picked and said Hello with a sleepy tone.
"Mommy, She texted me."
"who beta?"
"Sivli"
"Who.. Sivli ??"
"Sivli Singh , Mommy."
"wait ... What?"
Comments
Post a Comment