CHAPTER- 1

The trees that passed through me had a new story to tell about the town I was visiting.

My dad driving with his cowboy hat to get the country feel and my big brother sitting next to him, texting his girlfriend to break up. And..... I was in the back seat sitting next to loaded bed sheets, which would come in handy when I fell asleep.

We were moving downtown after my mother passed away, as dad couldn’t handle the loss, he was losing it each day. He would drown himself with alcohol each night and would either turn up sleeping on streets or badly hurt and thrown in an alley.

He would never be home the day he got drunk. I knew he loved my mom very much and she was the most beautiful and lovable women.

She was kind and warm-hearted, everything our family needed but her death brought sufferings to us all. My brother Kavin who is 24 this year started doing drugs.

Things were becoming serious and everyone was just using their own methods to overcome sorrows. Due to the severity of his alcohol consumption, my dad was kicked out of his job and the earnings to the family gradually decreased.

I was a normal high school girl who had to look after them and handle family matters like paying bills and doing household chores as my mom wasn’t here with me.

We never expected her to leave us so soon. It was just like any other day. My mom packed my lunch box, with my brother still sleeping in his warm cosy bed and my dad getting ready for his job. The hustle and bustle in the morning was my favourite sound….and my mom singing till we left the house.

It was my last year of high school and I was happy that we could go on a trip to Singapore after my exams got over. My last period was going on when I got a call. It was from an unknown number. I sneaked below my desk to pick up the call.

‘hello’ I said with a low faint voice.

‘Allen,…..’ my father said choking.

‘what happened dad’ I asked trying to calm down my heartbeat. Never had he sound so painful.

‘come to the XXX hospital now’ he said and I knew things were about to change.

I asked my friend Laura to pack my stuff and rushed out of the classroom without informing the teacher.

Every second I sat in the cab thinking what was happening in the hospital, I would lose my mind. After reaching the hospital I rushed to the floor my father had informed.

When I saw my brother comforting my dad who had fallen on his knees, I knew what was my worst dream had come true.’ your mom left us’ he said, tears running down his cheeks.

I looked at my brother and he said with a crocked voice that ‘ she was coming back from grocery shopping when a car ran over her’.

I hugged my dad brawling my eyes out. That was the moment I had experienced a loss I could never gain.

After few days…

I started looking for a part-time job which would pay me well. My life had become a clock with the same routine being followed every day until aunt Rosy came.

She visited us after a year of mom’s death. She was the closest to us and was our godmother. She flipped seeing the condition of our house. Looking at how both the men in the family were becoming useless, she suggested that we move back with her to the countryside and take time to accept this loss.

My father and brother who were both reluctant to step away from the house which held my mom's memories agreed to move out when aunt Rosy started scolding them about how it wasn't an environment a high school kid should be growing in. Both of them knew that what they were doing wasn't going to get our mom back.

And that’s how we ended up in the car.

We had packed all our stuff and were moving towards a small villa. It was a 12-hour journey and we were all sweating and tired. The weather was hot and humid. we were like chickens being boiled in the oven.

After a long tiresome journey we arrived at the house around 10 pm. The place had a small pond with a vegetable garden growing next to it. I knew that my aunt was taking care of it. She said she would visit us every day till we behaved like proper adults.

Something I knew would never happen because aunt Rosy was always busy with her company. She was a fashion Designer and had won many awards for her designs.

she would always travel the world learning more about fabric and designs. I could say she was a curious little kid.

The house had an open foyer leading to the living room, the interiors had a warm and cosy feeling. Something  our family needed. We started exploring the house to choose our rooms.

My father choose the room on the ground floor, while I and my brother battled for room with balcony.

‘ I came first, this room is mine’ I said trying to close the door.

‘ brother’s first, sister’s second’ he said pushing in his leg between the door.

‘plwzzz big bro’ I said making an innocent smile.

‘plwzzz little sis’ he said imitating me.

I had to use my last weapon ‘ I will tell dad that you were dating’ I gave him a satisfied victory smile looking at him. and we both knew who stayed in the room with the balcony.

‘fine take it, but never let me catch you with a guy because that will be the end of him’ he said going to room beside mine.

My brother had a 2-year long relationship with Naina, she was hot and good looking, they both were always in their honeymoon period fondling around each other.

You ask me how I know this?, its because I was always third-wheeling between them. He wanted to come out about their relationship on our mother’s birthday but she left us before that.

And after he got involved in drugs, their relationship started going haywire. There were always fights between them, about how he was becoming a jerk just because of his mom's death.

That really pissed my brother off. So when the opportunity came, that we were going to the countryside, he broke up with her, giving the long-distance relationship reason.

I had to admit, his girlfriend was self-obsessed and always cared about her Facebook likes then anything. So in a way, it was good, but I’m not a good judge, so me and my brother never had the ‘talk’ about love or life.

I was happy with how things were sailing, my father who had promised to quit drinking and my brother who had also promised to quit taking drugs. I could see hope for a better happy life.