2

Jennifer Oberoi

“ fix the meeting on monday Nia, and yea before that i need a detailed Swot analysis of that company  “ i said over the call glancing up at sky, it looked grey but mostly black. 

Thank god, I have an umbrella with me  otherwise my favourite white dress would have been ruined in this weather.  

“ yeah, sure…..i’ll inform dad about it. '' With that I hung up the call with my secretary Nia. She is young and fresher, it’s been just three months since she joined and I can say that she is capable of more. Her professionalism and dedication towards work is something that impressed me at first. But now, I know her as a person too. She is a good soul and I can trust her when it comes to work.  

Sliding my phone in purse, i looked straight and smiled “ sorry i had to answer that call…..Mom”

“ so where was i…..ummm yeah… the new project…yes, Dad insist me to handle this project and since it’s my first time i’m sort of nervous and freaked out….i mean, of course i’m happy but i’m also scared that what if i screwed it up ? Although Dad told me not to worry about anything, how can I not worry ? This is going to be the first time for me to handle every little and big thing about our new project….aghh!!!! Mom, I'm just so happy that finally dad is letting me do something on my own……i mean, he has full faith in my abilities, capabilities and talent….i will never let him down” the excitement in my voice was enough for her to know how happy i am right now. Because it’s been two years since I joined dad’s company and since then I've always worked under dad’s instruction even though I was desperate to work on my own. I knew I was a newbie and needed work experience as well yet the feeling of ‘ hey, I'm the daughter of the man who owns this company’ attitude made me even more desperate. Thanks to my dad, who taught me patience and made me work in all kinds of situations. Because of that, now I'm confident enough to handle any kind of business things, still I'm a little nervous though.

“ you know I waited for two years… only for this day…wish me luck mom and I want your blessing as well. '' Bending down, I placed the flowers on the cemetery of my mother and hoped she would say something.

 What a pity? How can a dead person say anything right ? standing still, i gazed at the cemetery as a pair of tears rolled down through my cheeks. 

I was eight, when my mother died. Her death was not a accident or murder. It was a suicide. A eight year old me, never knew what could be a suicide until my mother did that. 

People said she was depressed for years and ended her life. 

And an eight year old me thought depression is a disease that shows physical symptoms like blood vomiting, painful coughs and red rashes on the body along with  hair fall condition till a point where one’s head goes blade and back then I used to wonder why my mom’s body never exhibited the symptoms of her disease. Nevertheless with passing years i understood that depression isn’t a disease but it’s more dangerous than any disease. Depression could kill someone slowly, and no one would even get to know about it. Depressed people might not show what they’re going through, but even a slight hope and support from their loved ones can help them to deal with their depression. Maybe, my mother needed support which she never got, Not even from me. 

 I had no one after her. My mother’s side family wasn’t ready to accept me as my mother had a love marriage going against her parents. And my biological father’s side relatives don't even know that I exist because after a year of marriage my father left us, and married a woman who was chosen by his parents. He was fed up  with my mother and wanted to get rid of me, because he just wanted some little fun with her and my mother wanted a whole future with him. For him, my mother left her family and everything. But what he did was the total opposite, he left her for his family and everything out there.

Maybe, that could be a reason behind my mother’s depression. 

I was left alone on the streets, but that wasn’t the climax of my story. Because, on the same street a man in his forties walked up to me and asked “ where is your home honey ?” 

He met with my silence and understood my unsaid words. He took me to his home, he fed me food, gave me a bath and took care of me. That night I slept in his arms, feeling secure and Loved. And in the next few days, he legally adopted me and became the only man whom I respect and love unconditionally till now. 

Vyom Oberoi. My dad, he’s really a superhero for me. Though he adopted me but under  his unbeatable love and care  I never felt like I was adopted. He’s the sole reason for what I am,  where I am and how I am today. If not him, I may not even exist in this world. 

He lost his wife and his unborn child in an accident that occured in the same street where I was standing clueless about the world around me. 

He used to say that he visited that place every evening to recall the last day he spent with his family and that’s how he found me there. While saying that he had tears in his eyes and I held his hands to console him. Since that day, I have never left his hand.

We both become each other’s family. 

And today, I'm here to share my happiness with my mother. I do this very often, whenever something remarkable or special happens I would come here to share with my mother. Because, I wanted to let her know that her daughter is happy Unlike her. I want her to know that I've been through every thick and thin of life and yet I'm living this life happily unlike her. I want her to know that I'm doing better in my life even though she isn’t around me. I want her to know that sucide is never a solution, and her daughter is stronger than her. I want her to know that her daughter is a fighter, unlike her. 

A wave of wind passed, clearing my thoughts. 

I looked up and saw the clouds forming even darker, “ okay, it’s time to leave….. Take care, I will see you next time Mom“ 

Opening my umbrella I walked out of the graveyard wiping my tears off. To change my mood instantly I grabbed my earphones and plugged it in with my phone to play my favourite music that can lighten up my mood.  

Few seconds of walking and I felt the first drop of rain falling on my skin. Looking up at the sky, I smiled. “ Love you too mom “ I mumbled under my breath.