Abandoned

Rohit was highly disturbed and his mind was churning with many emotions; anger, guilt, and helplessness. His head seemed to burst through the onslaught of emotions which wreaked havoc. He sat with his shoulders slumped looking totally distraught.

His wife Vibha had served him an ultimatum yesterday. He had to choose between his father or her. She was no longer ready to keep his 78-year-old father and take care of him. Five years ago after his mother's demise, Rohit had brought his father to stay with them. Initial two years everything seemed to be fine. But then slowly things began to go downslide when his father was diagnosed with dementia.

Rohit's father was found wandering two roads away looking totally disoriented. Luckily an acquaintance saw him and brought him home safely. There were days when he could not do the simplest of things. Vibha would serve him food and he would sit before the plate for hours without eating. He rarely recalled their names. On some days he would sulk like a child and refuse to come out of his room.

Vibha had her hands full with running the house, handling two teenagers and their tantrums and taking care of her FIL. The fact that Rohit traveled 10 days in a month on work added to the pressure. Unable

to handle the pressure any longer she had insisted that he should be admitted to an old age home. Rohit had suggested keeping a full-time help but their cramped two bedroom apartment wouldn't fit in another person.

With a heavy heart, Rohit decided to get him admitted to Shree Sai Institution which ran an old age home and an orphanage. He decided to pack some clothes and other necessities in a suitcase for his father. He. went into his father's room and climbed on the step ladder to take out the suitcase from the attic. As he opened the suitcase he noticed a folder inside it. Curiously he opened it. They were some certificates and some old photos. Hidden in the bottom was a picture was an old black and white photo in which he could see a man handing over a few months old baby to his parents. He was puzzled and turned it over. There was a seal of Shree Sai Institution and a date of which only the year 1970 was visible. Rohit felt shocked as it was his birth year.

He immediately set to Shree Sai Institution with the photo. He went to the office and after a great deal of pleading, the clerk agreed to check the old records. It was a practice to take a photo whenever any kid from the orphanage was being adopted. The clerk took out the 1970 file and checked through the entries. Rohit pored over the clerk's shoulder and noticed that a baby boy was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Trivedi(his parents) on 1 September 1970( his birthday). For a moment he felt the whole world was crashing down. It took him a few minutes to understand that he was adopted. His parents had never revealed it to him.

Rohit felt deeply ashamed and guilty about having thought of abandoning the father who had adopted him.......an abandoned child. He walked home with purposeful steps and a lighter heart.

# fiction