How could she?

It was middle of the night and she was lying wide awake in her bed. Her husband and kids were sleeping soundly next to her.

Their peaceful faces brought a sudden surge of immense love in her heart and she quietly kissed their foreheads. As she did so, a small drop of tear fell down from her eye. This love was not enough to calm down the turmoil inside her. A storm that had been created by her own people or rather, ones she thought were her closest.

Her sister, one who was five years younger to her and whom she loved as dearly as her mother, was the one responsible for the turmoil she was in. ”How could she?” That was the only question reverberating in her mind as she recalled the recent happenings.

Sasha had been living the American dream for last one year with her husband who had been sent for a yearlong project to USA by his company. Her mother and father had come to bid a teary-eyed adieu to her and most importantly, to their grandkids. She missed her younger sister in that moment. She wished she could hug Trisha once as they would have to do with video calls for next whole year. But Trisha hadn’t come and even her parents did not know the reason. She cursed the overflowing traffic on the road believing it to be the culprit behind Trisha’s absence.

She was sure Trisha had called but her cell was on airplane mode. So the first thing she did on touching down was to call her sister .She was sure Trisha must have been waiting as eagerly for her call as she herself had been waiting during the whole flight. After all, the bond they shared was special. They were not only sisters but also best friends, confidantes, guides, protectors, in short, everything to each other. And as for children, they loved their massi more than their mother, a love which Trisha had always doubled in return.

The phone rang and it seemed as if it took forever to be answered. Finally she heard Trisha’s voice -sans the excitement or the hurt.

”Hi Di, have you reached?”

“Yes Trish, just landed. I….”

“Oh great! I will have to hang up now, got a meeting. Call you later. “

“But Trisha, you didn’t come…” The call was disconnected.

Oh, maybe she really did have a meeting. During the next whole year her conversation with Trisha was always sparse and short. Trisha was always busy with something or the other that she could not avoid, even for speaking to her sister or her darling kids. But Sasha overlooked it every time .Her sisterly love could not think otherwise.

It was time to go back to India and as she came out of the airport she searched for the face that she had missed badly all the year through.  Trisha had not come to meet her at the airport. And neither had her parents! Sasha decided to call once she reached her flat.

No one received the call and that got Sasha worried. She went to her parent’s house the next day but found it locked. On inquiring from her neighbours she found out that Trisha had taken her parents somewhere the previous day.

That was strange. She had spoken to her parents two days earlier to inform them of her flight number and time .They had not mentioned anything about going anywhere then. She dialled her father’s cell number. Switched off! This got her really worked up. Her father’s cell was never switched off when he was out of home.

Calming her nerves, she dialled Trisha’s number and got a busy tone. She kept re-dialling but all she heard was the busy tone. Sasha called her husband and asked him to go and check Trisha’s office for details.

Trisha was in the office when Rishabh went to meet her but she refused to meet him .Instead he was told very rudely by Trisha’s peon to not disturb madam and leave immediately. Sasha was completely shaken on hearing this. The whole situation was completely unexpected and unfathomable. Where on earth were her parents and why was Trisha behaving like this.

She barged in Trisha’s office, glared at her with furious eyes and hissed quietly in her ear,” What is all this Trisha? What the hell is happening here?”

Trisha was completely taken aback by her otherwise mild-mannered sister’s wrath and stammered,” I…I…sold the house.”

Sasha staggered back holding onto the chair for support. What Trisha told after that was unbelievable for Sasha! Was she dreaming? Was this the same Trisha, her own sister, her parents’ darling .How could she just shift mom and dad to a small, dingy flat in a sub-standard locality.

Sasha had to deal with multiple blows in that moment. Trisha’s new, disgusting face; her parents condition; and Shalabh! Shalab , her best friend since school, who was treated like their own son by her parents, one on whom she could fall back on any time.

 In short, her 3 a.m. friend had double-crossed her and her family. He had in the garb of being a well-wisher stabbed them the hardest. Claiming to be in love with Trisha, he had somehow poisoned her kid sister’s mind against her parents and Sasha accusing them of being the biggest hindrances in Trisha’s achievement of her dreams. 

Taking advantage of Sasha’s absence from the country Shalabh had tricked Trisha into selling their parental house and buying for himself a penthouse in a posh locality where Trisha was living in with him.

It was as if a dramatic scene from some movie was playing in front of her eyes. It was hard for her to believe that desires and dreams could make people forget their closest relations along with the love that they shared.  Her most trustworthy loved ones had brought her world upside down.

Loss of property wasn’t of as much consequence as was loss of faith, trust, and love. She couldn’t bear to be in the same room as Trisha and walked out somehow. She could see Trisha showed no remorse or guilt on what she had done. Sasha was broken to pieces, as were her parents, whom she brought to her home to live with her.

 This whole episode had made her restless. Were bonds of love so easily broken? Could happy memories be so easily forgotten? Did desire for money actually have so much power that it could overpower every other feeling? Were ties of love so fragile that mildest blow could shatter it to pieces?

 Sleep was the last thing on Sasha’s mind that was gradually coming to terms with betrayal by the least expected people in her life. She wished that when she woke up the next morning this would all turn out to be a scary dream but she knew this was just a wishful thinking. She would have to live her life with this ugly truth and hoped someday Trisha will realise what she had done .She hoped Trisha will someday miss her family and cry her heart out! Sasha didn’t wish to be there for her in that moment!