I sit in the hospital, fiddling with the papdi chaat staring at nothing. ‘So, this is what it feels like?’ thinks SB. The last time the mother was in the ICU, at this particular hospital, the boy was by my side, as were the brothers. Now one’s older, much more cynical and more stuck up than usual- SB is the dominant personality. She looked at the mother last night and asked, ‘ Uppar ki ticket to nahin kataye he na?’ she asked as indifferently as she possibly can. The mother, who bore her, laughed and replied, ‘katayee he to kyaa ho jaygaa?’ ‘ Kuch nahin, kyaa hoga?’ This one is Stone Cold Steve Austin.

SC, clings as usual, hiding her face and bawling into the pillow. Thanking God, that she was in town. Today, I would have left for a place totally off the grid and would have been completely out of reach for weeks. But thankfully, here I am! ‘Should I come?’ asks one, ‘Let me know if you need anything,’ says another. Not having a particular man is great but having someone who was there, was priceless.