OS

Sean walked in Friday evening to see is friend seated outside on the deck. NK had his feet propped up on the banister in front of him, his mind numb of thoughts gazing out into the horizon.

Sean slid the door open and walked out into the deck.

"G'day mate."

"G'day"

"Say NK arn't your folks from Delhi."

"Yep" replied NK uninterestedly he did not want to have anything to do with that part of the world. He had left it behind for good. He felt like schmuck. Oh kushiji he let himself picture the slender fair, happy girl he once fancied, and then just as quickly pulled himself together.

"The funniest thing bro... I read this small article on this family. You know how they say truth is better than fiction.."

"Huh!"

"Well yeah and India mate who woulda thought you know you guys well what we are made to believe..all purity and god's country and stuff..."

"Yep your point is."

"Well you gotta read it mate hang on a sec" he fiddles with his ipad and hands it to NK

Raizada the name just stood out from the page, he did not need to see the pictures to know it was his family. Family he had chosen to forget, whose existence was in his distant past...NK's hands shook he fought hard to regain control of his emotions that came gushing to the fore. The pent up emotions, that reminded him, how weak he had been. Memories that were safely locked away threatened to and then spilled out unabated. Memories of a happy holiday, that had ended on a nasty note. A holiday, that turned a happy go lucky young man, into a disillusioned, sober, excuse of a human.

Eyes misty with unshed tears NK read how his Jijaji had attempted to kill his Anjali di. What? How did that happen? Did Di have the baby? What about Nanav? What about Khushi? Khushi, Khushi his head crowded with memories of Khushi, her laugh, her smile, her radiance her love, compassion, her tears, her plea. "Enough he shouted

"Are you ok mate, NK bro you ok you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeh you could say that the ghosts of my past the ghost's in my closet. The Raizada's are my family Sean. A family I chose to distance myself from." NK said in an eerily even voice that belied the turmoil inside.

Sean saw through the facade of his long time buddy. He had seen a changed NK return from India, he had not probed. He saw NK bury himself in work and then party just as hard, but with no joy, he had not probed knowing one day his friend would open up. He sensed the day was here, he would not have guessed that his passing interest in a weird article would be the catalyst but he was happy that finally there was to be a breakthrough that finally NK was going to face his demons and he would be there to help. He got two lagers from the esky on the deck and threw one to NK opening his and pulled up a chair. Wanna talk bro? NK merely nodded and said "cheers mate" still looking absently into the horizon.