eFiction India eFiction India Vol.02 Issue.09 | Page 78

77

STORIES

“Aunty, when you came to know about
his mental illness, did you leave him?” she
asked.

Present day

“What?” his mom snapped, “I am his
mother. How can I…?”

As she sat looking out of the window,
Niharika remembered how she struggled
to get Nikhil treated. When she had first
met his psychiatrist Dr.Rathod, he had
made it clear that the first step in his treatment would be to make him face the truth,
make him accept the reality that his dad
and Akhil were no more. Along with compliance for medical treatment, that would
require vigorous psychological counseling
sessions. And Niharika had taken up the
challenge of making Nikhil disease free.

“Then how do you expect me to leave him?
I love him, and I will die for him,” she said.
“Don’t be crazy girl, you don’t understand
the implications of what you are saying,”
her mom said quietly.
“Tell me one thing aunty, didn’t you show
him to any psychiatrist?” Niharika asked.
“Of course I did. He tried all remedies
available. But Nikhil is a resistant case of
MPD. I have lost all hopes and so I have
accepted the fact that I have to live with his
two personalities.”
“Aunty, please don’t worry. You are not
alone now. I am with you,”
“You are taking a very big decision
Niharika…”
“Aunty, give me the name and contact
number of his psychiatrist, please,” Niharika
was adamant.
Nikhil’s mom reluctantly gave it to her. “I
just hope you don’t repent your decision”
she said.
“I never will,” Niharika assured her.
***

eFiction India | June 2014

Singapore

There was, of course, lot of opposition
from her family. \