My Sister's Daughter - Chapter 10 - The Accident

The bus ride was a blur. I was too numb to realize that I was home. Still in a daze, I opened the front door and felt the emptiness surround me. How had I stayed here, all alone, for so long?

I shook my head to clear the negative thoughts. I could get through this.

I made myself a pot of tea to calm my nerves and settled down in my favorite sofa. I wish my sister was here.. She always knew what to do. She was my one stop for advice on relationships, clothes, career.. Everything.

I sat there, recounting the last call she had made to me, or to anyone else for that matter..

She had sounded so happy. They were driving down to meet my parents. It was a glorious morning and my brother in law had stopped to stretch his legs when my sister called me.

She had called to coax me into joining them and as usual, I was giving excuses. I was too busy to be spending time with family. I needed to focus on my career.

“Oh come on Khushi.. Just come over the weekend. Its been so long since we’ve seen you!”

I had smiled then, not knowing, that I was never going to see her again.

“Don’t exaggerate Di.. we met two months ago.” I used to call my sister that Di  short for Didi..

My sister had laughed then, her contagious laugh cracking me up too.

“Khushi.. I..” Suddenly I heard my sister scream, “Oh my God! No!”

A loud crash followed my sister’s scream and then nothing.

“Didi?!” I remember trying to control the panic in my voice. “Di is everything okay?” I had pressed my ear to the phone hoping to hear some sound.

“Khushi…” My sister’s words were no more than a gasp. “He’s gone Khushi.. Pia’s gone.. Both of them..” My sister was crying uncontrollably.

“Where are you Di? Are you hurt? I’ll send help.. Tell me exactly where you are..” I had remained calm, asking all the right questions.

“Don’t move a muscle Di. I’m going to call for help now.. Ok??” I doubt my sister heard that.. All I could hear was her wailing. I had desperately called all the hospitals in my parents town, giving them my sister’s location. I could do nothing but wait. Then, my sister had called.

“Khushi.. I’m hurt.. There’s blood all over.. I can’t tell if its mine..” I had calmed her down then, begging her not to panic and that help was on its way. I could sense my sister float in and out of consciousness. My conversation was the only thing that was keeping her in the conscious state.

“Talk to me..” I told her. I had to keep her talking..

 She told me some car had crashed into theirs. And theirs in turn had rammed a tree. She and my brother-in-law, who were outside had taken the full impact of the crash against the tree. My brother-in-law was unconscious, so was Pia..

“They are gone Khushi..” It was almost as though my sister had lost her will to live.

I had spoken non-stop about crazy unrelated things, for the sake of invoking a response from her. Then finally, after about half an hour, the reactions had stopped coming in. I had continued talking, in the hopes that she would respond.

She didn’t.  

“Di… Wake up Di.. Please..” I had begged her to get up.. I had held the phone in my hands, staring at it when I had heard Pia.. I remember the relief that had flooded through me on hearing Pia's voice. 

Pia’s crying could be heard clearly through the phone and I screamed into the phone, hoping Pia would hear me.. She did.

“Pia.. Are you ok? Is Di ok?” I didn’t ask about my brother-in-law. I didn’t want Pia to see what my sister had described.

“Mommy is.. ” Pia was sobbing.. “Mommy is not talking…”

And then I had heard the sirens.. Some paramedic  had come on the phone and informed me that they were talking all three of them to the hospital.  I had called my parents as I had rushed out of my house and told them what had happened.  I skipped out the gory details.


In the bus, I had closed my eyes tightly and  prayed, as I have never prayed before..

I was praying that they all were alright and that they were just unconscious.

I had been so wrong.

Once I reached, I was greeted with a crowd outside my house. Nobody was looking me in the eye and right there, I had understood that I had lost my sister forever.

Even as people offered their condolences to me, I could hear my sister’s scream replaying in my head. I could sense the panic, the fear, the anguish behind my sister’s scream. Each time I entered the house, the sound amplified until I couldn’t take it anymore. I had left the next day, after ensuring that Pia was in good hands.

For six months I had been tormented by nightmares. Each night I received the call from my sister and replayed it differently. Every night, I couldn’t save her.

That night, I had the same dream again and this time I managed to save her. I reached the hospital and saw Pia next to a bed, holding a woman’s hand. I had walked faster, eager to see my sister, but the woman in the bed, was not my sister. It was me.