My Sister's Daughter - Chapter 16 - Meeting the Headmistress

With the note out of the way Pia was back to her happy self.  She didn’t seem too concerned about the kid she had fought with. Now that she had realized there would be no punishment, her guilt had disappeared. I let it be. Whatever it was, she had to anyway face it tomorrow with the headmistress.

That gave me something else to think about; the meeting with the headmistress. I had always been a teacher’s pet, so had my sister. I didn’t have any idea how the parent was supposed to react in such matters. Was I to go there and apologize for Pia’s behavior? I spoke to my mother about it and both of us decided that it would be better if she came along too. Just to help me get used to it. To the whole being a parent thing.

The evening passed quickly what with Pia’s homework and assignments and I couldn’t help but wonder whether my life had reduced to babysitting Pia. I would be glad to start work soon..

At night, I thought of telling Pia a bedtime story. A happy story to keep her nightmares away.

“So once upon a time,” I started. Pia smiled a little and turned sideways to see me better. I smiled back. I used to tell Pia stories every time I visited and I could tell she was pleased that the change in our relationship hadn’t changed that aspect.

I told her a story of fairies and princesses, of happy days and happy thoughts. I thought I had done a pretty good job.

 I was tip toeing out of Pia’s room when Pia, who was still awake, asked me “Why do only fairy tales have happy endings?” I considered answering her question but I really, didn’t have any appropriate answer for it.

“Goodnight Pia..” I was hoping Pia would forget all about her question. Pia didn’t answer, she was already fast asleep.

I heaved a sigh of relief. You always had to be on your toes while raising kids. You could never predict what they were going to ask next. I smiled to myself as I heard my thoughts. Already, I was thinking like a parent. That night, after a long time, I slept with happy thoughts in my head.

Pia did not come into my room that night, but I knew she had a nightmare from the sleepy look on her face. Clearly, bed time stories were not the answer to her nightmare problem. That morning, I took charge of getting Pia ready for school. Pia was an organized child and I didn’t have to do much except remind her to hurry up once in a while.

We tried to maintain a conversation while walking to Pia’s school but all of us fell silent once the school building came into view. All of us probably thinking about what was coming next.

We were made to wait outside the headmistress’s office till the morning assembly got over. After a while, the headmistress came, apologizing for making us wait and ushered us into her office. Pia followed, with her head down.

A few minutes passed as the headmistress went over Pia’s records. Occasionally, she would shake her head in disapproval. I was getting nervous; I could only imagine what Pia was going through.

“This is a very difficult situation.” The headmistress finally started. “She’s a bright child, but her behavior is too unpredictable. We are lucky; the child’s mother didn’t create a fuss about this incident.”

My mum and I remained silent. We knew what Pia had done. What we didn’t know was why and how to stop it.

“Pia.. can you wait outside? I’d like to talk to your..” she hesitated, “guardians alone.”

Pia nodded and left.

“Have you seen Pia’s recent paintings Poonam?” Clearly, the headmistress knew my mum from somewhere else.

My mum nodded. I was missing something here. What was wrong with Pia’s paintings?

The headmistress continued, “I got a chance to show them to my colleague in the city and he agrees that they are disturbing.” She hurried to continue before my mother could interrupt. “I’m not saying there is something wrong with her. I just think you should ensure that she’s dealing with her parent’s death the right way.”

“Can you recommend someone?” I asked.

The headmistress scribbled a couple of names and numbers on a piece of paper.

“You can try these people. The school has worked with them before.” She handed me the paper.

“May I see the paintings?” I wanted to know what was so disturbing about them. I was sure, that they were all over reacting.

The headmistress picked up a file and passed towards me. I opened it and a gasp escaped from my lips as I flipped through it. Pia had drawn vivid pictures of accidents. And she had colored it.. The car, the tree, the people and the blood; everything was red.

My Sister's Daughter - Chapter 15 - Another Note

Pia wasn’t bothered by my dilemma in the least. She went about her happy way, unaware of my inner turmoil. I looked down at the note in my hand. Maybe it wasn’t as bad this time. I opened it.

Pia was involved in a fight today…  the note started. I turned towards Pia. She didn’t look as though she had been involved in a fight. There were no scuff marks on her. I glanced back at the note.

She picked a fight with a child two years younger to her. Needless to say, she had the upper hand. We do not know what caused Pia to fight, but we do not tolerate this kind of behavior in our school. Please accompany your ward to school tomorrow and meet the headmistress.

 I reread it to ensure I hadn’t read it wrong. No, there had been no mistake. Our sweet li’l Pia was a different person at school. I made a quick decision. There was no way I could be lenient about this.

“What is this Pia?” I asked sharply.

Pia froze on hearing the tone of my voice. She turned and looked up at me confused.

“Did you hit someone?” I raised my voice a little. Pia had to know that this behavior was not acceptable.

I could see tears brimming in Pia’s eyes. I wasn’t handling this very well.

I gave up the act of acting tough. I wasn’t made of strong stuff. I put my arms around her and gently wiped her tears.

“Why did you fight Pia?” I asked tenderly.

She was sobbing now.. Her tiny body shaking with every sob. I could only wonder what had transpired between her and the other kid that had upset Pia this much.

“I didn’t want to hit him..”

“Then why did you?” I could tell Pia was genuinely sorry. Pia remained silent.

 “Pia? What is it?” I was perplexed at her silence. Who was she trying to protect?

“Am I in trouble?” Pia’s only concern right now was whether she was going to be punished.

“I don’t know Pia. I don’t know what your headmistress is going to tell me. Is there something you should tell me first?” I couldn’t believe I couldn’t even get her to confide in me.

Pia shook her head slowly. Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to tell me. I suddenly felt angry and hurt with her behavior. I had given everything up for her and Pia couldn’t even confess to me.

I walked out of the room swiftly. I needed some advice and I went straight to my mother.

My mother was pretty cool about the whole thing.

“Calm down Khushi..” She said when I told her about Pia keeping things from me. I glared at her, was she going to take Pia’s side?

“Khushi.. When you had a problem, you came straight to me. Where is Pia supposed to go?” My mother, with one question, threw all my arguments out of the window. She was right, as mothers always are.

“Pia doesn’t see you as the motherly figure..” Then after a moment she added. “Yet..”

“Give her some time..” My mum brushed a stray strand off my face and I realized how small familiar gestures make the world feel a lot less intimidating. Pia had lost everything that was familiar to her and obviously she would take time to get used to the new changes. I would have to be patient.

A little arm encircled my waist and I heard Pia’s voice.

“Are you mad at me? Will you go away again?” She was sniffling a little.

 I turned around and cupped her little face in my palm and said in a surprisingly confident voice.

“No Pia.. I’m never going away again.”

My Sister's Daughter - Chapter 14 - Settling In

It was pretty late when we got home. My mum was waiting by the gate, scanning the road for us.. She hugged me tightly, “I’m so glad you came back." I think she was happy that Pia and I were both going to stay near her.

We left all the stuff in the car boot.. there would be plenty of time tomorrow to unpack. I took Pia to her room, and put her in bed. I thought of sleeping in Pia’s room in case she had nightmares, but decided against it.

I settled down on my bed and before my head could hit the pillow, I was fast asleep.

In the middle of the night, I felt some movement in the room. I opened my eyes lazily and saw Pia standing near the door. I put out my hand to her and wordlessly, Pia cuddled in beside me. I smiled as I remembered the last night Pia had slept in my room and I put pillows around her to make sure she didn’t move all over the bed.

The next morning, my mum came in and took Pia away. I stayed in bed, I needed some sleep and besides, I had nowhere to go. By the time I got up, Pia had already gone to school.

I moved all my stuff to my room except the box Pia had labeled. That, I moved to Pia’s room. I was curious to know what she was going to do with it.

I was scanning through the local papers, looking for a job when my mum walked in. She suggested I see the editor. The local newspaper seemed to consist only of birthdays, weddings and obituaries.

I sighed.. something was better than nothing. I fixed an appointment for an interview with the newspaper’s editor. He had sounded surprised that someone wanted to give an interview for his newspaper. What was I getting myself into?

The day passed quickly, and by the time Pia came, my room was almost done. It had been a challenge to add my new stuff to my things when I was little. Every little toy had a memory attached to it. I couldn’t bear to part with it.

As soon as she came, Pia  ran up the stairs to her room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the box. She took one step near it, and then as though she didn’t see it, marched off in the opposite directed. But I knew she was going to open it eventually. 

“How was school today?” I asked her like any normal mother would have asked.

Pia held out a note. I didn’t know how to react. Should I reprimand her for getting a note or should I be comforting?

I was confused about the role that I was going to play in Pia’s life. Was I going to be the cool aunt? Or was I supposed to be a mother? I didn’t want Pia to think I was trying to take her mother’s place. Neither did I want my parents to think I was taking this responsibility lightly. I had to find a balance and I had to find it quick.

My Sister's Daughter - Chapter 13 - About Pia

“Pia??” I exclaimed. “But she was the one who refused to come with me. She said she didn’t want to stay with me.”

“She didn’t say that..” My father corrected me, “She said she didn’t want to live with you in the city.”

“Oh..” Things were a lot clearer to me now. I could imagine the scene in my head. Pia telling my dad she wanted to go to the city to bring me back. The thought gave me the warm fuzzies.

I turned back to look at Pia, who was still sleeping peacefully.

 “She’s a complicated child..” I commented.

“Can you blame her? She’s been through a lot.” There was a long silence as we thought about Pia. What it would feel like to be eight years old and to watch your parents die. I shuddered involuntarily. My father noticed, and gripped my hand. I could feel his strength flow into me and I relaxed a bit.

“You ok now?” My father asked after a while.

I nodded and placed my hands on my lap.

“Does she talk about it dad?” I didn’t have to explain what that “It” was.

 “No. Never. She just runs away when we bring up the topic. But I’m sure she thinks about it all the time.” He paused for a moment, then he said suddenly, “Pia’s very fond of you..”

I looked up, surprised. We all knew that.

“I know dad.” I was wondering where this conversation was leading.

“She probably sees her mother in you.” I didn’t say anything. I had considered the possibility that Pia didn’t actually want me, she wanted a replica of her mother.

My fathers face softened, ‘’I didn’t mean to hurt you Khushi.. I just wanted you to be aware.”

“Thanks dad.. How is Pia doing otherwise?” I was trying to change the topic. Thankfully, my father went with the flow. “Where should I start? Her academics are down the drain, she doesn’t have any friends, her nightmares are very frequent but worst of all is that she doesn’t interact with anybody.”

I sank deeper in the seat, wondering how I was going to get Pia out of it. I was getting quite depressed with all this talk. I needed something else on my mind.

“Tell me something funny dad.” My dad looked at me sharply. On seeing my state, he began

“Have I ever told you about the time you and your sister ran away from home? ” He let out a loud guffaw. I had heard the story before, but suddenly I felt like listening to it again.

My dad told me a number of stories that day.. Each one of them funnier than the other. This  was the sister I wanted to remember. The one who brought a smile to my face every time I thought of her.

In the middle, I turned around to check on Pia. She was wide awake. I had no idea when she had gotten up. I tried to decode the look on her phase face, but I couldn’t.

 I wondered what all she had heard.