I don’t like it when my brother Arjun has to leave.
My parents always try to explain to me how ill he is. That I am lucky for having a brain where all the chemicals flow properly to their destinations like a tranquil river. When I complain about how boring my life is without my brother, they try to make me feel merry by suggesting that his boredom is far more excruciating, considering he is confined to a dark room in an institution.
I always pleaded to them to give him one last chance. Of course, they did at first. Arjun has been back home several times, each shorter in duration than the last. Every time, he comes, it all starts again. The neighborhood cats with gouged out eyes, our family dog was found dead, mom's vitamins replaced by bits of dishwasher tablets. My parents are hesitant now. They say his instability makes him charming somehow, makes it easy for him to fake normalcy, and to trick the doctors who are trying to help him in the rehab. That I will just have to get used to this boredom coz it will keep me safe.
I hate it when Arjun has to leave. It makes my life tough as I have to pretend to be good until he is back.
