Washed Away

Sunitha’s tears were heavier than the rain outside.

Rain..it brought back memories.

Memories she was trying hard to forget.

***

“Amy! Get inside, will you?”, Sunitha shouted over the splatter of rain. “You’ll catch a cold.”

But Amy wasn’t ready to get inside. Drenched to the core, she felt excited and unstoppable.

“Amy love rain..rain..Amy happy!”, she told her mother with a giggle.

Sunitha could not help but smile. Amy’s face..red with excitement..her happiness..it all filled Sunitha’s mind with warmth.

Her daughter was 15 and mentally retarded. But for Sunitha, she was the world.

“Sunitha..where’s Amy?”, Rajeev had come out of the house looking for his daughter.

Outside, he found his daughter drenched in the rain and his wife drenched in affection.

As soon as she spotted him, Amy ran to her dad. The father and daughter were inseparable. And Sunitha liked it that way.

****

The memory brought a curl to Sunitha’s lips. But there were more..memories hit her like cold wind.

****

“Here they come with the mad girl!”, people would talk behind their backs. But nothing could dampen Rajeev’s and Sunitha’s spirits.

They were determined to give Amy a normal life, as much as possible.

Having mental retardation wasn't a sin, after-all.

Amy could do all her activities alone. Only when it came to academics and controlling emotions, she was slow.

But as far as Sunitha and Rajeev were considered, Amy was the perfect daughter.

Because Amy was capable of loving innocently, unlike the neighbour’s “perfect” kid. She loved even the people who called her mad.

Amy’s mind was pure. And as far as Sunitha and Rajeev were considered, that was enough.

****

“Why hasn’t Amy returned from school yet?”, Sunitha couldn’t suppress her worry anymore.

Afterall, it was her idea to let Amy return home alone after school. It was her desperate attempt to show the world that Amy was capable of living independently.  And it had been going fine for a week now.

But now, it was 5 pm and Amy wasn’t home yet.

With a pounding chest, Sunitha dialed Rajeev’s number.

****

They searched every nook and corner.

They searched the school area, they searched every road.

They searched the city, they searched the neighbourhood.

8 pm. 9 pm. 10 pm. 11 pm.

Amy was nowhere to be seen.

At midnight, when it started raining, Rajeev got a call from the police.

Their daughter was found. But not how they had expected.

****

They pushed through the crowd to find their daughter lying cold and motionless on the ground.

Her clothes were torn.

Her curly hair was tangled.

The midnight rain washed away the dirt from Amy’s face.

But it could not wash the hopelessness that had surrounded her parents’ life.

It could not wash away the monster called grief.

It could not wash away their tears.

Above all, it could not wash away the memories of an innocent girl called Amy, who had every right to live.