Diary of Riddhima Gupta ' Chapter 1:
Dear Diary,
Hi my name is Riddhima Gupta and this is my story. This is a story that I cannot share with the world. A story which is real. A story which will bring tears to your eyes, a story which will make you think, is life really worth it? I am 16 years old currently, but my story will begin from the past'
27th September 2002; Today was one of the happiest days of my life. My mother would be giving birth and the news will be arriving to us shortly. By us ' I mean me, my brother Rahul, my cousin Naina, her brother Rohit, their parents Savitiri and Karan, my aunt Anima and uncle Malik, their children Soham and Reema, my other uncle Maan and my grandmother Leila. We we're all so excited! I mean who wouldn't be! i desperately praying for the baby to be a girl! I mean I got a brother, but I really wanted a sister. Someone I could talk to. Someone to share with. Someone to play with. I know I sound childish but hey I'm only 8 years old!
My father, Shashank Gupta came home. We all immediately ran to him!
'OMG! Is it a girl?! Where's her picture? How does she look? Or is a boy? How does he look? Do you have a picture? Can we go to the hospital?' I shot a thousand questions at him before he or anyone else could say a word.
Everyone just laughed at me but my dad gave me a stern look as if all my prayers we're gone.
'Is it a boy?' I said with a low voice about to cry.
Rahul, Soham and Rohit screamed 'YES' at the top of their voices.
Me and Naina we're so upset, I could feel the tears about to pour down.
Then my dad replied, 'Sorry Boys, IT'S A GIRL!'
We all screamed with happiness! I couldn't believe it! My prayer came true! I felt on top of the world! I got a sister! I got a sister! No one could feel the joy I was feeling now! It was spectacular!
My uncle Malik said, 'Can we go to the hospital now?'
I looked at my dad with pleading eyes, before that I glanced at the time which read 6.00pm in the evening which meant the visiting hours hadn't finished yet.
My dad looked at everyone and smiled, 'Of course.'
Everyone screamed in happiness. This was my perfect family. Everyone loved each other more than words could express. Every day was like this, everyone came over to my house after school or work and the adults talked while the children played. We loved each other ' our family was the best!
At 6.20pm we arrived at St. George's hospital. My mother was in ward 307. We all walked our way upstairs until we got to the door'
The nurse wearing a light blue uniform of a nurse looked at us oddly and asked, 'excuse me, may I ask who are you all going to visit?'
My dad replied, 'We are going to visit my wife.'
Nurse looked at my dad apologetically, 'I'm really sorry to say sir, that only two at a time.'
My dad looked irritated, 'Please It's the one of the happiest days of our lives, we are all one big family, it's one fair if one goes in and the rest has to wait.'
I could see the nurse felt bad so she looked around and said,' Okay but 10 minutes only.'
I smiled at her she was so sweet!
We all thanked her and walked in.
There my mother was laying down on the pure white hospital bed. I don't know why I always loved the smell of hospital ' I know right, I'm weird. I looked at her and examined her, she didn't look so well. She looked pale ' why wouldn't she? She had a heart problem. Oh I guess I forgot to mention that. My mother Padma is thirty something years old now but I can't remember how old she was at the time. Just before my brother Rahul was born, my mother faced some complications in her pregnancy, I only found out about this after a few years after my sister's birth as at the time I was very young. My brother Rahul wasn't normal, he was about to die but thank god, god saved him. But that wasn't the end of it. My brother Rahul wasn't normal. He has a learning disability. He appears like a normal boy but unfortunately he isn't, he faces the problems of not understating what he is taught. After that we all took care of my brother, everyone loved him dearly and the most ' but I didn't mind that because he was my own brother and if he was facing difficulties I had to be there for him. Now, today it was my sister's birth, but before she was born my mum stayed in hospital until she was born because my mother had thrombosis. What is thrombosis you may ask? Well it is a blood clot in the heart. Many people used to say and still say now my mother is the youngest person they have met that has thrombosis. Anyways coming back to the story, she had an operation after my sister's birth where they cut down her body in-between her chest and did an operation then stitched back together.
I stared at my sister, god she looked like an angel! I wanted to carry her, but everyone was carrying her and making a big fuss over who carries her next 'I frowned, when would my turn come? She's my sister! When I held out my arms to carry her next my uncle who was carrying her passed her to my cousin ' Naina! Oh my god! Just because Nanina's older than me, doesn't mean she should get to carry her first. Gosh, life was so unfair at times. I wasn't so upset or jealous of Naina, but I hated her for all those times when she and her older brother Rohit bullied me. They used to say they are the eldest so I have to listen to them and being a child I listened to them. I think hate is a terrible word to use, to I won't say I hate her because at times I loved her for always being by my side like the sister I always wanted but I hated her for being so mean at times. So I guess I'll say 'I-hated-her-at-those-times.'
My turn came. I looked at my sister as I carried her, she looked so adorable. Her eyes we're dark black and big. Her hands we're tiny and so soft. But what I loved the most was her feet. I always thought that the cutest feature of a baby was their soft cute feet. I know, I know I am very weird but I love that about myself ' pretty much the only thing I love about myself.
It was 8.00pm now, time for everyone to go home. I didn't want to go home! I just wanted to hold my sister in my arms and hug her but I knew that was not possible.
My dad sighed and said, 'Sorry guys, time for us to go home.' As he said that everyone moaned and pleaded to stay although we all knew the answer.
My dad sighed again and this time replied, 'I'm staying tonight and then in the morning your parents will bring you over here afterschool.' Was it just me or was my dad a idiot? He forgot me and my brother?! His other two children?
My uncle Maan looked at us and asked my dad,' What about them?' glancing towards us.
My dad looked as if he actually did forget us. 'you collect them after school and bring them over here.'
So finally the day ended and we all returned to our respective houses. But as I tried to sleep that night I couldn't help but think,'Was my life going to change now?
That's all for today diary but I'll write more tomorrow. If I don't go sleep now then god knows how I will wake up for school tomorrow.
From,
Riddhima Gupta.
18