"Your father-in-law has reached the heavens and is now with your anscestors. His blessings will always be a grace to your family Rajeev Beta", said the priest as the last phase of rituals for my father culminated. 

My husband took the responsibiity to perform the last rights to my father as I don't have a brother as a sibling. My in-laws were more than happy to allow this it happen. The last fifteen days have been swinging with all sorts of emotions, mostly sad, but one common substratum that we had was, being together, for each other as a family. 

My sisters and I bonded over the loss of my father and learned more about eachother's Lives. Nothing too personal, but at least I knew that they have grown into beautiful women whom society can look up to. Dev bonded with his aunts almost immediately, and so much did he bond that he didn't need his Mamma and Papa! 

These were the brighter side of things, but somehow, I felt incomplete, unaccomplished and alone. 

Baba isn't in the world anymore... 

Whenever this line struck my heart, I felt the world around me crumbling all over again. Raj ji had been more than supporting enough to help me pick the debris, but he aso understood that he cannot do anything for the loss I felt. 

Such is a position of a father in a daughter's life! 

As everyone who came to attend the rituals slowly started departing I excused myself to my room. I sat crumbled into a ball from within, trying not to put myself in an emotional position. I heard a small knock. 

My sisters stood at the doorstep, worriedly looking at me. 

My heart immediately sank and I signalled them to walk in. 

"Pavithra-?", called out Dhrithi. 

"Hmm-?", I slowly throated trying not to tear up. 

"Pavithra, Baba and all of us are really proud of you. You are married, you have a wonderful son and your husband is a gem of a man. You are the bravest amongst the all of us and it is you whom we look up to. ", said Dhrithi. 

I smiled kindly at my youngest sister. 

"You are being too kind-"

"And you are being too modest, Pavithra-", said Sindhu. 

I blinked at her. 

"Pavithra, we have mourned enough for our father. But right now, its time to set new goals for all of us and move towards it." 

Silence befriended us as I analyzed the truth in my sister's words. 

"Pavithra, the three of us have chosen different professions for survival. You are studying medicine, Dhrithi, is going to be a Charted Accountant and well, for me-", she paused. 

"Go ahead, Sindhu-", I pushed her. 

"I am going to be an HR.", she finished her sentence without inviting any awkwardness. 

"We chose these fields feeling extremely passionate about it, but now we have a reason to infact be great at our fields. We need to do this for Baba and hence, it would make Ma proud. She has been the way she is because of Baba, but that doesn't mean she is a bad woman, right? Afterall, she is our mother-" 

"Yes-", breathed Dhrithi. 

"But most importantly-", I started heavily with my words. 

"We need eachother, to remind one another, why we are doing what we are doing. We cannot live the way we did before-" 

"I want you in my life too-", confessed Sindhu. 

"I cannot believe how much we have missed in your life Pavithra-", said Dhrithi. 

"I feel the same way about your lives too-", I said. 

Sindhu immediately knew that these words were for her. 

Dhrithi looked at the both of us trying to make sense of what I just said. 

"Pavithra, Dhrithi; I know there is a lot I need to be explaining, and I certainly will not keep you both out of the loop and hanging, but today is not the day. Today is about the three of us, okay?"

Dhrithi and me nodded in agreement. 

"Uh---", sighed Sindhu loudly. 

"I surely miss Baba", excalimed Dhrithi.

"Oh yes!" , I squealed from within. 

"But, we have gotta take control of our lives, right?", asked Sindhu. 

"Yes.", I agreed. 

***