Being away from his hometown to pursue his dream of studying in the bustling city, Raymond had promised his mother that he would call her every day.
For his mother, even a five-minute call was enough, as long as she knew that he was okay. A lot of his friends thought that he was the only child in his family, but apparently, he came second after his elder sister, by six years.
His elder sister had decided to move back to their hometown and work at a local company after completing her studies. They weren’t really close because of the age gap, but she would always be around, every time he spoke on the phone with his mother, reminding him to take good care of himself.
He was in his statistics class when his phone vibrated in silent mode. It was his mother. It was weird. It was unusual for his mother to call him at that hour, as he keeps her updated with his class schedule, on a regular basis.
It seemed like it was just another phone call from his mother that day. But he immediately sensed that something was wrong when his mother kept calling him.
He tried to refocus on his lecture but seeing the four missed calls from his mother left him anxious.
He returned his mother’s call after he exited the lecture hall.
“Hello, Ma?” What’s up?”
“Raymond, your sister…” his mother’s voice cracked.
“What’s wrong with Mel?” he asked. His mind raced and began imagining the worst.
“Mel’s company manager called us just now. They were conducting the final experiment for their new, soon-to-be launched product, and Mel was in charge. He said something happened during the procedure, and Mel… Mel…”
His mother couldn’t finish her sentence and broke into tears.
“Mel is gone, Raymond.” His mother sobbed so hard that he barely heard her pleas for him to return home.
One month had gone, and nothing seemed right anymore.
“It was an accidental death by electrocution. We’re very sorry for your loss.”
Raymond first heard it when the doctor broke the news to him and his parents when they went to the hospital where Mel was brought to after the fatal incident. The doctor’s voice kept playing inside Raymond’s mind. He just could not get it out of his head.
He couldn’t drive past the building where Mel had worked. She was only 25 when she died. He kept thinking of all the things Mel could no longer do or experience – falling in love, marrying the love of her life, having children of her own, and achieving a successful career. People will only remember her as a daughter to his parents, and “Raymond’s sister”. Nothing else.
Mel’s death took a toll on him. He was tired all the time, but he just couldn’t sleep. When he lay awake in his bed late at night, he would sometimes wonder: “Why Mel? Why wasn’t it me?”
He returned to his college a week after the incident, but he was not the same. Instead of looking forward to his classes and being excited about the extracurricular activities that he had been actively involved in, he chose to stay in his hostel, avoiding everyone and no longer able to concentrate on his studies.
His housemates were becoming more concerned, as Raymond was easily startled, and extremely irritable. He was not his usual self.
“Man, I think you need help,” his roommate told him one morning.
In that moment, Raymond lost it and finally broke down. He cried so hard that day on his roommate’s shoulder, the torrent of emotions that had built up inside of him finally erupting to the surface.
“Let’s go and get you fixed,” his roommate smiled encouragingly at him. He accompanied Raymond to a nearby psychiatric clinic.
Raymond was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Even though he did not experience the actual ordeal, the death of his sister was so traumatic, it was as though he had suffered a direct trauma himself.
That first step enabled him to finally begin to cope with the loss of his sister. He was learning to accept his illness, day by day. His roommate was his extended support system, monitoring him, and reminding him to take his medication.
Raymond finally decided that now, he was going to take care of himself.
Because that was what Mel would have wanted.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.