hospital and I took you home to get you to bed you told me that Dad was going to be alright. I will never forget those words coming from your mouth. You were so convinced that it was almost frightening. I asked you how you knew and you answered that your friend in the hospital had told you so. You told me you had prayed and God had sent someone to save Daddy. You told me he was your new best friend. Only a few hours after you had gone to bed the phone rang. It was the hospital telling me that your dad was improving miraculously and that they believed he would wake up soon. I ran to your room and woke you up to tell you the good news and all you said was 'told you so, Mom.' Your friend stayed with you ever since then and we let you have him in your life. We thought he was good for you, since you didn't have any siblings it was good to have a friend to talk to when things became difficult for you, so we let you. The doctor said it was no harm and that many kids had imaginary friends like him. He stayed with you for always. Even as a teenager you still told me he visited every now and then and you were always looking forward to his visits."
I shook my head while staring at the drawing. How come I didn't remember any of all this? "Do you have any more drawings or paintings of him?" I asked.
My mother lit up. "Well of course. You always drew pictures of him. He was constantly on your mind."
My mother reached down into the box and pulled out a couple more drawings. She handed them to me. "Here are more."
I grabbed them and stared at the first. Then the next and the next. I gasped for air. The realization was like receiving a punch to my stomach. The older I got, the more detailed the pictures became and one thing they all had in common was that my imaginary friend wore a hat. An old-fashioned black top hat along with white gloves, grey pants and a white shirt with a vest and a wide black tie underneath his jacket.
"Do you remember what I used to call him?" I asked.
"Of course. How can I forget? You spoke of him constantly. It was always Mick this and Mick that."
C HAPTER 20
I STARED AT my mother's lips as they moved. She was still speaking but I wasn't listening any longer. All I could think about was her last sentence. She was smiling and gesticulating widely while telling funny episodes from my childhood.
I grabbed her hand and held it in mine. "Mom, I have to go," I said. I the room was closing in on me, like I was about to suffocate and I needed to get out. Right now. I didn't tell her that. She looked disappointed.
"I have to get back," I said.
"Will I see you again?"
I smiled and hugged her. "Of course. Just don't tell anyone. Mostly for your own sake. People will think you've lost it."
She nodded agreeing. Then she sniffled. "I'm so glad you came," she said.
"Me too." I hugged her again.
I got up from the bed and looked at her once last time. She grabbed my hand just as I was about to leave her.
"Promise me you'll come back."
I smiled again. "I will."
She let go of my hand with a relieved smile. I turned my back at her, and then streamed myself through the wall.
I didn't tell Abhik anything on our way back, not even the fact that I had accidentally shown myself to my mother. I wanted to digest everything before I talked about it to anyone. It was all a lot to take in at once.
"You're so quiet," Abhik said when we were above the clouds.
"Well it was hard to see them again, especially like this," I said with heavy heart. "Especially when they are not doing well. It's hard, you know?"
"Are you sorry we went there? I wanted to cheer you up, not put you down," Abhik said.
"I know. You always want the best for me. It was great, really. I am really happy that we did it. It's just a lot, you know?"
Abhik nodded. "I know. It was hard on me too. I went to see my parents right after graduation. It was good though to do it. It was nice to see that they had moved on even if they missed me a lot. The hard
I shook my head while staring at the drawing. How come I didn't remember any of all this? "Do you have any more drawings or paintings of him?" I asked.
My mother lit up. "Well of course. You always drew pictures of him. He was constantly on your mind."
My mother reached down into the box and pulled out a couple more drawings. She handed them to me. "Here are more."
I grabbed them and stared at the first. Then the next and the next. I gasped for air. The realization was like receiving a punch to my stomach. The older I got, the more detailed the pictures became and one thing they all had in common was that my imaginary friend wore a hat. An old-fashioned black top hat along with white gloves, grey pants and a white shirt with a vest and a wide black tie underneath his jacket.
"Do you remember what I used to call him?" I asked.
"Of course. How can I forget? You spoke of him constantly. It was always Mick this and Mick that."
C HAPTER 20
I STARED AT my mother's lips as they moved. She was still speaking but I wasn't listening any longer. All I could think about was her last sentence. She was smiling and gesticulating widely while telling funny episodes from my childhood.
I grabbed her hand and held it in mine. "Mom, I have to go," I said. I the room was closing in on me, like I was about to suffocate and I needed to get out. Right now. I didn't tell her that. She looked disappointed.
"I have to get back," I said.
"Will I see you again?"
I smiled and hugged her. "Of course. Just don't tell anyone. Mostly for your own sake. People will think you've lost it."
She nodded agreeing. Then she sniffled. "I'm so glad you came," she said.
"Me too." I hugged her again.
I got up from the bed and looked at her once last time. She grabbed my hand just as I was about to leave her.
"Promise me you'll come back."
I smiled again. "I will."
She let go of my hand with a relieved smile. I turned my back at her, and then streamed myself through the wall.
I didn't tell Abhik anything on our way back, not even the fact that I had accidentally shown myself to my mother. I wanted to digest everything before I talked about it to anyone. It was all a lot to take in at once.
"You're so quiet," Abhik said when we were above the clouds.
"Well it was hard to see them again, especially like this," I said with heavy heart. "Especially when they are not doing well. It's hard, you know?"
"Are you sorry we went there? I wanted to cheer you up, not put you down," Abhik said.
"I know. You always want the best for me. It was great, really. I am really happy that we did it. It's just a lot, you know?"
Abhik nodded. "I know. It was hard on me too. I went to see my parents right after graduation. It was good though to do it. It was nice to see that they had moved on even if they missed me a lot. The hard
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