‘Truth is, I don’t wish to see my parents. I can never forgive them for what they did to us. My elder sister killed herself because my parents married her off to an NRI in a hurry. That man was toxic, but by the time she found out about it, it was too late. My parents didn’t support her, they didn’t listen to her when she told them about wanting to return home. They just wanted to secure visas and citizenships for both their daughters. I always felt like an unwanted burden. When my uncle offered to help me pursue higher education in the US, I saw it as an opportunity to escape that tiresome, claustrophobic life in India and pursue a better life here. But because of that decision to come here, I was forced to leave the love of my life behind.’

‘You have to let forgiveness find its way into your heart.’

‘But I just hate them too much. Enough to want to kill them at times. And I wanted to, multiple times, in the days following my sister’s suicide.’

‘People evaluate everything on the basis of their past karma and their own biased frames of reference. When you’re in the middle of a mess, it’s very hard to see the situation from an unbiased perspective. Maybe that’s why we all need a guru or a therapist in life. In my opinion, all of this has nothing to do with your parents. This is your life. Whether you want to go back or not should be your decision. The past is gone. It should not influence your future. And this is a decision for your future, not your past.’

‘Wow, you’re good at your job, aren’t you?’ I ask with a smile. ‘You must be thinking what a fucked-up psycho I am.’

‘Be kind to yourself. Sometimes, we judge ourselves based on how we assume others think of us, and we end up believing in those false notions too! Silly! Isn’t it?’

‘We’re all wired weirdly, I guess.’

‘Life is weird, but time is the greatest healer of all. The way a scratched knee heals over time, so does every other wound.’

‘But when things get difficult, time doesn’t seem to move at all. Where does one find the patience to keep at it then?’

‘One simply has to do it, there’s no other option. It took me eight years to deal with my divorce. Neither could I be with my wife, nor could I move on. But we had to take care of our daughter. I found meaning and a renewed sense of purpose in raising my child. And while my situation stayed the same, having a better perspective helped me shine bright during the worst time of my life.’