Today marks eleven months since Akhil left us.Actually,maybe not, because we feel he is very much in us and all our actions.
Eleven just seems another numerical that will keep galloping away!
It is as tough for us, as it was on 23rd Feb.2010 and to me personally losing a 23year old son is the loss of a son who had turned to be a friend.At 23, we went out together whether to check out the latest music systems,cars or to a favorite gadget store.We'd go off together and get tempted to grab lunch out together and he would then call his Mom and say if it was ok that we both had lunch out! Not that we gave her a choice but that was Akhil's way of getting her permission!At 23, he was someone you consulted on things you seemed unfamiliar with-new technology,new software applications.He even got to holding me back on what I succumb to frequently, as impulse buying! His familiar refrain was "Dad do you really need that?" I thought Dad's were supposed to be asking that! He would sheepishly share a beer with me and his grand dad on Sunday's.
I miss him because he had become a close friend and a confidant!
Today, we have to go through similar situations and the one question we ask is "what would have Akhil said?"
Maybe that is one way that he is part of us and we keep him in our actions.
We have also decided to follow his story of living life happily and doing whatever we have always wanted to do. Life, we learnt is too short to live on others terms but for ourselves!
At 23, your kids I learnt, teach you a few things abut life!
We know Akhil is with us and will be there forever! We will continue to keep asking 'What would Akhil have said?"for the rest of our lives!This is one way we hope will help us feel he is in our midst.
