My maternal uncle had always been someone I looked up highly to. His charm was indescribable. He was always good with everyone around him and used to turn the saddest situations into enthusiastic ones. Going to his home during vacations was something I always looked forward to. I never knew beneath that wide smile was someone who would be so hurt within that he would change the trajectory of his family's lives, forever. It all started during COVID-19. People were drastically losing their jobs. They had to stay in quarantine, and some even lost their closest ones to the deadly virus. But my maternal uncle's story is quite different, and I to this day, have not gotten over it.

My maternal uncle used to work at a coffee shop and was newly married to his wife, my maternal aunt, and were expecting a baby together. Life seemed good for them. They were living with my grandparents, my grandpa and grandma, whom I love dearly. But with COVID-19 quarantining everyone, my maternal uncle could not get any customers in his coffee shop. He quickly had to shut it down. Everyone on the outside thought it was a good thing as now he could spend more time with his wife who was on her way to give birth. But only he knew that he was in great debt, and the store closing down only worsened it for him.

Shortly after, life took a dark turn for his family and surprised everyone close to them. I remember that moment very well. The telephone in our house rang, and my mom picked it up. By the time she was done with her conversation, she was dropping tears. I had never seen my mom cry before, and that was the first time I saw her so miserably sad. I knew something really bad had happened so I asked her. Still crying and holding on to a box of tissues, she said, "Nirab, your uncle and aunt are no longer with us."

I could not believe the words that came out of her mouth. I was both shaken and saddened by the news. But most of all, I was surprised. I had a lot of questions. "How did they die? What happened? What about the baby…?"

But after hearing the reason they died, it surprised me even more. It was not because of the COVID-19 virus like I had previously anticipated, but it was because of something much worse. They had committed suicide, both of them. The story quickly took over the news channels and several reporters were covering it. I could not believe someone I looked up to so much had done something like that. Even listening to the news reporters, I was asking myself, "How can this be? No, this can't be…"

But when we went to see our grandparents, and after seeing them cry, I finally believed that my maternal uncle and aunt were no longer with us. But if you think this is the end of the story, you are far from right. Shortly after that incident, my grandfather got COVID. He was still so saddened by the passing of his son and his wife that he did not say anything when we went to see them. He was just lying on his hospital bed, with teary eyes, thinking things, possibly trying to find answers like most of us were. And shortly after, he passed away.

That left only my grandmother in their family. The family, which at one time seemed so joyful, was now empty and silent. I still think of why they could have done such an evil thing, especially when they were expecting a child. Even if he was in debt, there were a million other things he could have done than taking his own life, and the life of his wife and their unborn child. Now that I think about it, I feel like they were stupid to believe that life would not get better for them. But, at the back of my heart I also feel like if only I knew, I could have possibly stopped them from feeling that way and could have perhaps saved their family from falling apart.

Published: 12/19/2024