After Life

All these things that I had to do after you left… Living has been the hardest. Yet, there is another task that ranks high on the list of challenges: applying for documents that confirm you are no longer among us. I have sifted through your Aadhaar card, your office ID card, passport-sized photos, bills, and so much more, countless times. Each item is essential for obtaining documents issued by the government, your workplace, or the banks. It feels like an insurmountable task each time I begin, as if I am reopening old wounds. It seems as though I have just lost you all over again when I gather your identity proofs or other such documents from the drawer in our room. That drawer, where I used to—and still do—store all your papers with care, knowing you were always a bit careless about them.
I have asked myself many times, why must I do this? Why should I endure this pain repeatedly when it never truly leaves me? It silently lingers, constantly reminding me of what I have lost. I suppose this is what they mean when they say life goes on. As you know, documents are a significant part of our modern existence, so here I am, collecting evidence of your absence, though I am the one in whose arms you departed this world.