I look through a window from the second floor and watch Rani speaking to her husband, it is her birthday today she is 35 years old and has  spent 20 years in this institution. turns out her husband was abusive and rani in retaliation tried to poison her husband and her year old baby. Savera interrupted my reverie, “I am dying for a fag wanna come down with me”,” no thanks”, I say” I am on kitchen duty .she shrugs and walks off .In these past few months. Savera has become a close friend to me .

She is from singapore, born and brought up there. she was brought here suffering from borderline personality disorder. It was only last night that she attacked one of the counselors over some petty matter , As retribution they took away her laptop, DVD player. She was LIKE THIS ALWAYS, it turns out her husband was a polygamist and was already married to another girl. Savera took to drinking and smoking, her parents, concerned shipped her off to golden retreat..

“The bastard has finally come to meet her”  said Mayuri” shhhhh! “I said,” People can hear you” .” I have a letter that I want you to post for me, when is your husband coming to meet you.”, “Today?”. I said. “Great I will just slip the letter call me when he comes ok?” “ right!” I said Mayuri was here because of alcoholism turns out she couldn’t walk a straight line for months and her brother asked her to spend some time in rehab , she wanted out an desperately .A successful artist I believed golden retreat was no place for a lady as talented as her.

Parul on the other hand was happy to be here, a  nervous wreck after her husband left her with a 15 year old son she was at the mercy of  her sister , who conveniently sent her here when she lost her job .

Divya knocked me on the shoulder “heello! sleeping beauty shell those peas faster ,, or those hungry inmates might eat us up” . I chuckled , Divya has obsessive personality disorder and hates it if anyone touches her things , turns out she was due to being released but an altercation with one of the counselors led  to her stay being extended by three months. I miss them all, the friends that I made in the most unlikely of places .