Rohit sat with his shoulders slumped looking totally distraught. His mind was churning with many emotions; anger, guilt, and helplessness.  

He recalled the conversation he had with his wife Vibha yesterday. "You have to choose between your  father or me. I am done taking care of him" she had said angrily. Five years ago after his mother's demise, Rohit had brought his 72 years old father to stay with them. Initially everything seemed to be fine. But then slowly things began to go downslide when his father was diagnosed with dementia. At times he would wander away unable to trace his way back  sending the family into a tizzy. There were days when he could not do the simplest of things. Vibha would serve him food and he would sit before the plate for hours without eating. He rarely recalled their names. On some days he would sulk like a child and refuse to come out of his room.

Vibha had her hands full with running the house, handling two teenagers and their tantrums and taking care of her father-in-law. The fact that Rohit travelled 10 days in a month on work added to the pressure. Unable to handle it any longer she had insisted that he should be admitted to an old age home. Rohit had suggested keeping a full-time help but their cramped two bedroom apartment wouldn't allow it.

With a heavy heart, Rohit decided to get him admitted to Shree Sai Institution which ran an old age home and orphanage. He went into his father's room to pack few things and climbed on the step ladder to take out the suitcase from the attic. As he opened the suitcase he saw a folder. Curiously he opened it. Hidden among some papers was an old black and white photo in which he could see a man handing over a few months old baby to his parents. He was puzzled and turned it over. There was a seal of Shree Sai Institution and a date of which only the year 1970 was visible. Rohit felt shocked as it was his birth year.

He immediately set to Shree Sai Institution with the photo. He went to the office and after a great deal of pleading, the clerk agreed to check the old records. It was a practice to take a photo whenever any kid from the orphanage was being adopted. The clerk took out the 1970 file and checked through the entries. Rohit pored over the clerk's shoulder and noticed that a baby boy was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Trivedi(his parents) on 1 September 1970.  He felt the whole world was crashing down. "This cannot be true...... adopted  and me." His parents had never revealed it to him.

Rohit felt deeply ashamed and guilty about having thought of abandoning the father who had adopted him.......an abandoned child. He walked home with purposeful steps.