ALL I HAVE LEFT: A Short Story

After the death of her parents forced twenty-year-old Tamil-American Srashvi to take up legal guardianship of her younger brother, she's hellbent on making the most of the road trip her band friends have planned for the spring vacation. They're all set for their big break and gig at Hard Rock Café, and as the lead guitarist, Srashvi's finally plucking the six strings she never thought she'd touch again.

The friends have loaded their minivan with band equipment and booze to last them three days on the road, but there's an extra piece of luggage: Srashvi's younger brother Sudhir, whose neighbor called at the last moment to say they can't babysit him while she's gone. Srashvi challenged Social Services to keep Sudhir, but playing mom has taken a toll on her these past few months. It's bad enough that he's around (talk about keeping things PG), but he falls sick along the way, and she now has to help him recover.

Over three days of spring break, Srashvi must decide if trying to get back to the life before her parents died is worth risking the life she has right now—and a brother who is all she has left of her family.

Content Warnings: grief, death of loved ones (happens off-page, is mentioned briefly, no graphic details)