Game of Sicks
- Madhukar Dama
- 13 hours ago
- 6 min read
When illness becomes the family’s favorite weapon
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PART ONE: THE FAMILY THAT FELL ILL — TOGETHER
INTRODUCTION
It was not one person.
It was everyone.
In this large Indian household of three generations — sickness was the most trusted currency.
Not money. Not respect. Not love.
Just sickness.
Minor ones.
Major ones.
Fake ones.
Real ones stretched till they became lifelong crutches.
Each family member played their part.
Each one trapped the other.
Each one felt miserable — but didn’t know how to stop.
They were all sick — and ashamed — but unable to heal.
Because to heal would mean losing control.
So, they played on… the Game of Sicks.
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THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR ILLNESSES
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1. THE GRANDFATHER (Dadaji): Chronic Cough & Authority
Has been coughing for 23 years. Still smokes in secret.
Uses his cough to interrupt conversations he doesn’t like.
Says, “My lungs are weak. Don’t argue with me.”
Forces others to avoid non-veg and cold foods because “he gets affected.”
Demands room temperature, silence, and attention — all day.
Deep inside, he knows he needs to change. But the cough gives him power.
So he coughs on.
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2. THE GRANDMOTHER (Dadiji): High BP, Low Control
Takes 6 pills a day. Still insists her blood pressure rises every time someone doesn’t listen.
Says, “This girl’s tone gives me BP.”
Decides what others eat, what time they return, who they meet — all in the name of “keeping her calm.”
Cries when challenged. Then says her heart is “paining.”
She no longer knows where the real pain ends and emotional blackmail begins.
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3. THE SON (Rajiv): Diabetic, Distant, Dictator
Constantly talks about sugar levels.
Uses diabetes to avoid conversations, sex, and responsibilities.
If anyone questions his mood, he snaps: “You want me to die early?”
Eats sweets in hiding, but blames stress and family when caught.
Rajiv’s sugar problem is real. But the emotional manipulation is far more dangerous.
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4. THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW (Priya): Migraines & Martyrdom
Headaches at the exact moment things don’t go her way.
“I can’t handle stress,” she says when asked to change routine.
Does little for herself, but reminds everyone what she’s doing “despite her pain.”
Hates her husband, but uses his illness to act like a sacrificial goddess.
Priya’s pain is real. But her performance wins her pity — not peace.
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5. THE SON-IN-LAW (Girish): Back Pain, No Backbone
Complains of back pain whenever his in-laws demand something.
Doesn’t lift a plate or help at home — claims “doctor said full rest.”
Uses pain to escape responsibilities, especially during family fights.
Secretly laughs at the family but hides behind medicine strips.
Girish uses illness as armour — so no one ever expects courage from him.
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6. THE DAUGHTER (Neha): Thyroid & Tears
Has fatigue, hair loss, emotional outbursts.
Blames it all on her thyroid — even her bad choices.
“It’s not me, it’s the hormone,” she says after every drama.
Uses disease as a shield — from change, from growth, from truth.
Her illness protects her from self-accountability.
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7. THE GRANDSON (Aryan, 17): Anxiety & Avoidance
Says he has anxiety every time exam results, career talks, or chores come up.
Scrolls phone endlessly, skips meals, avoids family.
Parents say, “Don’t stress him — he’s a sensitive child.”
He has now learned — that anxiety can excuse everything.
He’s scared, yes. But also learning to escape responsibility the adult way.
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8. THE GRANDDAUGHTER (Naina, 14): Period Pain & Power Play
Uses menstrual pain to skip school, family functions, and chores.
Everyone walks on eggshells around her.
She screams, cries, locks herself in — gets what she wants.
Says, “You don’t understand female pain” — shuts down all conversations.
She’s hurting inside, but illness gives her more respect than honesty ever did.
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THE FAMILY DYNAMICS: SICKNESS IS THE RULER
They eat unhealthy together, but no one takes responsibility.
They argue daily — but stop short, blaming health conditions.
No truth is ever told — because truth might increase someone’s BP.
No joy is ever planned — because someone is “not well today.”
They all hate each other’s manipulation — but are doing the same.
The worst part?
They are all ashamed.
Ashamed of faking, ashamed of enabling, ashamed of feeling trapped.
But too scared to break the cycle.
So the Game of Sicks continues.
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PART TWO: THE HEALING BEGINS — A DIALOGUE WITH MADHUKAR
They arrive, one by one.
To Madhukar’s mud home.
Each with a file of reports.
Each with a story of helplessness.
But Madhukar doesn’t ask for their test results.
He asks for silence.
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Madhukar (calmly):
Who among you is truly sick — and who is just afraid to lose control?
Silence.
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Grandfather (defensive):
I have real lung problems. You can hear my cough.
Madhukar:
Yes, Dadaji. And do you smoke?
Grandfather (quiet):
Sometimes. Just a little.
Madhukar:
So your illness is real. But your honesty isn’t. That’s where the disease begins.
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Grandmother:
I have BP. Everyone here stresses me out.
Madhukar:
Then your health is not yours. It belongs to everyone else. That’s not illness — that’s emotional blackmail.
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Daughter-in-law:
But I really do get migraines.
Madhukar:
Yes. But you never change your food. You never rest without resentment. You want pity — not healing.
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Son-in-law:
My back pain is serious.
Madhukar:
So is your avoidance. You bend backward for no one — not even truth.
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Neha (crying):
I feel tired all the time.
Madhukar:
Thyroid is a signal — not a sentence. But you have built your identity around being broken.
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Aryan (mumbling):
I get anxious. I don’t want to talk.
Madhukar:
And yet here you are. Talking. When forced. The illness is not your enemy — your silence is.
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Naina (loudly):
Nobody understands my pain.
Madhukar:
Because you weaponised it. Pain is a bridge when shared. Not a whip.
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Madhukar (to all):
You all are sick.
Yes.
But not of the body alone.
You are sick of being unheard.
Of not feeling in control.
Of not being loved without conditions.
And so, you all started playing the only game you saw working —
The Game of Sicks.
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MADHUKAR’S HEALING WORDS
“When truth is painful, we fake illness.”
“When love becomes manipulation, health becomes impossible.”
“If healing threatens your control — you will stay sick forever.”
“A family that eats lies together, falls ill together.”
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ENDING SCENE
He gives them all simple tasks:
Walk barefoot in silence every morning.
Cook one honest meal together.
Speak truth once a day — even if it shakes.
Stop using illness as a microphone.
Write one letter each — saying what they couldn’t say for years.
And slowly…
The pills reduced.
The tears dried.
The silence became less scary.
The games stopped.
The house didn’t become perfect.
But it became real.
And real is the beginning of health.
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BRUTAL, CONCISE SUMMARY QUOTE
“When disease becomes the family’s remote control, nobody heals — they just switch channels of guilt. The only cure is truth. Not pills. Not silence. Not drama. Just truth.”
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They Called It Caring
— in the style of Charles Bukowski
they coughed
they limped
they swallowed pills like candy
and wore their diseases
like badges
earned in a war they never fought.
every time truth knocked,
someone had chest pain.
every time joy tried to enter,
someone’s BP rose.
every time a plan was made,
a migraine arrived,
right on time.
they didn’t talk.
they accused.
they didn’t hug.
they advised rest.
and the saddest part?
nobody wanted to get better.
because sickness
was power.
because healing
meant giving up control.
even the children
learned fast.
how to cry pain,
how to fake fear,
how to hide from life
behind a diagnosis.
they called it love.
but it was a leash.
they called it care.
but it was a cage.
until one day,
a man with silence in his eyes
taught them
that healing
is not pills or pity.
healing
is truth
spoken
without permission.
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