sisters act

To prove that I meant no nonsense, I scaled our bookshelf to the last millimetre chalked it and told her to use her own side. We fought like cats and dogs and when dad in anger said, " I will marry you two sisters one to the south-pole and the other to the north-pole" I was terribly happy.

I thought that I would be relieved of her poking her nose everywhere, where it did not belong. My privacy, my room, my life was under her scrutiny always. Infact there was nothing called mine and mine alone in the house. We shared a double bed, two study tables, which she joined again to make them one, cupboards, brothers, mummy, daddy.

I hated the fact that I had to pick her discarded dresses sometimes even when they were pretty and still new or that I had to play with her used dolls other than my Barbie. I waited for the day when I would grow taller than her and look down on her but Gods and the entire universe seem to have a cosmic conspiracy against me and it has never happened:-)

Her way of reducing me to a mule was by uttering,"You kiddo, don't act smart. I saw the sun and the moon much before you" There, I was insulted and would lament for hours. The higher authorities like my big brothers and parents often left my appeal or my cry for SOS unheard. She even told me that I was adopted as I came floating in the river. I really thought it was the truth and asked everybody. My brothers played along and said, it was the truth. I had to wait the whole day for parents to come home and ask if I was adopted.

She was someone I didn’t want to be. I wanted to do everything my brothers did. Wanted to wear bermudas, ride BMX cycles or stand behind one, gell my hair or fix it and play cricket with them even if the only time they allowed me was to run and fetch a stray ball, (injustice here again :-< )come back and sleep without having a wash. She would beat me and I would cry sometimes till someone else scolded her.

She laughed at my chapattis, which looked like the Indian Map or tasted like papad while hers would be a perfect full moon. She forced me to take turns and do the morning puja and other religious obligations. She ran behind me in the big compound tirelessly and taught me to ride the bicycle. She knew my Maths and finished all my SUPW assignments too.

Once she gave me her new dress to wear for a birthday party even before she wore it once. Seldom ate without me and somehow knew what upset me even when parents failed. I don’t know what was there in us; somehow we always took sides when we were at war with other siblings. She loved showing me off to her friends too and got me lots of gifts.

With all the nagging and scolding, my sister taught me to be a girl and what it was to share.

Yesterday, we argued for half an hour over the phone. I laughed to myself later and missed the old times.