Woh Din Bhi Kya Din The – Saumya

Woh Din Bhi Kya Din The
Saumya

Every younger sibling’s dream is to be the only child in the house, even if just for a day. You’d still be the most loved, over-indulged child. The only difference would be not having to wear your brother’s or sister’s handed–down clothes, or have yourself compared to them at every turn, or get bullied endlessly. Sounds like a dream, really.

I’ve often envisioned a utopia for us, the younger ones, where we rule the world. 

But what happens when this paradise is right before our eyes? Naturally, we cry. And that’s exactly what I did.

The beginning of my sister’s twelfth grade  meant only one thing to me – she was going off to college, and I’d still be in school. 

In school, even when we didn’t meet, I always knew she was there, and would be waiting for me in the bus with the same question – “Itna time kyu laga?” At other times, I would be the one anxiously looking out the bus window until I caught sight of her.

I thought that going back home alone every day during her preparatory leave would be enough for me to get used to it, but apparently not—I still expect her to be by the car, waiting to interrogate me. I guess some habits are just hard to quit. 

There were also those special days when I’d run into her in the hallway and say a quick ‘Hi,’ or stop and narrate what had happened the whole day till then. I guess she wouldn’t really miss that

And this isn’t only limited to school – she is so irritating at home; fighting over the bathroom, forcing me to do homework, getting angry for no reason that it’s impossible for me to not revert the anger. And hence, it’s impossible not to miss.

When we were kids, we used to go to our mother’s office everyday, both of us. There was a day when I went there alone – I was bored to death. I guess you could call it crazy, but I swear I heard her call me to the cabin for lunch. It was a part of our routine, so I didn’t think much of it and went inside, only to find it was exactly 2:30 pm – time for lunch. That’s how dependent I am on her – and wish to remain.

I’d also feel the absence of our famous battles – The Siege of the White Sauce Pasta and The Battle for the Corner of the Bed, to name just a few.

It’s the same story as every household. My elder sister always sits in the corner of the bed and I always want to sit in her spot. It starts off slowly with pushing and clinging, and ends with Mumma coming to save us from each other.

For those who think this is childish, allow me to remind you that an alpha is defined by her territory.  This isn’t some random fight to secure ownership over the comfy spot, perfect lighting or the best room – it’s a battle to assert authority that hasn’t been concluded yet.

But I guess I shouldn’t make it sound like all we do is fight, because that’s far from the truth. We look out for each other, care for each other and have a lot of fun together.

I had just received the news that I was accepted as an IP Member for the upcoming MUN and boy, was I happy. I went into our room where she was attending a very important meeting with the core members of her organisation, turned the disco light on, and danced like crazy. In my defence, I was having a particularly bad week and needed to make the most of the good news. My sister, with her astonishing tolerance capacity, simply turned her camera off and continued with the meeting.

And of course, there was the day when she was designated the Editor-in-Chief of our school’s newspaper. I ran across the school just to arrive in time for the ceremony –  it was perfect, everything about it. Her hair, however, was slightly ruffled from all the practices for the parade, she was clearly tired, and the flag in her hands was slightly tilted – absolutely beautiful, perfect. Her smile was genuine, though, and really big. but I couldn’t mirror it back at her when we made eye contact – I was too busy panting. 

I think we celebrated for a whole month – watching whatever we wanted to, eating tasty junk food every other day.  Now that I think about it, maybe her twelfth wasn’t really all that bad.

I think it’s because of these nice moments that it hurts that she’s going off to college; but they are worth a lot more.

We could miss out on a lot of things or even lose touch, just two old ladies, but there’s still lots to look forward to. After all, I’m the one who will embarrass her in front of her college friends, annoy her with three calls a day and constantly keep a tab on her to make sure she’s safe. We’ll still get together for the big moments and have fun.

But, like always, I prefer to remain in the present. And hence, after finishing this, I’ll have a ritual banter with her, leaving the future for the future.

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