Sibling Revelry

“Amira, give it to Aatifa” Nusrat shouted.

“But it’s mine. She has so many dolls and Abbu keeps buying her new ones too.” Amira yelled back at her mother.

“Yes. But she likes this one. And she is your younger sister. Stop being so stubborn.”

“I am being stubborn? What about her?”

“She is too young Amira. She doesn’t know any better. Stop being such a baby.” After a long day of working from home, Nusrat was at her wit’s end and Aatifa’s loud howling was making the matters worse.

Amira threw her doll on to the ground. At once, Aatifa stopped crying and crawled towards it. As she held it close to her chest, Amira bellowed at her “I hate you” and ran into the bed room to hide her tears.

Nusrat let out a long sigh. She looked at Aatifa and said “Your sister is very angry. Why are you both getting to be so difficult?”

She knew Amira had special attachment to that doll. She lugged it around as she went about her business and in the nights she slept with the doll. Nusrat was in a way, grateful that Amira had that doll to fall back upon, as she had to devote greater attention to Aatifa. 

Nusrat was about to go after Amira when the front door bell rang. She was relieved to find Riaz home early. She updated him about the incident and urged him to pacify Amira. After Riaz’s pampering, Amira emerged out of the room. Nusrat went over to Amira and drew her into a silent hug. Amira didn’t resist.

Nusrat said “I love you very much Amira. You know that right?”

Amira nodded her head.

“I love Aatifa too. Right now, she can’t understand things the way you do. You are the brighter one right now. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Ammi.”

“Good. I hid the doll behind the sofa cushion. You take it out without her knowing and keep it out of her sight. Okay?

“Okay Ammi.” Amira replied. As Amira furtively walked away with her doll, Aatifa played with some other toys totally oblivious to the conspiracy going on against her.

Next day when Riaz and Nusrat dressed Amira in new clothes, Amira got very excited. Riaz told her that they were celebrating Bakrid that day.

“What is Bakrid, Abbu?”

Riaz sat his daughter down in his lap facing him and told her the story about Bakrid - about how God tested his discipline Prophet Ibrahim by asking him to sacrifice the thing he loved the most, and how Prophet Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his son Ismail because he was his most beloved.

Looking at Amira’s fear-ridden eyes, Riaz hurried to conclude the story by telling his daughter that God asked Ibrahim to sacrifice a goat instead in reward of his honesty, and that’s how the festival came into being celebrated from thousands of years ago.

Amira fell silent for a while and then asked “What would you do, if God asks you to sacrifice me Abbu?”

Riaz was taken aback with this question. Looking into his daughter’s innocent eyes, he replied “He won’t. But if ever asks that, I would offer myself to the God.”

“That’s not Good Abbu.” Amira said.

“Yes. Not Good Amira. But I am much older than you. It’s my responsibility to take care of you and protect you.”

“No. Abbu. That’s not good. I don’t want you to go.” Seeing that Amira was about to cry, Riaz hugged her.

“I am not going anywhere Amira. God is a very good person and he is not going to take anyone just like that. He didn’t take Ibrahim or his son too. He just tested his honesty.”

Nusrat who was silently hearing the whole thing as she worked in the kitchen, came out and added “We both are not going anywhere Amira. Don’t worry. Are you not going to show your new dress to Leela aunty?”

Leela was their neighbor who adored Amira. Hearing her mother’s words, Amira jumped out of her father’s lap.

Nusrat left Amira in Leela’s house for a while to let her to play with Leela’s grand-son who was just one year older than Amira.

“Why are you scaring Amira with such stories?” Nusrat said admonishing Riaz.

“What did I do? I think it is important to let her know about death.” Riaz replied defending himself.

“When she is as young as six years old?” Nusrat never shied away from speaking her mind out. 

The next morning Riaz was sitting in the hall reading the newspaper. Simultaneously, he was keeping an eye on Aatifa who was playing with some toys on the ground next to him. Amira walked in with her favourite doll. As she offered it to her sister, Aatifa looked stunned for a moment. Then she snatched it away from her sister’s hands. Hugging the doll, Aatifa squealed in delight.

“Aatifa, you have to take care of it, okay?”

Aatifa who understood that it was a question, nodded her head.

“Why did you give your doll to your sister Amira?” Riaz couldn’t help asking his daughter.

“Because I am the older one Abbu.” Amira replied.

Riaz was bowled over at her reply. He could immediately sense that this was in response to the story he had narrated the previous day and the ensuing discussion of theirs. Amira’s love for the doll was legendary in that house and Riaz knew what a great gesture of sacrifice hers was in letting her younger sister have her doll.

“Children are like sponges. They absorb everything. As parents it’s our responsibility to make sure that they absorb the right values” Riaz thought as he looked across at Amira with immense pride.