What If...?

“Have you kept my slippers, toothbrush, comb? Oh no, the water bottle”, exclaimed my younger brother. “Yes, they are all in your bag”, assured my mother.

It was 5:00 in the morning and my brother was exploding with excitement. Why wouldn’t he? Cause it’s his first school camping trip. He will be spending 4 days in Mashobra a small town in Shimla.

Even at such an early hour of the morning, he was so bright and cherry. His happiness radiated through me. You might think that I was feeling a tiny bit jealous cause I never went to summer camp but the truth is I am not feeling any bit of jealousy or sadness. I have gone on many remember able trips with my family on summer vacations. It was my choice to choose a family trip over summer camp.

 

But being in grade 12th now, my parents decided to go nowhere in June so as to not compromise my studies. Hence, for my younger brother this summer camp became an ultimate opportunity.

Seeing off my brother, I hugged him tight and told him that the greatest superpower is being kind. I had thought of many other sassy one-liners but when you are fueled with excitement, who has time to listen to others. So, he ran inside the school where his friends were gathering.

 

I smiled deeply, though it was a dual smile. I was happy for my brother but deep down I was happy for myself.

 

My brother is really sweet, good and cooperative but still, I was just 4 years old when he came into my life. Just 4 years of being an only child and now God gave me 4 days to revive old memories of being the only child.

 

I can exclaim with joy, laugh, dance and sing and talk to my mother all day cause my brother won’t be there to speak at the same moment when I want to tell something. The T.V. remote would be in my hand, the phone and laptop mine, I can ask for my favourite food to be cooked. I can give my parents any number of hugs and no one would be present to copy or count them. No one will mime my dialogues. No listening to my brother practice singing (my mother says it's rude to say he croaks and not sings). No more unnecessary screams and shouts in the house. Just quiet and peaceful for 4 days.

Just me being the only child.

 

I entered our room and saw my brother had finally put in some effort to tidy his table. It didn’t resemble his table at all. Sitting on his chair, I paused and listened, heard no shouts of ‘get off my chair’ because he was gone for 4 days and I am now the only child.

 

But then I pondered, ‘Isn’t it boring being an only child.’ Friends are friends but siblings are those with whom you share ‘Sibling Stories’.

 

Lying on my brother’s bed (no, I am not going nostalgic and not missing him already) I started to ponder upon the question, What if… I was an only child?

 It would be cool in a way because I would be the sole attention of my parents. I would be the only princess.

But then… I would not learn so many things my younger brother had taught me like being responsible and protecting him. He also taught me to listen more as his talks seldom get over, I barely get time to speak my opinions. My brother even taught me patience and anger management. I think I have really mastered up the last thing else he would have been beaten black and blue already. So the only child is not my cup of tea.

 

But What if… I was a younger sibling? If I had got a chance to be the younger sibling, I would have chosen to have an elder brother.

Because I myself am an elder sister if I image an elder sister for me and then go on thinking how elder sisters are a hopeless case then I will end up hurting my own prestige.

So, it’s safe to imagine me having an elder brother. My elder brother would be kind and caring. He will be strong and will fight off bullies for me. He would be the one studying for long hours and being under pressure. Whereas I can go on playing and enjoying all day long. I can throw as many tantrums because I am a girl and that too a younger one. It would be fun to boss around an elder sibling.

But then I realized that my elder brother would get some time to be the only child. A younger sibling is never an only child in the real sense. I then might end up being a jealousy-filled younger sister struggling to be the one to try something first. So, this alternate reality isn’t right for me.

 

But What if…I had a younger sister? As soon as I started imagining this ‘what if’ I didn’t find any bright side in it. Sisters, please don’t be angry at me for this paragraph but having a younger sister isn’t possible for me.

It is said that there’s only one king of the forest. So, I like to be the only girl in the house. Adjusting with another would be very difficult for me. I wouldn’t want to share my wardrobe with her. I have my lovely hairbands, bracelets and stuff which just belong to me. If my little sister is girly then I can’t stay with her due to my disgust for it and if she is a tomboy then there would be rivalry. In the end, our tantrums will clash and I will feel better off without her. So, no little sister for me.

But What if… twins? This thought was a Eureka moment for me. What if I was a boy and had an identical twin brother. Me and my brother off on fun adventures.

Twins are so successful in fiction like Fred and George Weasley, Tommy and Billy, Lottie and Lisa; Even in Bollywood films like Judwaa, Krishan- Kanhaiya and Seeta Aur Geeta displayed some awesome twins.

I mean twins are cool and what would be even greater, if we had the telekinetic ability to communicate with each other through our brains. It would be even fun to dress identically and confuse people.

Better still if my twin loves chemistry. I will straighten his Mathematics and English if he solves my Chemistry. Our strength would be double so would the output.

But where would our individuality be, we would be always referred to us together. Worse if I end up being the dumb twin, PTMs would be torture then. So, not twins for me.

 

My brother's alarm clock is beeping. I get up and switch it off and smirk, guess I am happy being an elder sister with a 4-year younger brother who due to his recent growth spurt has reached equal to my height. We kind of look like twins now. Even our likes and dislikes match to a good extent.

We both have together been Pokémon fans, then Potter-heads, then Mahabharat watchers and currently Avengers are the sole topic of discussion.

We both have had our share of adventures. We have shared lovely moments and then even some fighting- angry- shouting things- moments to one.

Still, by the end of the day, we are pals discussing stuff like school, avengers, studies, avengers, friends, and avengers before going to sleep.

Oh! these 4 nights would be boring and I might miss my brother.

Uh, so now I am nostalgic cause the day he was born was special for just me as my mother, father, grandparents, uncle, and aunts all remained in the same post but only I was promoted to the level of elder sister. When his small hands clucked my fingers, I just knew that he will end up being an important force to make me who I am now.

Next year, I will move to college so practically our last year together so we both try to make the most of it. Every day we try to write another page in our book of sibling stories. After all; ‘Sibling Stories’ happen in each home, where there are siblings. Because siblings can’t live silently together, Can they?