The Twin Sister - Part 2

If you haven't already, first read The Twin Sister - Part 1

On Saturday morning, I awoke early. My mind was whirring like a computer server processing terabytes of data.

Our parents had left the house to us. Daddy had gone on a business trip, Mummy was visiting her sister in Delhi. They lived separate lives after Raja’s accident. Their marriage was a sham at this point.

Nysha buzzed about the house with restless energy. She gobbled up her lunch at lightning speed. She fiddled with her hair clip till it nearly broke. Her phone never left her hand, not for a second.

I recalled Aarav’s message:

“I can’t wait for it…this is going to be our first time…”

Nysha was clearly feeling it too. But not for long. Not if I had anything to do with it.

I pretended to be engrossed in my book, but I watched her like a hawk. I waited for the right moment to make my move.

Nysha made herself a cup of chai and sat at the dining table, while I lounged on the sofa. She slurped a few sips, and got busy with her phone. I knew I had to act quickly, or the chai would soon be over.

I stood up and walked towards the table. I took an awkward step and jerked my left hip into the sharp edge of the table.

“Owwww,” I bent over and clutched my side.

“Are you alright?” Nysha asked.

“Uff,” I grunted.

Nysha stood up. For a fleeting second, a gap opened while she was focussed on me. I grimaced and massaged my hip with my left hand. With my right, I slipped an off-white powder from a tiny glass vial, into her chai.

The substance was called ketamine, a so-called ‘date drug’ as per my Google research. It had no smell or taste. It would dissolve into the chai, leaving no discernible trace. It would confuse her and dull her senses.

When you’re the college topper, you know people. Or rather, people know you. I had leveraged my status to acquire a contact who supplied me with the vial.

“Is it hurting badly kya?” Nysha asked.

I flexed my leg and stepped back gingerly. “I’m alright…”

“Okay, if it’s still paining, I can order a Combiflam from the medical store.”

I nodded. “I’ll tell you if I need it.”

I went back to the sofa and to my book. With every sip of chai that Nysha took, I felt a surge of anticipation.

Before long, my sister began to slump in the chair. She put a palm to her forehead. “I think I’m coming down with something.”

“Fever?”

“I don’t know, I’m feeling woozy.”

“Why don’t you go lie down for a while?”

Nysha stumbled unsteadily into the bedroom. She grasped the side of the bed with jittery hands, and lowered herself onto it.

I followed her in. “Should I take your temperature?”

Nysha turned on her side and didn’t respond. Her eyes were drooping.

“I’ll get the thermometer…” Before I finished the sentence, my sister had passed out. I covered her with a blanket. It’s not that bad, I told myself, the effect will last only till tomorrow morning. She’ll be fine after that.

I took her phone and read Aarav’s messages:

“All set for tonight…yayy…”

“Wear that pink top na, you look amazing in it.”

That was useful. I wouldn’t have known what to wear for such an occasion. I opened Nysha’s cupboard, and a stiletto-heeled shoe spilled off the lower shelf and onto the floor. I gaped at the sheer volume of clothes inside, a potpourri of dresses and tops and outfits for all occasions. There were 3 pink tops. I picked the fanciest one.

Then there were the shoes: a dizzying array of shapes and sizes and colors. There were high heels and flats, open-toed and closed, strapless and strappy sandals…there must have been at least 50 in there. Gods, how did she ever decide what to wear?

Myself, I have just 3 pairs: one casual, one for college, and a dressy one for outings. Who needs more than that?

Eventually, I went with a black, high-heeled pair. I brushed my hair and sprayed Nysha’s perfume on my neck.

“See you soon.” I wrote to Aarav, and added a smiley for good measure.

The meeting spot was a Spanish restaurant with high ceilings and wooden decor. Nysha’s stiletto heels were killing me. My toes were all squished together, and I nearly toppled over twice in the short walk from where the cab left me to the restaurant entrance. Aarav had reserved a table for us, and I was early apparently. I sat at the table and waited.

As the minutes ticked by, my hands and feet were flooded with a sudden bout of perspiration. I shifted in my seat. I crossed and uncrossed my legs. I toyed with the zips of my purse.

I didn’t know how to exchange two words with a boy. How was I going to survive an entire evening??

I had no business being there. I was a fish flapping haplessly on the land. I had to abort. There was no way I could go through with it…

“Nysha,” A booming voice called. He was six-feet tall with broad shoulders and taut arms. He had large eyes punctuated by bushy eyebrows. His hair was gelled and spiked up. His outfit was a purple shirt over black jeans, and boots that were polished to a shine.

“Aarav,” I said, trying not to make it sound like a question.

He came towards me, and I rose from my seat. His arms wrapped me in a tight embrace. I inhaled his sporty deodorant.

After we sat down, Aarav took charge of the menu and ordered a round of tapas and margaritas for both of us. Luckily, he did most of the talking.

My mind retrieved an image of Nysha from its storage, as I’d seen her in college, with her head tilted and her eyes fluttering. I replicated her exact gestures, and this seemed to please Aarav.

Tapas came and vanished into our bellies. I drained the last drops of my drink. Aarav ordered another round.

“…you should’ve seen the look on his face when he was kicked out of class, it was hilarious,” He paused and looked at me expectantly.

My internal computer conjured up more snapshots of my sister.

“Oh really?” I said, with my eyes widened.

“Yeah, it was unbelievable…” He resumed his story, and the momentum took him all the way till dessert.

I crunched into churros and commented on the sweetness. He took hold of the bill, and I didn’t bother to squabble.

Suddenly, steel utensils clattered to the floor near us. A plate tumbled down and cracked into two, scattering a mushy pulp of food around it.

“Oh shit!” A girl at the next table put her hands on her head, as all eyes in the restaurant turned towards her. Her complexion reddened, and she fled to the washroom.

“Reminds you of someone?” Aarav grinned.

“Ha?”

“Tysha, your sister?”

“What about her?”

“I mean, you keep saying that she’s so clumsy, she’s a messy eater, she always burps after food.”

I shot him a withering look.

“I didn’t mean to…” He held his hands up. “I was just repeating what you only told me.”

“What I told you??”

“I’m really sorry Nysha,” He reached out and touched my arm lightly. “Let’s forget about it, okay?”

“Fine,” I said and exhaled. What my sister said wasn’t his fault anyways. But Nysha would have to pay the price. Did she think she could go bad-mouthing me around town without any repercussions??

We left the restaurant and he led me to his car, a Hyundai with scratches on its paint. The seats had sporadic tears and the interior smelled musty. At least the a/c worked.

“Where you taking me?” I demanded abruptly.

“Sid has this extra house in Colaba.”

“Extra house?”

“His father has a big jewelry business,” Aarav said. “He’s given us his place for the evening.”

He glanced at me with a glow of anticipation, and I met his look with trepidation. I didn’t even know this guy. What was I getting myself into??

His hand slid across the seat and his fingers interlaced with mine. There was a warmth and tenderness to his touch that put me at ease.

This was Nysha’s boyfriend, someone she trusted. Whatever else my sister was, she had sound judgement. She could always tell the creeps from the nice guys. Years of being propositioned by countless boys gave her the practice.

The ‘extra house’ turned out to be a large flat with several bedrooms and a spacious drawing room. The ceiling had recessed lighting, the floor had designer ceramic tiles.

We sat on the plush sofa, and Aarav poured us two glasses of wine. He tapped his glass with his fingers as he drank and told more stories. My hands trembled with each passing sip.

Eventually, we moved into the bedroom. Aarav did everything he could to make me feel comfortable on the bed. Then he snuggled up next to me.

His hairy paws felt rough on my skin. A part of me wanted to shove him away. But he pressed his lips onto mine and his tongue wandered into my mouth. My legs quivered and I felt an edge of wetness.

He gently undid my jeans, while planting kisses all over me. My heart pounded and my muscles twitched.

I should have stopped him right there. No further. This was already too much. I should’ve feigned some illness and made my escape.

Yet I didn’t. There was a wildness inside me that bubbled to the surface. A rage that had festered like the pus of an open wound.

Rage at the SUV driver for backing into my brother, at Nysha for drifting away from me and speaking about me the way she did. Rage at the universe for letting it all happen.

All that rage erupted then and there, and I let out a primal scream. Aarav looked startled.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

I smiled and nodded. I found myself egging him on as he climbed on top of me. Soft moans escaped my lips, an odd mix of pleasure and pain. Blood oozed out of me and trickled down my thighs.

What happened in the next ten minutes, I cannot recall. Even my famed memory could only produce hazy renderings of that chunk of time. The next thing I knew, Aarav emitted a series of low grunts, and rolled off me. He lay there looking smug and satisfied.

I gathered my clothes and went to the bathroom to wash up. I scrubbed and scrubbed till the last whiffs of that sticky smell were eradicated from my pores.

I reentered the bedroom and saw that Aarav had put his boxers back on. He slouched on the bed with a silly grin splashed across his face. I was only five-foot-four, but it felt like I was towering above him. In that moment, I experienced an inexplicable aura of power over him. Like I was the Queen and he was my subject.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Aarav said.

“No,” I said, finding a baritone in my voice. “You won’t. Not tomorrow, not the day after that, not ever again.”

“What?”

“You and me, we’re done. Finished.”

“You’re breaking up with me??” His forehead contracted and his cheeks collapsed inwards. “Why? What happened?”

“I can’t be in a relationship anymore. I need space to figure myself out.”

I stood still, waiting for further reaction. But he sat there looking dazed. I strode out of the bedroom, and he staggered after me.

“I…I don’t understand,” Aarav stammered. 

“You don’t need to understand. You just need to stop calling or messaging me. Don’t try to contact me ever again.”

I reached the front door, stopped, and turned.

“It’s over,” I said firmly.

He stood in his boxers with his jaw hanging open and his eyes glazed over, as I let the door swing shut behind me.

When I reached home, I saw Nysha lying motionless in the same position I had left her. I adjusted the blanket and tucked it around her body. I sat on the edge of her bed and watched her tummy rise and fall with the steady rhythm of her breathing.

After a time, I stood up. I changed and plopped down on my own bed. I lay on my left side, then on my right side, then on my left again. I squirmed onto my stomach. Whatever I did, I couldn’t fall asleep. I sprawled on my back with one arm dangling over the side of the bed, and peered at the white paint of the ceiling.

What the hell had I gone and done??

*****

Sunlight filled the bedroom, and I still hadn’t slept a wink. When Nysha awoke, I turned away and shut my eyes tightly. After she left the room, I resumed my staring contest with the ceiling.

Hours later, I conceded defeat and hauled myself up. The digital clock on my bedside table proclaimed that it was noon. Outside, the crows were croaking. I brushed my teeth while the events of last night rumbled around in my head.

I sauntered to the drawing room where Nysha was curled up on the sofa with her knees tucked into her chest. Her eyes were red and puffy, and watery tears rolled down her cheeks.

“What happened?” I asked.

She hesitated for a moment, then thrust her phone at me. “See for yourself.”

A series of messages from Aarav:

“How dare you talk to me like that? Who do you think you are, ha?”

“You think you can just use me and discard me like a second-hand toy??”

“I’m breaking up with you. BITCH. Don’t ever call me again. Don’t even look in my direction at college, you slut.”

I handed the phone back. “Who’s Aarav? Your boyfriend?”

“Ya,” Nysha said. “I mean, he was.”

“Something happened last night?” I said. “You came back quite late.”

“I did?” Nysha blinked rapidly. She looked like a puppy dog blinded by the headlights of a speeding truck. “I don’t know what happened…I can’t remember anything…”

For two full minutes, I watched her as her mind thrashed about, trying to recollect memories that it had never actually formed.

“Forget it,” I said finally. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

“But Aarav’s such a sweetheart…I can’t understand why he’s saying all these nasty things to me…I can’t…I don’t…”

The tears sprang forth again and cascaded down her face with the ferocity of a waterfall. Nysha buried her head into a pillow and bawled like a baby. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my sister like that. I had no inkling that this boy meant so much to her. I sat next to her and stroked her hair with my hand.

“It’s going to be alright,” I murmured. “I promise.”

I don’t know for how long we sat in silence. Nysha submerged in the pillow, and me caressing her lightly.  Eventually, she straightened and wiped her cheeks with the back of her palm. She squeezed my fingers. “I’ve missed this.”

“You have?”

“Of course I have. We used to be so close. But after Raja was gone, you disappeared into books.”

“I disappeared? What about you?? You were so into boys that you had no time for anything else.”

“There were so many boys in college…it was new,” Nysha shrugged, a gesture so eerily similar to mine that it felt like looking at my reflection.

“But you’re right,” She said. “Boys are horrible creatures.”

“They’re not so bad.”

“They are,” She insisted. “Boys are the worst things in the world, and I’m done with them.”

“Hah,” I snorted. “Before you even shower, you’ll have four new boyfriends lining up for you.”

I grinned broadly, and Nysha smiled back. She took my hands in hers.

“I’m sorry I ignored you for all these years,” She said. “I’m really sorry, Tysha.”

And she meant it, I could tell.

Pangs of guilt and shame assaulted me from within. I should fess up to what I had done. I really should. Nysha deserved to know the truth.

“I’m sorry too,” I said, and drew in a deep breath. “I…I shouldn’t have gotten so lost with books. But after Raja…” I felt a catch in my throat. “After the accident, books were the only escape route I knew. And I needed an escape.”

I put both my arms around Nysha, and let her head rest on my shoulder. I’d just gotten my sister back after so, so long. No way I was going to let her go. 

*****

One month has passed since that day…

Nysha and me sit and talk for hours now. We’re sisters again. Real sisters.

On the night when I made my treacherous plan, I couldn’t have anticipated such an unexpected outcome. Life can sometimes surprise and delight you in ways you would never have imagined.

We even talk a bit about boys. That wavy-haired boy approached me again in the library. I had told Nysha about him. This time, I spoke to him for a few minutes. It felt comfortable and nice.

Nysha had made a few attempts to talk it out with Aarav, but he stonewalled her. She was ready to move on from him, and wanted a makeover after the breakup. I volunteered to do it. She sat at the dresser while I stood behind her, focussed on my task.

“Sit still Nyshee,” I was permitted to call her that now.

I gathered up tufts of her hair and inserted colorful little beads into them. Nysha loved colors. Blue, green, red, yellow, orange. I put a rainbow on her head.

We reminisced about the time we had put beads in little Rajat’s hair. He had protested and grumbled, but us sisters had a gala time. How much we had laughed and laughed.

After the last bead was in place, I stepped back to examine my handiwork.

“Thanks Tysha, it looks amazing,” Nysha shook her head from side to side, making the beads rattle.

“Anytime,” I said and beamed at her.

I felt a sense of serenity. The broken pieces inside me had started to glue back together.

The next week, I missed my period.

I ordered a pregnancy test online and intercepted the package before anyone at home could see it. I squatted on the commode and peed on the small strip.

I paced back and forth in the claustrophobic confines of the bathroom. A bile churned in my tummy and rose up through my chest. My mouth tasted bitter. The commode rotated before me. The cupboard on the wall turned upside down. My breath came in wheezing gasps.

When that strip turned blue, I already knew there was life inside me. When that strip turned blue, I was plunged into a new world, more surreal than any novel I read. When that strip turned blue, I had no idea what to do…