Memory Lane: On the Turning Away!
********************************
The situation was grave. Contrary to the first day when they had come to pick me at the airport, they remained solemn in the Cab. I couldn’t associate my siblings without their characteristic laughter that stretched for a long period of time. Once, when I had danced in Tihar unable to hold my exuberance, it became their antidote to gloomy
days for half a decade ….

Within fifteen minutes, I checked in my baggage. The airport was almost empty. We walked hesitantly through these empty spaces—around and within us. Without even asking me, my sister ordered my favorite croissant with egg cheese and sausage. “security check lamo hola, pheri gastric badcha tero!”

This was the first sentence she had spoken all morning. We sank in the chairs facing each other. I felt better. “aba timi haroo ni US ghumna aaija ni ta, ek dui barsa ma! I proposed dubiously. Eye contacts are not appropriate at all times. Tears trickled down their face instantly. I tried to cheer them up “US tyasto boring pani chaina ni.”

“Babu! Ta aba ja! Dhilo huncha pheri!” My other sister broke out!
“Security check point samma aaija na ta..” ………

*****************
We lay lazily in the rug supposedly doing our astronomical dashain homework, while my older sister sat in the bed murmuring her book. Deep inside, we were all dreaming about the fireworks of Tihar. Furthermore, it was one of those strange holidays for me. This was the second time I had known my two siblings do “katti” with each other. Just like
the previous time, they had again chosen the “chor aunla” which meant that they wouldn’t talk to each other for another eternity.

Just then my sister reminded me of the pack of white rabbit maami had got for us the previous day. Chocolates were unfathomable addiction at the time. I volunteered to get it cause I knew exactly where maami put it. I opened the podrej daraj whose handle squealed annoyingly exposing its inner rust. Then I unlocked the mini drawer inside the
wardrobe. Taking out two of our favourite candies, my eyes ran through the neat but depleted piles of 5, 10 and 20 rupee bills on the side. It had been a long Dashain for our parents. A sporadic guilt passed through me. My heart raced and my hands shook, but I couldn’t do it even at that innocent age. As much pampered as I was as the only son,
I vaguely understood the middleclass frustration of parents rearing four children in KTM.

We munched at them greedily but it only triggered more craving. This time my younger sister volunteered to get them. My older sister sitting in the bed across from us was watching all this very vigilantly. As soon as we had finished our second helping, my older sister motioned me to go out of the room with her eyes. Over the years, we’d become experts of eye language.

“Taile dekhis?” she whispered in my ears in the corridor.
“K?” I demanded.
“tyasle 10 rupiya daraj bata nikali!” I was slightly taken aback.
“hoina hola” I tried to defend
“Napattaye, tyasko bag ma check garr!” My heart grew heavy and all my enthusiasm about Tihar vanished. That night while my sister was watching TV, I quietly slid in their room and opened the front pocket of her bag and peered in the semi hazy light of the room. My heart thumped loudly in anguish seeing the crispy end of a brownish 10 rupee
note…

***********
The news had broken out, and it was official. We had our usual crisis meeting in the kitchen with Maami. Dad was usually not summoned for such meetings for obvious reasons.

“Maile hoina maami, maile hoina!” I could hear the cry of my younger sister pleading to maami. Failing to make the case, she stamped out of the back door sobbing. I hated my older sister. Why did she have to tell maami? She stood there by the door with an evil smile. Maami, busy cooking, slowly motioned to me.

“babu! Baini ko bani kasari saparne? Ja fakayera bhitra le. taile bhanyo bhane manche ni. Daddy le thaha paunu bhayo bhane marnu huncha!” I nodded my head and followed out the back door in our “baari”. My sister lay on top of the pile of gravels in the middle of our yard. She sulked there crying in infrequent tone. It felt uneasy to ask anything. She rubbed off her tears seeing me. She looked into my eyes and took the nearest gravel she could find and hit it on her head.

I got a little surprised “makuri! K gari ra”?
She would have none of me. After some time she told me slowly. “chucho chucho dhunga khoji rako! Afno tauko ma hanera marchu”
I almost broke into a laughter but I held firm. “dhunga le hanera afai marne?” I bantered her
“aaaan” she said. Suddenly, she picked a little too pointed a stone and hit it on her head that she frowned at me exposing her pain.
“sanchi nai dukhdo raicha!” we both broke into a laughter.

contd..
******************

“Jaaam! Gahana pokhari ghumera aamm” I tried to cheer her up.
“Let’s race! She got up and grabbed her bmx and went out before I could even say anything. I followed closely behind her. As usual, we first went to maligaon and bought some ledo titaura and a five star I craved for. My dashain money, which was less than half of all" my sisters got was fast disappearing. I didn’t care though. I was going back to school right after Tihar and I wouldn’t need money anymore. We cycled back to Gahana Pokhari, parked our ride and sat on the edge looking at the drying pond. The titaura soon had its effect on our nose and the eyes. We took long breaths and finished it as soon as we could. Then I took my five star out, made a line right at the middle and broke into two.

After finishing the chocolate, we stood there talking and making plans for tihar. I grabbed some round stones and hurled it from the side to the pond where it bounced off on the surface. WOW my sister exclaimed. She followed my suit. Seeing her happy and off the hook, I hesitantly slid in the guilt “makuri! Taile dus rupiya leko ho daraj bata?”

Suddenly, she stopped hurling stones. Her smile disappeared. Her face began to squeal without a sound. She looked right into my eyes boldly and burst into tears “taile pani tyastai bhan thanchas?” Before I could console her, she got up dragged her bike and rode as fast as she could towards home. I stood there following her trails unable to
forgive myself for accusing her in the open. Reluctantly, I biked back home with the pain sipping out of my heavy heart.

**************

“Oyssss…yeta aaija na!” My sister stood by the door of the living room where all of us were watching TV.
“K bhayo” I asked her in the corridor. “malai duita five rupee ko notes de na”
“I reached my pocket and handed her the notes. She took my palm and pressed the same notorious ten rupee note on my hand. She began to head out.

“kata jana lako?” I asked. “duita gamala kinera lyauchu hai? Kali didi ko pasal ma 5 rupiya matrai re!”
“ani yo dus rupiya” she read my dilemma.
She smiled at me painfully. “Dashain dekhin bachara raakheko thiyen. Sadhai bag mai thiyo” She scurried off.

I was so happy, and I scurried off to relay the information to maami who was screaming on top of her lungs for us to come over for dinner so that she wouldn’t miss another episode of mahabharat! As things stood, one had just ended.

***************
.... "Security check point samma aaija na ta" I hesitantly requested them. They firmly shook their head increasing my own vulnerability. A sense of cosy-discomfort seized all three of us as I hugged them a final goodbye. I began to walk towards the gate with a mixed bag of emotions.

Distance creates subtle rifts. Over time they become irreparable gorges. How wrong I had been about this all these years!

For most girls, a tear is a means of a hydraulic force to defeat the masculine prowess. However, the tears that trickled down my sisters' faces resonated strength of our bond that had been fostered over the years of innumerable memories. The reminiscences of joy, pain, tears, and laughter that smeared the entire spectrum, but were exclusively
ours to cherish for life. Family is indeed like a constellation of stars. You might be millions of miles away from each other, but you will always be part of the same constellation.

"Oys!” My sister let out a weak shrill. I turned back slowly. “Yo pali ta mildaina. Next year bhai-tika ma aauna try garr hai!” I nodded my head unable to speak. I felt as if I had grown up in titanic proportion at that instant in time. It could only be the 7th Bhai Tika I’d miss this year but it wasn’t as important as the realization that there wasn’t any distance among us. Ever! For the irreparable gorge I had invented with my fickle mind, I had reconciled it safely with my gorgeous memories. :)

Wow this is great , tapai ko writings padeko ta afno didi ra dai po yaad ayo .

its really great

Another masterpiece from "The WC" himself :p.. thoroughly enjoyed it!! simply simple! simply you. Please do keep writing!!

oys,
nice indeed.
u miss ur sisters )O: me too .. its tough.

hey make sure that u go home this winter...

ani call me sometime.

Simple yet bagful of emotions and splendidly written!

"For most girls, a tear is a means of a hydraulic force to defeat the masculine prowess. However, the tears that trickled down my sisters' faces resonated strength of our bond that had been fostered over the years of innumerable memories. The reminiscences of joy, pain, tears, and laughter that smeared the entire spectrum, but were exclusively
ours to cherish for life. Family is indeed like a constellation of stars. You might be millions of miles away from each other, but you will always be part of the same constellation."

This is simply great and made tears trickle down on cheeks!

Thanks for sharing oys and hopefully you'll continue your writing! :)

Bravo!!!!!
Your writings have always fascinated me.. and I hope it forever will...Keep on writing!!!!

Oys bro,

Just with a simple reference of Gahana Pokhari, afno man ta pugi halyo tyahi--- I also remembered those countless moments I have left behind there---one day I will go there to share some moments with those countless palharu. Din raat tinai sadakharuma je payo tyai boladai baralidai garinthyo kunai bela --- naak thunera hinnu parne bataharule pani manma achel ghar banayeka chhan --- jhan afna didi bahiniharulai tyo pani tiharko bela samjhida ta jhallamalla bhako afno manko aaganma dekhchhu tiniharulai ma pani ra sangai pataka padkauchhhu --- fuljhadi hallauchhu --- gamalama ujyalieka tiniharuko khusi dekhchhu ani kittyma jhel garera feri pani dui char rupya jitna sakiela jasto ahile pani thanchhu --- afailai purana dinharuma lagera haraidinchhu memory lane ma baralinchhu---

keep writing.

Simply outstanding...dherai nai maan paryo hai...

"Family is indeed like a constellation of stars. You might be millions of miles away from each other, but you will always be part of the same constellation." Loved this line...

Keep on coming...

Simply Awesomee...

Seems like Flippy and I doted on the same para.... Well written!!
I found extra charm in the directly quoted dialogues .......“makuri! K gari ra”? ........

Couldn't find better words - A Real Nice One!!

Hey, it was indeed very good. Brought tears to my eyes..Missed spending Bhai tika with my brothers this year...This was really emotional..Thanks for a wonderful story on a Bhai tika..

None can give such a unique flavor to anecdotal writing as you do! Long time Oys! do you venture out to VA, DC, MD? :)

Darshan Deepji!

Autumn's here,
Bringing lengthening shadows of
Curiosity,
Where were you in the last tilt of the axis,
Where were you in the final slants of the setting sun?!

Like the rays
to the Sun as always
Faithful I was
To the fate, though dazed
Often, shadow I was
But sundown razed.

Abhibadan Sitara ji.

Awesome writing. I really enjoyed reading your story.

Those days when we had our own world, we were complete by ourself. We were the universe on our own. Those endless hours of bantering, getting lost on any of those improvised sports; cuddling on the couch infront of the TV set. But she was there with you and they were there with you. They make you feel important. They valued your life and dreams more than their own. Now you are out in the jungle, left alone and vulnerable. Ah, when you are away, you miss your life. Everyone does.
But
Oys, when you express it, everyone feels the way you do.

Deep,
malai pani mero galli haruma Chuteko Atit pheri yek patak angalna mann lagcha. bahula sari barbaraundai Khusile, tyo chuteka palharu pheri sametna mann lagcha.

Is it the time or the place I am missing? I am missing it hard.

Its good that i haven't missed a bhai tika yet. I am very fortunate.
But I feel the bond between you and your sister bro. you and your memory lanes, hands down, classics.

Oys bro,
you make me cry everytime i read your memory lanes, damn you! hehe...i was thinking about my sister and i read your story, it brought tears to my eyes....

good one!

LooTe

Oys,
I cannot comprehend the relationship between a Brother and a sister while growing up.As i didn't had any sister.And you reminded me ..what i have missed :(
Awesome piece as always.
My fav part:
Suddenly, she picked a little too pointed a stone and hit it on her head that she frowned at me exposing her pain.
“sanchi nai dukhdo raicha!” we both broke into a laughter.

that was funny ..lucky you:)