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Sayal

Having spent 8 years of my life in the hostel, I had almost forgotten that I had a baby brother back home. Now, that I'm home and every time I get to see him he's the most annoying creature in this place. What is with younger siblings being jealous and territorial about parents? I will never understand. But this kid has been one hell of a fun guy too. I can hear moma yelling at him all day long and I wonder how he does handle it all. It's just so comical hearing him get scolded over using the iPad too much but nothing was said when he kicked the TV with his football and we had to replace it or when he joked with his teacher that the teacher’s brain was upside down and he needed to go to the mental hospital. He got away unscratched, moma was worried that he was turning into a psychopath and she read in her Facebook feed that the best way to tackle those of his kind was to shower them with immense love. Yet this learning gets laid aside everytime he is found playing FreeFire on his overheated iPad.

Sometimes it's amusing to think of this guy sharing my parents and such a big portion of my life; my cousins, my neighbours, my aunt, my grandparents, my house and whatnot. Regardless, I could never admit to him that I like having him around, especially when I can practice my karate skills on him or rant to him about Middle East Politics. The greyish iris blinks behind the thick glasses with interest and confusion asking the most obvious question. ‘Well, why can’t they not give guns to Saudi Arabia and stop what is happening in Yemen?’ I often see myself lost in this childlike innocence when the world was easy, predictable and decodable. Isn't that the ultimate goal? Why does it have to be so difficult?


I like it when he comes to me with grammar and math problems when I can boss him around. I especially like it when he acts like my personal butler and I force him to reply with a ‘Welcome’ after I thank him. His famous phrases are ‘Sayal King’ and ‘2+2=5’. I hear this forty times a day as he rants it like a prayer. My point is he still is annoying yet when he calls me ‘Saurya’ instead of ‘Saurya didi’ and addresses me as Timi, I feel like this 12-year-old, not even a teenager, might be a friend, an ally.



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