The Four Sisters

My late father should have been lucky to have two back-to-back sons born from his young wife but his desire for more sons was insatiable. One fine day he issued a decree to my mother: We should make one more baby boy and then only we would be listening to the poor (Becharay) “Family Planning” people.

In the next nine years four baby girls are born to my parents. Salute to them generally and my father particularly because they clung on the hope and kept persevering for yet another son. Eventually father got his reward of third son (named Noor) beside my elder brother and me, after four adorable daughters. Hence, Noor and me (second from the top) are abridged with ten years gap and The Four Sisters.

It’s not an easy task to write and describe each and every one of my lovely and beautiful four sisters exclusively but I take the liberty to pen down whatever I can reminisce and observe about them; collectively, in pairs or individually. Generally speaking my four sisters split naturally into two vivid groups, a senior pair and a junior pair, right from the early age. The senior pair started going to school with an interval of one year, shared same bed, identical habits, similar clothes, dressing, toiletries, friends, music, movies, and yes, one of them nurtured a den of lice in her hair.

And so was the junior pair of sisters; of course, lice stay. Similarly, one of the elder group members took keen interest in doing household chores like cooking, washing, cleaning floors and helped our mother; the other one was just bent on pretending. The younger group also behaved likewise. One of the each pairs ate everything without hesitation that was cooked at home. One of the each pairs was just a staunch adversary of pulses (Daal) and used to create an unwarranted situation of hue & cry before succumbing to eating it.

There were also some dissimilarities between two pair of sisters; one had long straight hair, other carried short and curly cluster, senior group studied a little, juniors attended university, seniors got married early, juniors did after completing the graduation, seniors were married in an arranged mechanism, juniors were given the opportunity of their likings, seniors had a wealthy married outlook, juniors struggled all the way, still catching up.

One of my charming sisters is a replica of our late mother. Even when our mother was alive she could be seen behaving and acting mother-like with all of her siblings. Extremely tolerant, calm, unruffled and caring are some of her incomparable traits. She’s been an amazing cook and no matter how many guests surprise her with an unscheduled appearance, she prepares sumptuous food in a flash. Holding regular parties and large gatherings at her place is her forte and preparing biryani (chicken or mutton) is her signature cuisine.

You won’t believe but it’s true that from the very age of adolescence another sister of mine among the four sisters started fantasizing of marrying a rich person, into a wealthy family. She was hardly twenty when her dream came true. Ever since she’s been living a lovely life in an affluent society, Masha Allah. Interestingly, their regular and conventional 3-times a day food prepared at home always looks like party time.

Another one of the four sisters has been remarkable as mimicker or parody queen with her astounding power of observing others and then reproducing them with their exact style of speaking, expressing and behaving. Once she gets into her usual rhythm of parodying someone you wouldn’t be able to control your loud laughter, and often end up with cramps in your stomach. Her specialty is mimicking our village relatives, whether children or grownups, is outstanding though she’s good at mimicking at her brothers, in-laws and maids, etc., too. After every visit to our ancestral village she would return with a treasure of mimicry stuff and entertain whole family for months in every weekly gathering.

Yet another one among them is so sweet and hospitable to the core of her heart that you would doubt her genuineness and mistake her as she’s been pretending or faking up in the first place. She is a good listener to your problems, consoling and helping to all and sundry. Besides, she’s been extremely good at culinary skills.

Gossiping, like all ladies, is their favourite pastime. When it happens, rest assured, the big and loud cackling can be heard all across the premises. Everyone sits on the edge of their chairs and would often standup holding their bellies in order to control stomachache out of irrepressible laughing.

Dear Four Sisters, you may all live long in peace, perpetual health and prosperity with your respective families. Ameen.