THE KARATE KID

Well like all kids at school, I dreamed of being a superhero and I wanted to write my own legendary chronicles. And am still working on it.

But my literary skill wasn’t the only thing that was stopping me. I had a nemesis. My arch enemy who lived with me. Who had vowed to make my life a living hell since the day I was born. And I called her…MY SISTER..!!! *thunder and heavy lightning in the background*  (Actually in my secret circles she was popular by the names of the “beast”, “witch”, “poison ivy”, “bandit queen” and loads of ugly looking animal names that I picked up from encyclopedia). Well to write a superhero win over his arch enemies, I had to experience the taste of winning a fight or at least an argument which with her, I sadly never could. Hence I was blocked. This state exists till date.

Well, back to 0fiction, since I felt the best way to write a nonfictional story to write of your own, this is one of my stories.

 ********FLASHBACK*****

*********EASTMAN COLOR PRINT*******

It was the 90’s.

Not the early 90’s but the latter half of it.

I was in 7th std and my sister in her 10th. It was an important year for her because she had her board exams coming up. But those didn’t stop the violence at home that took place between us. My parents were so beautifully convinced by her that I was the one who started it and always pestered her that they secretly had planned to disown me. So I made sure I never started anything. We had our strategies set. By now, I had mastered the guerrilla war tactics attacking her when she least expected it which was my strategy. And hers was simpler, Catch him, hammer him, beat him into pulp. Now the only flaw in my plans was the “escape” part. Since we both stayed in the same house getting caught by her was inevitable and that meant casualties were unavoidable. Now one thing I admired the most about my sister was that she never complained about me to my parents until I complained about her brutality. Though she being at fault was the most likely reason according to me, she recently confided that she loved the beating-me-up part more than complain-to-dad part. In fact she said that that gave her the confidence of standing up against any eve teasing during her college. (Who would have thought huh??) She was a terror even there.

Anyways…coming back to the story. It was a Sunday. My parents had left us all alone and had been to our native for a day. Well, by now you could have imagined the potential risk they had taken. We were separately briefed about our behavior and what could be the consequence if they get any complaints from any of us. While I was repeatedly told of completing my assignments by the time they return, poison ivy was meeting up with her friends and working on some lab report/assignment which was due submission. So she would be out too most of the day. With that assurance they left leaving the responsibility of the entire house and my homework on me till she returns.

I locked the door and immediately got down to work without wasting anytime. Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles was being aired on TV. then power rangers...that was followed by a couple more stuffs and I totally lost track of time. I suddenly realized I had real work to complete. I was about to start on my assignment when my friend called out for cricket and since I was the only left hander in the team, I had a special spot in the team too. Post cricket, by the time I reached home, poison ivy was waiting outside the door. I had locked it from outside and dint bother to pass the key it to our neighbor just in case. She was furious but I said am sorry and that I had never expected her to come back so early. (Actually I had not forgotten. I had all the intentions of making her wait. J one and half hour to my calculation. Two according to hers. ) she came in, quickly locked the door and asked me if I had finished all my work? I casually said yes I did. She asked me to show it and I refused saying that just because ma had left her in charge doesn’t mean she can start acting like ma. Phat…!! A slap landed right on my face. “How dare you talk to me like that? Now I know you haven’t done your homework and I don’t want you to finish it either. I would love it when they throw you out of the class tomorrow.  You will first clean up your room and then if you want, start with the writing.” She was literally barking on to my face. I felt she wouldn’t even hesitate to take a bite dare I try to refuse her then.

I immediately got into cleaning while she started laying out her sheets and writing her assignment and data neatly. (Oh, she was very neat. Very very neat. Obsessive compulsive neat. Like sick mad neat. I hope you are getting a picture of it). By the time I was finished she had completed quite a few sheets and had laid the neatly across the table. She was filling fresh ink to her pen when the phone rang. She went to pick it up and was talking over to her friend. Right then, I saw it. An opportunity for revenge. The slap on my face would cost her something. An open bottle of ink, laid neat sheets of assignment. Yes, you got what I was thinking. I was ready for my secret attack. And to sound natural, I casually said/screamed out loud. “Boy, all those cleaning brought the dust out. I can’t stop sneezing. I pushed the ink bottle on to the sheet and turned faking a sneeze. My sneeze froze when I saw her standing right behind me so silently, as if she was expecting me to do something.

What happened next was too brutal to write. All I can say is that there was a lot of violence in that scene. Mostly one sided. The beast was on a rampage. When it all ended, I had a bump on my forehead and cheeks red with clear visible hand prints. I was made to clean all the mess, draw neat border to fresh sheets and write all of it again. (She said that since I would be writing all the work, handwriting was not a problem. Even if she was caught she would come up with something.)

When mom and dad arrived, it was post dinner time. I was busy finishing up my assignment with all the remaining energy and bruised ego. Mom came into my room and when she saw what happened, she almost screamed. Her sight was so relieving. Like a POW looking at his freedom, I looked at ma with eyes all full I cried out. To my full. Hearts content. Narrated my version of the stories in all snobs and blowing my nose off. Meanwhile she went ahead and narrated what had happened to dad. By the time I was reaching my end, dad came in to my room which now sounded like a mourning house and said, “You did the mischief, you got the punishment. No more discussions” and left. 

Arey what did he mean by no more discussion??? What about me??? I wanted my sister to be thrown out of the house and never to be taken in. Banished forever. beat her up and then throw stones at her till she was driven away out of sight. But who would listen. After a lot of yelling and screaming and more sobbing, right when dad was about to lose his temper on me, that is when mom came up with her 2 point solution.

1.      1My sister would never ever ever never and that meant like for eternity never was supposed to beat me up. My parents were the only people who had the right to even lay hands upon me. She would have to go them and they would eventually decide what degree of punishment I had in store or whether to kill me and solve the problem once and for all.

2.        2. As for, what about me… since they dint trust my habit of starting or getting into trouble or playing mischief at her and given that her temper levels were so pathetic that she would still prefer beating me to pulp and face the consequences, I was enrolled to karate classes. For self-defense. Self-defense only. They too knew the fact the chances of me using it for attack on her and getting away alive was impossible.

That’s the story of how I landed up at karate classes. My friends till date think I was fascinated by the movie. Standing in the third row of the second line in my karate class, wearing all white dress and a belt, I vowed revenge. Someday. Someday I shall avenge myself and make her pay. 

Till then… heeeeeeyaaaahhhhh…!!!!!

P.S : MY SISTER IS MY BEST FRIEND TODAY... IN FACT SHE IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME IN MY LIFE.

P.P.S : AND TO THIS DAY, WE SIT AND LAUGH AT ALL THE STORIES AND FIGHTS WE FOUGHT AND LAUGH ABOUT IT....!!! (

True... your sibling is the best connection between your past and your present. and this story is dedicated to her and all those who shared such wonderful memories with their arch enemies called BROTHER/SISTER. @_@

CHEERS....!!!!