Siblings relationships are complex but they are also the simplest of all.
You fight all the time but no one needs to explain themselves.
You do big and touching gestures towards each other but there is no formality.
And finally, there is just heartwarming knowledge that they will be there, no matter what.
The story of this sibling duo, which was originally posted by Humans of Bombay, is about this and a lot more.
Born first, the girl always wanted a brother and would innocently plead her mother for one.
My mom told me that when I was 2, I’d pray for a younger brother every single day. When Varun was born, I was so happy! When I started going to school, he’d wait for me to come home & only then have lunch. We’d eat out of the same plate!
They loved each other but of course, there were fights. A lot of them.
Like any other siblings we fought over clothes, the cycle & who gets to bat while playing cricket. We’d beat each other up, but these fights brought us closer.
But they had each other’s back, like all siblings do. They’d threaten to reveal secrets to their parents but would never actually do that.
And just like that, they grew up and life became tougher.
The first blow came with her brother’s accident.
I got the call at 3 AM & panicked – thankfully he wasn’t injured…but his friend passed away. It took a while for him to move past the trauma. I tried to make sure he took care of himself and moved on.
The second in the form of his sister’s ailment.
A few months after, I got a stomach infection. It kept getting worse & ultimately I was diagnosed with a kidney disease, which was already in its last stage.
The disease was not treatable and a transplant was required. When none of the family members’ blood groups matched, her brother came forward and said he’d do it.
She resisted so he went to the doctor to talk himself.
He went to the doctor on his own & said, ‘I’m doing it.’ I tried talking him out of it but he was set on his decision.
The ultimate and possibly the most difficult challenge came with their parents’ demise.
Time & again he tells me that dad would’ve been proud of me. So here we are… from fighting with each other to fighting for each other. I guess it’s a sibling thing!