Colors

six

I shot up from the sofa in excitement. "Get ready, Om!" I called out.

"Okay!" he shouted back.

I ran to the door and peeked through the blinds. I saw two little kids — a girl and a boy. They definitely looked my brother's age.

The boy was smiling widely and showing off the little gap in his mouth from a missing tooth. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and was slightly shorter than the girl. His hair was buzzed short, and he was jumping up and down excitedly.

The girl did not share the same sentiments. She hid her hands behind her back and shuffled her feet around awkwardly. Her short hair was right below her ears, and a butterfly pin was clipped into it. She wore a casual yellow dress.

The boy was talking to her, and the shy smile on her face grew.

I opened the door for them, the grin on my face huge. "Hi guys!" I exclaimed.

The girl immediately hid behind the boy. The boy's grin matched mine. "Hi! I'm Dhruv Patel the II!" The words tumbled from his mouth quickly, but as a fast talker myself, I understood him clearly.

I laughed. "Are you now?"

"Yes, my grandpa was also Dhruv!" he told me excitedly. Dhruv put out his hand for me to shake, and I shook it firmly.

His strength matched my own. "May we come in?" he asked me, trying to be polite.

"Of course," I told him, gesturing for them to enter. "I'm Laila," I told the pair, closing the door behind them. "What's your name?" I asked the girl.

"Um..." She looked up at me with doe eyes and then at her brother for help.

"This is my twin sister, Ruhani Patel the I," Dhruv announced as the pair slipped off their shoes. "Her name is original in the family."

"Yeah," Ruhani agreed softly after giving her brother a weird look.

"Well, it's nice to meet you guys," I told them as we walked to the kitchen.

I heard the twins whispering behind me. "I told you not to say that, Dhruv!" Ruhani scolded quietly.

"Say what?"

"The I and II thingy! Now she thinks we're so weird and babyish!"

Dhruv laughed, trying to keep his voice down. "I don't like to listen to you."

I heard a gasp. "That's mean! I'm older, so you have to listen to me." I heard some shuffling around, and it sounded like someone was being shoved.

I held back my laughter. Little kids were the best.

"Are you guys hungry?"

They spoke in unison.

"Yes."

"No."

The former was said by Dhruv, and he looked to his twin.

Ruhani tried to give him a subtle look of anger, but it wasn't very subtle.

"He's not hungry," Ruhani informed me. "He's just confused."

I felt that. I ate all the time when I was confused.

"Yeah, I'm confused," Dhruv agreed.

His stomach rumbled.

I laughed, not able to hold it in anymore. "Well, I made dhokla especially for you guys, so if you aren't hungry-"

"Dhokla! Yes, I'm hungry," Dhruv decided, sitting down on the stool at the island.

He looked at Ruhani with guilt. "I can lie, but my tummy cannot."