Anamika

Ding-dong

"Hello aunty!"
Trisha wished my mom,  when she opened the door, a bit too enthusiastically in my opinion but that's Trisha for you. Always friendly and overly enthusiastic especially with elders and that's the reason why everyone adore her, especially my mother.

Sometimes I think Trisha is the one she bore for nine months and not me. The way they talk and gossip for hours without caring for others in the room make me think that.

Whenever they talk about me, It's like I don't exist, Even though I'm sitting right there. For them I'm just the person they talk about, doesn't matter if I'm in the room listening to every word they speak.  Kind of irritating but for some unknown reason I love them both to pieces. Which is abnormal in its own way.
Why can't I make them realize that I exist outside of their gossip world too.
"Hello Trisha! How are you beta?"

My mother replied,  with an adoration in her voice that sometime irritate me. Why can't she speak to me like that.
Yes I'm jealous of my best friend because my mom adore her. She talked to her in way that always left me yearning because the affection I always heard in her voice for Trisha is missing when she talk to me. That's why I don't like my best friend coming to my home. It's always like I have to remind her of my existence.

"Hey mom!"

"Hey to you too young lady." I rolled my eyes.
See the way she talk to me,  like I did something super wrong and it's usual, but I'm way better daughter than Trisha.
I'm the good daughter. I never spoke out of the way.  Always helping with the household chores.  Never demanded that she give me extra pocket money or started any tantrum for nothing like our diva Trisha.

I'm way neater than Trisha too. My room is always clean and neat where Trisha's room is always cluttered with junk wrappers and dirty clothes thrown everywhere.  I know it, she knew it. Even Trisha's mom say so but it's like my mother can't see it at all.

She can look past all her faults but a single step out of line by me is like the biggest mistake in the world for her.  Her young lady  is stark representation of it. To her I'm the one who is always at fault for some reason or another.
It's like I'm no one in my own home when Trisha is there, but still I can't help it. I can't say; 'Trisha you can't come home because I'm jealous of you', now can I? She is my best friend and the fact is not going to be changed. And I'm not allowed to be out of home after school. I'm to come straight home. And that's one rule I can't break. Even my father won't help in this.
Even though dad is not like mom. He adore me but there are rules which my mother set that he can't help me with. He provides me with everything I want. I just have to call him, and he would come straight home and will take me to places like café, parks, fares. Anywhere I want,  I just have to call him and he's always at my disposal. The only disappointment is that he won't let me out of home alone or without him. Whenever I say about going out with friends, he either say he will take us or if he can't then I'm not allowed to go. And it's just irritating.
still I think maybe if I had a brother things would have been different. He wouldn't have loved me the way he do now. I'm the apple of his eye and that's a fact I love. I cherish him too but still I yearned for my mother's love. Why can't she be frank with me, the way she is with Trisha.

Waiting five minutes and still no sign of their stopping the gossip, I finally called out to Trisha;

"Are you coming? We have a project to do, remember?"
I tried to insinuate through my tone, so she would come hurriedly. She looked at me and understood what I meant and said to my mum;

"Okay aunty I must go now, or this half jealous daughter of yours will turn green."
She said teasingly and gave a wink to my mum but thankfully she came to my room without delay.

But before I could enter my room, she hurried in and jumped on my bed before I could take it. She do this all the time. And whenever I complained she just say 'I love your bed, so comfortable! so soft! These murmaid sheets! this cute pink teddy! O how can I not love it!' I know she say all this to annoy me but I love her for this and this makes her do it even more.
My anger never seem to affect her and I'm glad for this. Because I don't think I could ever bear separation from her that my anger could cause.

I looked at her a second,  still standing on the door. But I  know nothing I say would move her from my bed so I silently and carefully closed the door and took my desk chair, dragging it near the bed as to talk to her without shouting or raised voice.

While I was doing all this, closing door,  dragging chair and taking my position,  she kept her eyes glued to me. She knew I  would chastise her for the comment she just made downstairs but I  thought to make her squirm, so I deliberately stayed silent for a couple minutes but I  glued my eyes to her. Finally after five minutes, she could take it no longer and ask;

"Are you going to say anything or we will just sit like this all evening?"

I know, she know what she really wanted me to say but we were both playing this game, waiting for the other to say something. But our years of friendship has taught me one thing about  Trisha and that is that she could  bear anything  but silence wasn't one of her thing, especially  when she has something on her mind she can't bear silence, 'uh ah I'm not gonna say it babe', I thought.

"Aren't you gonna say 'what was that half jealous, green thing about?'" I only shook my head in reply. "Seriously nothing?"
Again I shook my head but this time I had that teasing smile on my lips that she just hates.

'Huff!'

"Trisha! Trisha! Trisha! So cute you look sitting on this Mermaid sheet covered bed, holding my cute pink teddy and sporting that pout...Awe how much I  love you just now!"

"Shut up, you don't  love me at all. And I hate you!"
Saying thus she started to move from bed. I know her she meant to take her bed and leave for home. She was angry. So before  she could move out of my reach, I caught her arm to stop her.

"okay, okay sorry missy! I won't tease you no more. Just come back and sit now Trishu. See the red head mermaid seem so lonely without you.  Come on be the good girl my mum believe you to be." I  looked down the moment the last line slipped from my mouth.

I can just feel my jealousy in my tone,  and the word I spoke and she too know my feelings and sympathize with them. But it's natural, we can't  change it, so better accept it. And that's what we do and it means  change of topic. And before I could propose a new topic or say anything,  she said it,

"So I  thought  you brought me here,  so we could find out what that stranger, lawyer guy, wanted with you? Or why uncle is paying him for past thirteen years?"

"Yes... Yes that's what you came to help me find out but how? Do you have any idea?" I asked her and I  swear my expression were that of a confused person because clearly I was confused. I was confused about the way to go. I didn't have the courage to ask mum directly and there was no other way to go about this. So what to do? What to do?
My curiosity won't let me rest until I  know the reason for my father's anger and my mother's sob. I just can't rest!

At that moment  Trisha shouted;

"I have an Idea!"

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