Lemonade

ARA

"Ahhh!" I shouted.
My head paining.
"Ara, please rest, you have fever. Lie down and sleep. You will surely feel better." Mom said.
"Ara I've made you a cup of coffee. Get ready." Dad was shouting from the kitchen. He is the world's best coffee maker.
"Okay daddy...." I replied.
After drinking a cup of coffee, I felt much better.
"Now you should sleep dear." Dad said.
I slept.
"Ara..... be careful!" I heard someone shouting.
"Don't. Please. Stop." The same voice shouted.
I, without looking back took a step forward.
As I realized what I was doing I turned back. But then someone pushed me and I fell.
I fell down the cliff.
"Ahhh!" I shouted.
I got up. My eyes closed.
"Ara! What happened? Are you all right?" Mom shouted.
It was a dream. A very bad dream.
"I had a bad dream."
"Its okay , are you fine now??
"Yes mom." I replied
"I'm bringing you something to eat. Please eat." Mom said.
"Okay."
Mom went downstairs.
Meanwhile I went to the bathroom and took a bath.
I came out and ate what mom brought.
"Dad has gone to the office and I'm going too. There is an emergeny in the Office. I have to go. Please take care. And please don't open the door. No one is coming. You will not call anyone. Not even Eva. Understand" mom said.
"Okay mommy. Please come back soon." I said.
"Bye ."
"Bye."
We hugged each other.
Now I was alone.
I decided to watch TV.
As I reached downstairs, I saw my mom's room and remembered what happened.
What was the person searching for?
I entered her room, took the keys and opened her closet.
I searched for something. Even I didn't know what I was searching for?
I put my hands under moms clothes and then something caught my hand.
It was an album.
Was this my childhood album?
I was excited, because I never got to see my childhood album. Mom and dad used to tell me that my album is lost.
I opened it and saw my pictures.
Oh! I used to be so cute....
I turned the pages. All of us were so happy in the pictures.
Wait.
There was something common in all the pictures.
Instead of three there were four members.
Me. Mom. Dad. And someone else.
A girl. Two to three years older than me.
She used to look a lot like me.
There was one picture in which dad was holding her in his arms. I was in moms arms. We are all smiling.
Who was she?
Why was she there in our family picture?
Is she my sister??
But I don't have any sister.
Was the person searching for this album?
Why? Why is my life so messed up?
If she is not my sister, then why is she in these pictures?
Should I ask mom about this?
Or should i ask dad?
Is there something else in here?
I again moved my hands.
Again something caught my hand.
It was a diary.
My mom's diary.
I opened the diary.
I was shattered.
______________________________________
Tuesday 15th 1999
August

Dear diary,
I am so happy. Just a month more and I will give birth to a little baby...
I'm so excited.
Okay diary so now I have to rest or else my little baby will suffer (according to David)
Bye.
Yours,
Katherine.

______________________________________
Monday 19th 1999
September

Dear diary ,
It has been a month since I have written to you .
I have a really great news to tell you.
I have given birth to a little baby girl.
Ava.
We have named her Ava.
Such a beautiful name. It has been 3 days since she has born.
She is so cute. I'm officially a mother now.
She looks just like a flower.
I'm really tired right now. Ava is besides me. She just slept (after a lot of crying), giving me time to clean my cupboard and then I found you and I started writing. Well Ava is troubling me a lot. Okay diary. Now I have to stop writing and continue cleaning my cupboard.
Bye,
Yours
Katherine.

______________________________________

.......
What????
My head was rushing with questions.
I have an elder Sister?
But I never knew her or have seen her.
So is this girl in the picture my sister?
Ava?
Oh! So now I understand .......
That is why sometimes mom and dad call me Ava instead of Ara.
Now the question is -WHERE IS AVA?
Is there something I don't know but I should know?

I read a few more pages of mom's diary. I was sure that I have an elder Sister named Ava.
I was sitting in mom's room for two hours, busy reading mom's diary.
She mentioned about her life, her fights, dad and AVA .
All I knew was mom was a strong brave and an independent women.

But she is not the same now. Nor is dad.
Mom and Dad were so happy in the pictures.
But now it seems as if they have lost all their charm.
It took me 4 hours to read her diary and think.
The diary carried a lot of memories.
From Ava' s birth to my birth.
The last page was dated 30th May 2002, an year after I was born.
What happened after that?
I kept the diary and album back at place locked the cupboard and came out.
I sat on my sofa and switched on the tv.
I watched a movie.
Then an hour later mom came.
I was constantly looking at her face comparing her with the same Katherine in the pictures.
I wanted to ask her , but I couldn't. I feared the consequences.
The day went on as usual, dad came we had dinner, watched tv and then slept. I wanted to tell someone about what happened to me today.
But who?
Eva.
I called her.
"Hello Ara...." Eva said.
"Hi. There is something I need to tell you about." I said.
"What? Is everything fine?"she replied.
I told her everything.
"What? An elder Sister? Ava?......
Is this why sometimes your mom an dad call me Ava instead of Eva sometimes?" Eva said
" Yes I think so..... Even they call me Ava instead of Ara..."
"Now I understand....." Eva replied.
"What should I do now?" I asked her.
"I know what you should do. What we should do." Eva said.

....... To be continued.

~~
So finally you have reached to the third chapter of the story.....
I hope you are finding the story interesting.....

The next chapter is from Eva's point of view.

If you want to give some suggestions or ideas ,please feel free to do so by private messaging me.

Hope you have a nice and a lucky day. :)
Regards ,
Himangi:)