I Wish

“Remind me mother, why are we camping in the back yard?” Sevi complained for about the millionth time, he sat beside his mother in the tent, with his arms crossed across his chest, his face a frown. “It is a great way to bond without the excuses of you guys being buried in your phone screens. And I am also sure you mother would so much love this. It’s only eight pm, we cannot sleep this early, I am sure the lights will be back soon” “Fine.” Sevi rolled his eyes and proceeded to straighten the woollen blanked he sat on. Soon his sisters Kali and Sidi joined them with a pot of coffee and cookies. “I figured we could use some caffeine out here”, Kali said as she put the pot on the yellow blanket that laid in the middle. “The cups will not bring themselves here Sevi.” Sidi glared at the brother who was comfortably laid on the tent floor with arms behind his head and legs crossed as he stared at the ceiling of the grey tent as if he were watching an interesting movie. For a moment, he did not move, it was as if he had not heard what his sister had said. “Get up you lazy bone” Sidi kicked the leg which had been put on the other. “When will you two ever stop being so childish?” their mother complained. Sidi and Sevi were twins. They never really got along because none of them seemed to think the other deserved each other’s respect. After a minute or two of arguing, Sevi went for the cups.

“I have a suggestion” Sidi excitedly said as she received the coffee pot from her mother and poured it into her pink plastic cup. “Of course, you do…” Sevi interrupted. Sidi gave him a death glare and rolled her eyes. She passed the pot to Kali who was sitting next to her and continued to suggest that they play a game. It was “the game of wishes” which they had played many times. It was a family game and was almost a family tradition for them to play the game on Christmas night, New year, and most holidays. Today was not a holiday but it felt like the game was necessary to keep them entertained. They all agreed to play the game.

“Who will start?” Sidi asked. “Why are you looking at me? I am not starting Kali declared as she put the remaining part of her half-eaten cookie into her mouth and proceeded to sip coffee. “Don’t even start with me Sidi, am not starting” Sevi announced even before Sidi could ask him. She sighed defeatedly. “Okay, I will start” Jolie volunteered. They all turned to her expectantly. It reminded her of the way she and her siblings used to sit around their grandmother and listen to her tales about her doing trade with people from far lands and travelling to those places on foot, or about her sister Wayu who would always get into trouble by secretly running away from home with a lover or going to a disco party. She was a great storyteller. That was years ago, but Jolie remembered it all too vividly. She missed her siblings most of who had married and started their own families like herself, except for John who had decided the marriage life was too noisy and tiring and had settled to travelling the world and having as much fun as he could. She used to liken him to her great-aunt Wayu. They were the freest independent souls she knew. Even if she herself had never met Wayu as she had died long before she had been born, she felt like she knew her from pictures and all the stories her grandmother Lucia had told them about her. Those memories made her feel old.

“Mama?” Kali waved her hand up and down across her mother’s face distracting her from her trance of memories. Jolie shook her head startled, “I am sorry I got carried away there for a moment. Okay, my wish is to travel to the United Kingdom in five years’ time. Specifically, London. I want to see what the fuss about their tea is about” They all laughed at the wish. They knew it was an impossible wish as they did not have enough money to support such a trip not unless Jolie won the lottery, but it was her wish. The rules of the game required the person who had played to choose the next player. Jolie chose Sidi next.

“I was hoping to go last…” “Can you just play whiner”, Sevi interrupted her before she could continue complaining. “You two need prayers. Play Sidi” Kali laughed. “It’s not like I am not going to, am just stating a previous wish of mine. Okay, guess you are all now interested in my current wish. I wish to become a great singer one day.” Sidi had always loved singing and her undeniably melodious voice and writing talent made her wish very viable. They all nodded to the wish. Sidi picked Kali to go next.

“Alright. I umm…” Kali tapped her finger on her cheek and bent her head to the right in thought. “I wish for you two to get along” Kali pointed at Sidi on her left and Sevi on her right and crisscrossed her index fingers as she said the wish. “Aww” Jolie smiled at Kali. “We love each other, it’s just that she gets on my nerves from time to time”, Sevi explained. “That’s right, we get along”, Sidi said sarcastically. “You have to pick a real wish”, Sidi said. “That was my real wish Sidi, I love you guys and I want you to get along. Sidi was always the quietest and the sweetest. If you did not know better, you would think that she was older than the twins who were always arguing, rolling eyes at each other, or reporting what the other had done to their mother, Jolie. She was thirteen, younger than the twins by two years.

“I have two wishes.” Sevi straightened his posture and put out two fingers up to emphasis. Sidi rolled her eyes. “Since am the last one, I will say two wishes…” “Can you just get to them already?” Sidi said impatiently. Kali looked at her mother as if to communicate she regrets having wished for those two to get along. They both shook their heads and smiled knowingly. “Okay, I will. Firstly, I wish to be Mita’s next biggest model…” Sevi had always loved fashion and modelling and had done a few local commercials, pageants, and advertisements in their Town, Mita. They nodded at that because they knew about his passion and how much he wanted to succeed at it. “For my second, I wish mom was here”, he said quietly and hung his head low with a sigh. It had been five years since Sandra had died. The others seemed to have dealt with their grief relatively well compared to Sevi. It had been too much for him to accept living in a world without his best friend. Sevi was generally a jovial person, but at times he would miss her so much that he sank into the darkness of his own sadness.

“Look guys, the lights are back!” Kali said excitedly, attempting to clear the sombre mood on which the game had ended. The slightly dim tent was now fully bright from the illumination of the window next to the tent. Barry Manilow’s ‘Mindy’ was playing on the radio. They had forgotten to turn off the socket when the lights had gone off. The song was Sandra’s favourite. “I think she is here with us” Jolie smiled and stretched out her arms to hug Sevi. The rest joined in on the hug. “I don’t think she would be sitting here with that song playing”, Sidi said as she wiped away tears from her eyes with a faint smile. “Come on guys, let’s dance!” Sevi said as he crawled out of the tent door. They all followed and danced outside the tent.