Vulnerability

 I woke up in the morning, careful not to wake up mom and dad. The last few weeks or so had been particularly hard on them, and their sleep schedule. I suppose you had to sacrifice something to help the community, and in this case, it was their sleep. The day went on as it usually did, except for the noise that filled the house, be it from our schooling or dad’s office or anything. Everything had shut down, and all my dad did was stay holed up in his room while trying to help friends and families who had been affected by the Delta variant of COVID-19.

I tried to make sure that we did all our work and our chores without any hesitation, knowing that unnecessary shouting would just make the situation worse. My younger sister Vriddhi looked at me with amusement at the way I tried to make sure everything was going fine. Five feet tall with long hair and brown eyes, chubby cheeks, and petite legs, Vriddhi was too young to understand the precarious situation in these tumultuous times. She walked towards me with her ruffled hair and drooping posture, crossing her arms in a bout of arrogance and flat-out refusing to do her work. 

Rage coursed through my veins, and I threatened to do some serious injury to her if she bothered our parents. After much deliberation, which ended with me frantically waving my arms and screaming myself hoarse, she agreed to do her tasks. She tried to harass me and hit me, but unluckily for her, I was older and stronger.

In anticipation of the day's end, I was unable to spot my sister rushing towards me with a murderous look on her face. As I turned around to go to my room, I was greeted with a push onto the sofa, followed by her pummelling me. Surprised at this altercation, I slapped her, commanding her to sit and start talking. However, being the stubborn girl that she is, Vriddhi decided to kick my legs. Losing balance, I grabbed her and pulled her down with me. However, in the spur of the moment, I understood how vulnerable and brittle (metaphorically) she was. We clanged against the floor, the noise reverberating in the whole house due to the silence. This is why I was not surprised when we heard a cracking sound followed by Vriddhi’s cry of pain. 

Tears streamed down her cheeks as I tried in vain to console her. Scared at my own strength, I backed up and called my mother, hoping my father would not find out. I knew he had enough of his plate without having to worry about who hit whom. As my mother came into my room, my fears increased. The repercussions of such an event were hard to handle, and only after my mother delivered the verdict of this information not reaching my father did I sigh in relief.
The event showed me the true strength that I possess and how it can be harmful if used in a negative manners. This is why, after that incident, I have always kept my anger in check and never let it get the better of me.