When my parents called last weekend, my mother told me that my cousin was in the family way. Sunitha, my kid sister, going to be a mother? I couldn't believe it. Three years younger than me, I had always considered her a kid, someone to pamper, spoil and indulge always. She is a sweet, soft-spoken person with a great sense of humour. Being an only child, I came closest to the feeling of having my own younger sister with Sunitha.

Maybe I should not have been so incredulous at the news. I know she has been married for nearly two years and the news was to be expected. The last I had seen her was for my wedding - she was engaged at that time and would blush prettily whenever I teased her about how much time she spent on the phone with her fiance. But I unfortunately could not attend her wedding as it happened soon after mine, and I haven't had the opportunity to meet her after that too. So I haven't seen her after her marriage, and maybe that's why I still can't believe the news.

The time before that I remember sitting together on the terrace of my uncle's house at Ernakulam one night, laughing our heads off at somebody's expense. The time before that... well, memories go back to childhood, spending many of our holidays together, running around, playing, talking and most importantly, laughing - she loved jokes and I made sure I was funny (yes, funny) enough to make her laugh, and delight in it. I don't remember ever having a 'fight' with her.

Laughter was a big part of our togetherness - once she started, she would be on a roll, and we would mercilessly make fun of the eccentricities of some of our relatives, some of our customs which we were never able to understand, tear movies apart by ruthlessly parodying them, often rolling on the bed or floor, tears in our eyes, holding our stomachs.

We are quite unlike each other. She is an only child too, but the similarity ends there. She was shy with new people, quiet in familial or large gatherings while I would be busy making new friends and taking the lead in conversations; she is not very adventurous, does not like to go out much (though I don't know how it is now) whereas I am the type that likes to go out a lot; she was very protected at home, so she would not venture out alone or go to a new place without company, while I had asserted my independence from a very young age and I suspect my parents were happy that way too! Though my uncle's bank job took them to many places in the country, or perhaps because of it, she did not have many friends, at least not as many as I did and not as close - I had innumerable friends and in recent years, she would be cross with me because of the time I would spend on the phone with friends. She read only a little where I devoured books voraciously (another grouse against me was the time I spent reading when she was around). But she writes beautiful letters that are interesting, self-effacing and really funny. However, even our exchange of letters stopped since we both got married.

After I started working, the holidays were out. We would meet twice or thrice a year, may be for a wedding or a family function. While I went around considering myself 'grown up' and 'mature', giving her advice and being protective about her, she must have done her own bit of growing up. She wrote me some heart-warming letters when I was going through a bad phase. I remember being surprised but proud of my little sister.

As I resolve to get back in touch with her, I still am a little dumbfounded with the idea of her becoming a mother. But I look forward to seeing her and having a good time together again.