Twirling around in our backyard while an electric blue whale shaped sprinkler softly rains on our heads, my sister and I’s laughter rings out like the chimes of a dozen bells. The memory is etched into my mind like a vivid painting. The verdant, pillowy grass beneath our feet, the sun a golden halo around us and the world a blur of color as we spun faster and faster, lost in the magic of childhood. 

As we stumbled onto our muted-green rickety porch swing, our laughter gradually turned to sighs of contentment as our bodies sunk into the soft green pinstripe cushions. The gentle swaying of the swing soothed our energy as the sun softly shined on us and a cool breeze caressed our faces, carrying with it the scent of blooming roses and lilies planted in the garden. In that moment, nothing else mattered but the gentle creaking of the swing and the warmth of each other’s company.

When I look back on that childhood nostalgia, my mind immediately goes to my green porch swing. No matter how I remember it or what things are different each day that I look back on, one thing is always the same: my partner in crime is always on the cushion to the right of me. 

Even though the swing is long gone, the connection between my older sister, Namratha – or Nemo, as we call her, and I never faltered. In our youth, we were just siblings, two people sharing a bloodline but little else. Little did she know, I always wanted to be like her. Thanks to this desire, I unintentionally became exactly like her. 

As much as we look like each other, the resemblance is uncanny in the other facets of our lives. 

It’s become a running joke and quite plausible theory that we were meant to be twins, despite the four-year age gap. My parents and family friends often call us mirror images of each other. Even if I do not like to admit it at times, they’re not wrong. We look nearly identical. But even more so, we talk the same, laugh at the same jokes, have the same work ethic and habits and arguably have “twin telepathy.”

 So as we grew older, something began to shift. We laughed more, fought less and a bond began to form that was far beyond a blood relationship, a friendship that was beautiful and everlasting.

Now, more than 10 years after our green porch swing days, 327 miles and five hours and 21 minutes separate us. But, no matter how far we are from each other, I know that nothing has ever changed between us and nothing ever will. In my eyes, she is the constant in my life. She’s been by my side for as long as I can remember and she is always just a call away. Whatever problem we encounter in life, we face together as a team. We’ve always been a package deal. In our childhood days, it was because I was stubborn and wanted to spend time with my sister. Now it’s because our personalities have become so inseparable that talking to one sister is like talking to the other. 

So, even though I am at least one and a half inches taller than she is, certainly have a different face shape and have, in my eyes, completely different features, it does not take much for others and myself to see how similar we both really are both inside and out. 

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