I finally entered my room with a big sigh of relief. What was supposed to be the most exciting day had become the most exhausting day of my life! The beauty was that the main event had not even begun. I had just got engaged and I was supposed to get married the next day!

     My little sister, Preeti, had been eyeing me throughout the ceremony with a mischievous glint in them. But, all I could see now were tears, as the realization dawned on both of us … this would be the last day that both of us would be together, really together!

     I pretended to be busy taking off my contact lens. It gave me a very good excuse for the tears in my eyes.

      “Do you remember the time that I tattled on you for breaking your contact lens,” she asked?

      I couldn’t help smiling at that memory, “How can I forget that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mom and Dad look so angry, ever!”

     “I’m so sorry for that,” she said and promptly burst into tears. As we hugged and cried together, the memories flooded back.

      I remembered the time when we both were in school and she fell down. The funny part was that I was crying more than her and in that tension, I started cleaning her friend’s leg. Then, there was the incident on her first day of school. She did not cry for Mom or Dad, like every other kid. Instead, she came looking for me and sat by me the entire day, much to my embarrassment! Today, the image of her teacher chasing her throughout the school, brings a smile to my face.

     Things weren’t always lovey-dovey between the two of us. We’ve had our share of fights, arguments and blackmail! I call it … the great contact lens debacle!   I’d just started wearing contact lens. In the beginning, I would place a big mirror on my lap, so that I could place the contact lens in its correct position. To cut a long story short, my contact lens paid a heavy price for my carelessness. The timing couldn’t be worse as my winter vacation began the next day. I spent about 15 days of my vacation with just one contact lens, my logic being, that I would inform my parents after the vacation ended. However, my smarty-pants sister figured out that something weird was going on. It didn’t take her long to get a confession out of me. To her credit, she kept up with the pretense for almost a week, even as she constantly tortured me with her all-knowing smile!

      Then, I made the mistake of treating her unfairly, by refusing to share our new computer game, and the claws came out. Before I could realize what hit me, my vacation was over!

      “Do you remember how often we ended up searching for your lost contact lens?” My sister’s voice brought me back to the present.

     “Yes,” I laughed. “It always amazed me that a ridiculously small object could literally make us dance to its tune.” We ended up talking about our experiences with my lens the rest of the night. I guess it was easier to talk about than what was really going on in our mind.

     Soon, it was time to get ready for the next round of wedding ceremonies. As usual, I got ready to put on my lens, and to my horror, I realized that one of them was missing! Preeti took one look at my face and groaned, “Priya, not again!” We spent the next 15 minutes, searching every corner of the room. Finally, Preeti sat down in frustration, near the dressing table. There it was --- my precious contact lens, at the exact same spot, where I’d taken it off, the previous night!

      Both of us looked at each other with a big grin on our face, “This is one thing that I’m never going to miss! Your contact lens!” I simply didn’t have the strength to fight with her that day.

     The rest of the day went by in a blur, with my little sister by my side, and my precious contact lens safely tucked in my eyes. Much as I liked to complain about it, my lens proved to be very helpful. During the ceremony, whenever my eyes would fill with tears, I would very conveniently blame it on my lens. Today, I consider my contact lens, a treasure-house of memories. No matter where I go and how long I stay away; it’ll be a constant reminder of my little sis and the wonderful life that we shared!