100 Rays Of Son - 62

Payyan The Doppleganger

When Rayyan was around 3 years old, I used to joke with him, saying that there was someone exactly like him who would come into our home and fool me. It became funnier to me when Rayyan seriously started believing me.

“Did you like the chocolate Rayyan?”

“Which chocolate maa?”

“The one I just now gave you when you walked in a moment ago”

“But maa, I was on terrace with grandpa and came down just now. You did not give me any chocolate today”.

“Oh no. It must be Payyan again. He looks just like you and he takes advantage of it. So sorry beta, your chocolate is gone. I will get you a new one tomorrow”.

I am not sure why I started this joke and what the purpose behind it was. Sometimes it was outright cruel as well.

I would look hard at Rayyan and say, “Hey, I think this is Payyan. Something looks a bit different. Tell me the truth, are you Rayyan or Payyan?”

Poor Rayyan would panic and try to convince me hard that he was the real one and not the fake. He was a small child and I am not sure how I had the heart to trouble him so, but we all enjoyed it a lot occasionally.

The whole drama ended with my nightmare. Yes, that was it. In the nightmare, I was feeding Rayyan an apple when another Rayyan walks in and says, “Maa, he is fooling you again. That is not me, I am Rayyan here”. I looked at both of them and they both were wearing same clothes, had same haircut and were exactly like each other. Soon the one eating food pleaded, “Maa please catch hold of Payyan and make a mark on him so that he will not fool you again”. Both of them were trying very hard to convince me exactly the way Rayyan would struggle to convince me when I would accuse him of being Payyan. I woke up with a fright and believe me, I was scared in real with the nightmare. It was scarier than any horror movie I had seen, though it was simple with just two cute Rayyans.

The next day, I confessed to Rayyan that I was joking and there was no Payyan. He innocently asked me, “Then who ate the chocolates and did the other stuff Maa?” I was in a sticky situation but decided that I will be honest and confessed to him that it was me who did it in the name of Payyan. No more lies, I promised him and I have been honest with him since then, at least regarding the disappearing chocolates.

The poor child had lived through the lies of my mom as well… which will be another story to share some other day.

I think the short film “My annoying twin” must be a result of this memory Rayyan had in his mind.