WHEN THE DEVIL CALLED

Lost sister

"What are you doing driving the car when you should be running the streets, you madman!"

"Did you just… Sasha, are you the one?" Cassie was speechless.

Only the gods knew where the man got that name, Sasha. She was once called Sasha until she decided to drop that name. The story was a heavy one, and it happened when she was still in high school.

Cassie did not want to remember anything. Until then, it was almost thirteen years since her twin sister died. Tasha went to sleep and never woke up.

13 YEARS AGO

Sasha looked a sad girl. She felt uneasy and overwhelmed by the events of that morning. The fourteen-year-old girl heaved a heavy sigh which left her more disturbed than relaxed. Her memories had conspired to taunt her, and every stroke of them left her chest breathless and weak. She was already disoriented with her former self, yet she was still a stranger to her new disposition.

No one had warned her that her life was about to change, and drastically so. Living in this world without her sister seemed meaningless, and all Sasha wanted was to die also. Tasha had meant everything to her, and they were always in each other's company.

Being identical twins, people always failed to tell the difference between them. Only one person could at times, and it was her then-boyfriend from the poor neighbourhood. Jerry attended a day school, and he lived with his parents in a single-room rented apartment.

The two of them remained friends for a long time, until the time that Sasha went to Oxford University in the United Kingdom to study economics. Jerry did not qualify much and when Sasha left, he was working as a plumber and would each morning help people around who needed his help. He had once helped repair the sink pipe at Sasha's home and she had admired his skills.

***

Cassie looked at the polished man before her and wondered how come he knew her name. It had been almost nine years since she changed her name, and people had already forgotten everything about Sasha.

"Do I know you?" She asked.

"Sasha you are not serious. You don't remember me? The duke of…"

"Hill School?"

"Exactly."

"Jerry! It is a lie. You look different!" The girl exclaimed.

"Right? I switched up my gigs and started making some money."

"I see, wow!" The girl could not stop admiring him.

"So Sasha you are the one that almost bashed my car with…"

"It is Cassie, no longer Sasha." She corrected him.

"Oh sorry, it is Cassie now, since when?"

She told him how that name reminded her of Tasha, her late sister. She decided to go through a long legal process to have her name changed. It was very costly but at least it gave her peace of mind, knowing very well she was a different person then.

Jerry saw a tear linger behind her eyes, and it reminded him of the vulnerable girl he knew those days. Cassie always cried when she started narrating to him the unfortunate encounter following her sister's demise. That was part of the reason why she kept the close company of her female friends. With Tasha gone, Becky and Lizzie became the second most important people in her life apart from her parents.

"Do you know what, why don't we go to one of these fast food places and catch up on the old times? Let's get some hot air. You look nice."

"Okay. You are going to lead the way." She said.

"Right?"

"Come on let's hug. It has been a long time!"

That was how she met him, after four years since they last saw each other.