Like Nothing on Earth 1: The Sun

Let me tell you about my cousin, Jaylyn. Because she has two y's in her name, she calls herself ‘Too Wise’. I think it is tacky but it suits her.

It's fair for her to say that. She's smart. She's brilliant. She's a prodigy. Top of the class? More like the top of the country. She sweeps all the prizes to make awards. What award didn't she get? She is the type to take all the awards at prize-giving on the national level. The type to solve an unsolvable maths problem. The type to skip the foundation phase and share classes with me from grade 4 to 9, then go straight to University to study coding and physics.

People mistook us for being siblings, more times than not we are thought to be twins. We were always arriving at school together, hanging out together, wearing the same hairstyle and had the same school bag. At least our bags were different colours.

People thought my mom was hers too. Jaylyn lived with us since her parents got lost in the field. They were virologists vaccinating children for malaria in and around Southern Africa. They travelled 2 months at a time, leaving Jaylyn to stay with us. We would hear from them everyday, until one day, it was their last. My mom took her in permanently and it's been fun.

She drops us at school in the mornings, attends meetings and awards as her mother. It's been so long that Jaylyn considers my mom, her own.

Not only did she take my mom. She also took my birthday.

We shared the same birthday but I was three years older. We did not look alike. People could tell us apart and knew we weren't twins but the comparison did not stop. Even if I stopped braiding my her so it would be obvious. She had braids or a puffy afro and I had Nelson Mandela haircut. Despite that people would say she was the smarter, prettier, extroverted and neater one.

This should have been the start of my villain arc. Although people and systems were trying to get us to hate each other, at home we were the best of friends. My mom supported us both. We succeeded in our own lanes. Her strength was school. Mine was sport. I too won my fair share of medals and prizes. Although I might not have the potential to find the cure for a rare or global disease, I can break a record in any sport especially swimming and was on route becoming the first grade 8, scratch that, first person to captain 4 different sports.

But it was never enough. Jaylyn is unforgettable. My success was credited to her as my inspiration. She's a tough act to beat, let alone resemble. The spotlight was attracted to her. Like the earth. And I am the moon. Only visible when the earth is out of my way.

But that was no reason to hate her. The start of my villain arc was when she picked her best friend's feelings over mine. We stopped talking, actually, I closed all communication and I blocked her and all social media news about her. It was easy to not hear about her in the sports world and maybe that's why I liked being at the gym. The situation was really bad and at a wrong time. Like I was in the middle of matric, and she was my academic tutor, a great one at that but I cut her off.

All I know is she is about to do her Masters at the university she works at and she's excelling. Her apartment roommate is a boy, a situation my mom does not approve of and they have 3 dogs and a cat.

All these I learnt from my mom against my will. My mom confides in me when things looking worrying about either of us. I can't really shut her down.

Whatever Jaylyn decides to do with her life, I won't bother worrying. She's a genius, there's nothing too bad for her to not get out of.

My mom's still stressed out but I am stressing her out more. I took a gap year to prepare for the Olympics but I pulled out of the Olympics a month before it started. The country is mad, my coach is mad even my friends are mad. Everyone is mad. Everyone thinks I am mad. It was a tough decision but I had to do it for me. I am actually quitting sports and trying to decide what I want for myself. What do I want to do when Jaylyn is not around for people to compare me to?

I am not doing university either. I know she did not invent university but it feels like I'm following in her footsteps, if I do. I have not shared that with my mom either. I have to tell her I'm quitting sports, school and I spent half my registration fee money she gave me to hold last month.

I am turning into the black sheep. Jaylyn can take the win. I was burnt out after completing my matric, still am. After I dropped out from the Olympics, I lazied around the house and it's the most alive I've ever felt.

I convinced my mom to allow me to take a gap year on excuse that I wanted to focus on my sports career so I did not have to go to university. Now the year is over, my career is blown out, I have to own up to my promise. Registration ends in 2 weeks, I blew R 5 and I don't know how to tell her or replace it.

I just got out of the gym when I got a text message, a voice message, and an email from Jaylyn all at the same time. How can these get through when she's blocked on every platform?

Did she hack me?

"Hi. Please feed my dogs and cat until I or my roommate gets back. Don't leave the doors or window open, Sparks likes to run out. The front door password is the last 7 digits of your ID number. Don't show Rakgadi this message, please. I'll pay you R400 for every day you have to do this. You're my only hope. Please and I am sorry - Two Wise"

Out of the blue, she's reached out to me, and of all lock combinations she used my ID number.

What makes her think she has the right to contact me for favours?

I could really use that money but my pride won't accept it.

As I proceed to delete the message and move on with my life, a bank notification shines on my screen. R2000 has been deposited to my account, referenced is 'Please and Thank You'.

Dang it. If I accept this money, I will just need to work out R3000. I can't let the pets starve. She did say I'm her only hope