How is it possible that other people can know you better than you know yourself? This was my thought as I skied down the snowy white hill for the seventh time.

“Come on! Please, please, please!” My brother asked for the billionth time.

It was my first time skiing, while he had already gone four times. Naturally, he was better than me. I had just mastered the bunny hill and was satisfied with my accomplishment. I strolled into the lodge with the rest of my family to have lunch. I was eating my chips and peanut-butter-jelly sandwich as Sagar begged me to come on a higher hill with him. I didn’t want to say it at the time but I was afraid to go up higher. What sister would want to admit to her TWIN brother that she couldn’t do what he could accomplish easily? I tried to make an excuse and say I was too tired but my brother wasn’t falling for it. He told me that I would have a lot of fun. I guess I wasn’t as stubborn when I was 8, as I am now, so I gave in.

I had lost my appetite moments after I had agreed. I was too nervous to eat the second half of my sandwich so I ate the last of my chips. I turned the bag over so that it looked like I was reading the ingredients. This made me laugh as I thought about how many people had told me that I was too skinny. I was never the kind of person to look at how healthy foods were. I scanned the back of the bag, trying to stall. Finally, Sagar finished his lunch. He got up and threw his trash in the big green garbage can. The rest of my family and cousins started to clean up the table. I put on my puffy blue and white winter coat as Sagar got some new hand warmers. My hands shook as I took them. My stomach churned with both excitement and fear. I thought about the time when Sagar had made me go on a roller coaster I was too scared to go on. I ended up loving it and rode the same roller coaster four more times.

We got in the short line to get on the ski lift. It was around 8:30 pm so we had just about half an hour of ski time left. I looked ahead waiting for our turn, hoping time would go by faster. Sitting on the small bench-like seat, I tried to imagine the slope as we inched upward.

“Have you gone on this slope yet?” I asked. Hundreds of questions were going through my head. I was preparing myself for whatever was coming.

“Yeah, like a million times.” He responded laying back on the seat. He was obviously comfortable and relaxed.

“Is it easy or hard?”

He paused and thought for a second “Medium.”

“How many times did you fall the first time?” This had been the lingering question in the back of my head ever since I had decided to go. Even though I was only about four and a half feet tall, I didn’t want to break a bone while up on the hill. I had made my brother promise before we got on the ski lift that he would have to fall every time I fell so that he wouldn’t get ahead of me. Thinking back now, I couldn’t believe I had said that. Was I really that scared?!!??

“Maybe two or three times”

I was relieved. I looked ahead and saw it was almost time to get off. I hated getting off the lift. I fell every four out of five times. I closed my eyes and wished for the best.

I slid off the seat as I had many times before. I didn’t fall! So far, so good. I started to slide down the hill quickly leaving two parallel tracks in soft, white snow. As I started to gain speed I tried to slow down. I formed a “pizza” with my skis. It worked! My brother encouraged me and told me to keep going. I turned back to look at him. Just as I caught a glimpse of his orange, black, and white jacket, I lost my balance and fell. As I got up I laughed out loud as Sagar fell. He was keeping his promise.

We slid down a little further and saw a sharp turn. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get this turn. I sat down and crawled awkwardly across the curve. I could see Sagar trying to hide his smile as he watched me. I looked down and saw a steep hill. “It is just like the bunny hill,” I told myself. I took a deep breath and pushed off. The wind hit my face hard as I tried to stay steady. I felt like I was flying. A rush of excitement flew through me and I went faster and faster. I looked down and realized I had almost reached the end of the slope. I saw my brother coming down behind me as I slowed to a stop at the bottom of the hill.

“We are definitely going again!” I told him.

After about nine more times we went inside to go home. As we walked back I remembered how, before we left, Sagar had told me I would have fun. He was right. I wondered how he had known that. It might be because we are twins, I don’t know. Even now sometimes I think that he can read my mind. He is the one person in my life who knows me better than I know myself.