Misfit

He knew he was different from them. He was only 4 when Aai and Baba had had the talk with him. They told him how he was different from his
year old sibling Shrawan. But it hadn't really sunk in then. But slowly as Shrawan and he grew up he could see how he was diffrent from his family.

Shrawan would understand Aai, Baba much better. He would know when they were angry with him, when they were pleased with him. Aai, Baba were not much of talkers, they were stingy with words. You had to learn to understand their expressions. their actions. It took him some time but Sachin understood them. Or at least he thought so! But how he and Shrawan reacted back is what made all the difference. Mostly it was ok. But Aai,Baba really didn't know that he needed to be hugged and kissed, reassured of their affections.

Shrawan took Aai Baba's love for granted, whereas Sachin was afraid of loosing it to the extent that sometimes he wondered if they really loved him at all. Whether he was just a big mistake.

Aai Baba were really very nice people, it was hard to complain. But Sachin grew up a bitter boy.
It was the bitterness with world in general.

Aai Baba thought Sachin was just different. They gave him as much space as they could. Even Shrawan knew when to let Sachin be.

Sachin didn't really want to be left alone. Thats how Aai, Baba and Shrawan dealt with situations; not him! He liked people to come and talk to him about his problems.

THe Joshi's were a family bound by love and yet full of bitterness.
It wasn't meant to be like this. Amruta and Milind had never expected it turn this way! It seemed perfect, two idealistic like minded people, very much in love finally bound by marraige. Two years down the line they adopted Sachin. They didn't really mean to have another child. But Shrawan was born three years later.

The Joshi's promised to love their children equally,never to differentiate between them.
Perhaps they forgot that their two children were different people and they were to be nutured differently. Perhaps!