'His Child'- A glimpse from Shattered Illusions [Shattered Illusions by Swati Sandeep]

Dhruv was furious. Never had Dev behaved so recklessly. For the third time, the boy was pulled over for speeding. This time he had his license canceled. And the worst part was he showed no remorse.

“How would I go if he was coming behind me, Bhaiya?” Dev shook his head. “Aab maine sapna thode dekhta ke woh aise tapak padega. (How will I dream that he would come out of nowhere?)”

Dhruv‘s eyes glinted. The boy was pushing him hard. Dhriti gave a hard rap to Dev’s head. “Have you lost it? They suspended your license, Dev. This is serious.”

“It is the officer’s fault, Di.” Dev insisted. “Kam dhanda nahi hai to aise peche pad jatey hai. (They are so jobless that they keep doing this.)”

“It is their job to make sure the traffic rules are followed, Devansh.” Dhruv held on to his temper. “And it is your duty to follow them.”

“It is his fault.” Dev insisted. “How can they expect me to go at 30? That’s ridiculous.”

Dheer tensed. Of late, Dev was becoming insolent. It was not just teenage rebellion. The boy was pushing boundaries. The more Dhruv eased, the more Dev pushed at him. Dheer could understand what was happening. Dev was confused. He had shared with him his insecurities. With Dhruv’s marriage nearing, and the change in Dhruv’s behavior, the boy assumed that his Bhaiya was changing.

Where Dhruv was respecting Dev’s age and letting him make his own decisions, Dev was thinking that Dhruv no longer cared for him. The boy was getting scared. Dhruv was the only father he had known. He did not wish to lose him and did not know how to voice the need.

“Ridiculous?” Dhruv’s voice thundered. “What is ridiculous is your attitude. What got into you, Dev?”

“Come on, Bhaiya. I was only having a little fun. Why are you yelling at me? Mere galti nahi they. (It was not my fault.)”

“Sach kahan tune tere galti nahi hai, Dev. Galti mere hai jo maine tughe itne choot de rakhe hai. (It is your fault. It is my fault that I gave you so much freedom.) It is getting to your head.”

Dev looked into his brother’s eyes. If he had behaved the same way when they were in India, his Bhaiya would have reacted in a different fashion. He would have never let him do something like that. His Bhaiya would have corrected his mistakes. But the man standing in front of him did not care. When they had nothing and only had themselves, he felt like the luckiest kid on the planet, because he had his Bhaiya’s undivided attention. Now that they had everything, he felt like a lost kid. His Bhaiya was stepping back. He did not know why, but he feared it was because of their changed circumstances. Since he had his grandparents, Dhruv did not have to care about him. He was losing his Bhaiya, and that made him feel like a lost child. 

 Resentment flared inside him. “Come on, Bhaiya. Stop acting mean. I am a grownup now. I can do what I want. I will do what I want. Kya karoge aap? (What will you do about it?)” Dhruv silenced him with a slap to his face.

Dhriti and Dheer looked at each other. They knew it would end that way since Dev came back home. Dev was pushing for the reaction.

“Dhruv.” Yash’s voice thundered. He had been a silent spectator all along, until Dhruv raised his hand. Sheetal tensed. Her husband never raised his hand to their children. She did not want him to interfere between Dhruv and Dev. The boy was already going through a lot of changes. Boys Dev’s age needed consistency, and they were confusing the boy.

“This is not the way to handle teenagers, Dhruv.” Yash’s voice became hard. “Dev is….”

“My child.” Dhruv did not let him finish. “And I know how to deal with him.”

Dheer and Dhriti sighed in relief. Dev needed to hear that. The tears that were floating in the boy’s eyes told them the same. Dheer gently reached for the boy’s hand. Dev leaned into his Big-B’s touch. For a month his Big-B was trying to tell him he was over thinking, but he could not control his emotions. He did not realize how much he was waiting for his Bhaiya to say it out loud. He was his Bhaiya’s child. Nothing had changed between them.

“You need to calm down, Dhruv. Let me…”

“NO.” Dhruv did not let him finish. “I have had enough. I don’t have your patience, Dadaji, and I will not let my child turn wild. He was over-speeding and does not think it is wrong. What if he crashed? What would we do then?”

Yash fell silent.

“When you asked me to let him learn to drive, I agreed because I could not hurt your feelings. Look where that got us. Aaj speeding kar raha hai kal kuch aur. (Today he is speeding, tomorrow it will be something else.)”

“He won’t do it, Dhruv.” Dhriti gently reached for Dhruv’s hand. She understood his anger and love. Their grandparents did not know them well. She did not want more misunderstandings. 

“He won’t, Dhriti, and I will make sure he won’t.” Dhruv pulled his hand away. When he was angry, he rarely listened to anyone, and this time his anger was backed with worry. He could not let Dev destroy his life.

“Hand me your car keys and cards, Devansh.” His voice left no scope for argument.

Dev flinched at the anger.

“Tune suna nahi maine kya kaha? (Did you hear what I just said?)”

Dev reached for his car keys and wallet. Dhuv extended his hand, and the boy handed them without protest.

“Your phone.”

Dev looked at Dheer, but when he shook his head, Dev turned to Dhriti.

“Dhruv….” She fell silent when she saw the warning glint in his eyes. 

“YOUR PHONE, DEVANSH.” 

Dev quickly handed him the phone.

“You will not get these back until you learn to behave. And until you change your attitude, you will not be going anywhere other than college. There will be no screen time, no privileges. Clear?”

Dev could not look at his Bhaiya. He wanted a reaction, but the reaction terrified him. He would think a thousand times before stepping out of line.

“CLEAR, DEVANSH?”

“Ji. (Yes.)” He could barely get the word out.

Dhruv stormed out in anger. Dheer gave him a hard whack on his back the moment Dhruv was out of earshot. “Pad gaye kaleje ko tandak? (Are you satisfied now?)”

A small smile lit up Dev’s lips.

“Duneya tu pehla banda hoga jo maar khake muskura raha hai. (You must be the first person to smile when they get hit.”

“Bhaiya called him his child.”

“Haww! That is the Flash News! I did not know it until now.” Dheer held his heart dramatically. Dev swatted his hand away.   

“Stop it, Big-B.”

Dheer shook his head. “Now that you are finally back to senses, let’s play some chess. Screen time is out for you. We have to make do with what we have. Let the angry lion clam down first, then you can go grovel. This time it won't be easy, Dev. Bhaiya will make you realize what it means to be his child.”

Dev cringed at the thought but walked away with Dheer. Dhruti looked at her grandfather. She admired the man, but to her, some things were unacceptable. There was no room for a third person between a parent and a child. She would have to make him understand that.