The Child Who Was 'Different'

Atul peeked into the bedroom and saw his mother working on the laptop. She looked busy. Definitely the best time to...

'Mom, can I go to the park?' He tried out his luck.

And lucked out when she nodded distractedly. Atul literally ran out of his home before his mom could remember that he was yet to finish his homework. 

He walked towards the park with a smile he was trying hard to contain. Little victories like these made him happy.

His happiness lasted only for a few seconds. Except for few elders, the park was otherwise empty. None of his friends had arrived. He decided to wait for them. 

He went towards the slide and spent some time playing there. After a while, it got boring. There were only so many times he could climb up and slide down. He was about to leave when his gaze fell over the boy.

The boy looked to be of his own age. Atul felt there was something different about him. The boy was clearly sulking. He was sitting with his arms folded around his chest and a morose expression on his face. Beside the boy, there sat a man, whom Atul assumed to be the boy's father. 

On a whim, Atul went towards the boy. There was always place in his group for another friend.

"I am Atul. Are you new here?" He asked the boy who just glared at him without answering.

"Hi Atul. We moved to this colony two weeks ago. This is my son Tanmay and I am Sameer." The boy's father replied with a smile.

Atul nodded to Sameer and looked at Tanmay. "Come on, let's play." He said, gesturing towards the slide. Tanmay relaxed his stance but didn't get up. Atul looked at him curiously.

Sameer tensed, realizing that Atul had noticed something different about Tanmay. His autism sometimes made him stand out. Before Sameer could say anything, Atul spoke to Tanmay. “What do you like to play?”

After few seconds, Tanmay replied. “I want to play Catch with this ball.”

“All right. Come, let us play.” Saying so, Atul tried to hold Tanmay’s elbow but the later shrank away. “Don’t. I will come myself.” He said. Atul nodded and walked beside Tanmay, watching him curiously.

They played with the ball for a while. Sameer smiled as he saw his boy stand firm and catch the ball as if by instinct. He threw the ball with the same movement every time. He usually exhibited very few emotions but today, Sameer could see that the child was at peace.

“Let us take a break. My hands are paining.” Atul said.

“I want to play.” Tanmay stood at his place without budging.

Atul looked at him thoughtfully. “We will play. Let us wait for my friends. They should be here soon. Then all of us can play.”

Tanmay stomped off towards Sameer. “I don’t want to play with everyone. I just wanted to play with you.” He went back to the same pose that Atul had found him a while ago.

Sameer tried to intervene but Atul cut him to it. “Which is your favourite activity? I like to draw and colour.” He said to Tanmay.

“I like drawing and colouring too.” Replied Tanmay. “I also like to build sets of houses, chairs, tables and so on. I have a kit in my home.” He looked at Atul thoughtfully. “Come someday to my home. I will show you the kit.”

Sameer inhaled sharply as he heard his boy invite someone to his home for the first time.

“Sure, I will come.” Atul said lightly.

With a loud chatter, Atul’s friends came into the park. Sameer felt Tanmay go rigid beside him. Atul noticed the change.

“Wait a minute.” Atul said and ran towards his friends.

Sameer saw the children have a serious discussion and smiled. By the looks of it, Atul was trying to give a heads-up to the group about Tanmay. He badly wanted to hear what Atul was explaining. It was impossible to take the meeting seriously when he saw the kids, some slightly pot-bellied, some spectacled, some blissfully scratching their behinds, some scratching their heads looking adorably confused, listen to Atul with rapt attention. They seemed to have arrived at a decision.

Atul marched back. He stood before Tanmay and said. “We will play Catch again, but this time, our friends will also be playing with us. We all will stand apart, form a circle and pass the ball to the next one beside us. The one who drops will be out.”

He allowed Tanmay some time to think over it. Sameer waited with bated breath.

Tanmay got up from the bench, clutching his precious ball to his chest and walked over to the group. The children all stood apart and started playing the game and very soon, Tanmay was lost in the game of Catch.

Atul got out. He came and sat beside Sameer, swinging his legs.

“He is different.” Atul remarked with the brutal honesty that children are usually blessed with.

Sameer was used to people’s reactions to Tanmay. He smiled and nodded.

“But it’s okay. Dad says it is good to be different.” Atul said. “Tanmay is different, but he is our friend now. One of us.”

Being a parent to an autistic child didn’t allow for any kind of weakness. Sameer was all about tough love, strength and silent support. But somedays, the rarest of days, he allowed himself to get sentimental when he heard comments like Atul’s - comments that gave him hope, that an autistic child would not have to live in solitude, that his ‘difference’ wouldn’t come in the way of having true friends.

Sameer allowed the emotions to overwhelm him. Every little bit of acceptance that came in his son's way was welcome. For now, all was well in his world. His autistic child Tanmay wasn’t alone, he had friends.

As Atul said, it was indeed okay, and it was good to be different.